Allt Scheicheachan Bothy
Allt Scheicheachan (pron. Alt shee-cha-chan, with the ‘ch’ as in loch both times) is a small bothy south of Beinn Dearg in the Atholl Cairngorms. It’s located in a small fold in the hills at NN 835 738.
Access
There’s a car park at Old Bridge of Tilt, a kilometre north of Blair Atholl. From there there’s a walk in of about 10km on good landrover track. This rises steadily to over 500 metres and can be very exposed in bad weather. The final kilometre to the bothy is downhill and the bothy only becomes visible in the last 100 metres or so, when it will be a welcome site.
A welcome site in a fold in the hillside
Accommodation
There’s not a lot to Allt Sheicheachan. Two rooms, each with a separate door to the outside. The room on the left is the habitable one, with some basic furniture and a fireplace, although the floor is stone. At the moment the door is a bit slack and draughty, but there are plans to make improvements soon.
The room on the right is dark and unfurnished, but gives access to attic space above the good room, which can be used for sleeping accommodation in the unlikely event of the bothy being busy.
Fuel
There is no wood in the area. Carry in some coal or firelogs.
Water
The best source is the main burn beside the bothy.
Toilet
There is none. Take the bothy spade for a walk, well away from both the bothy and the burn. Go as far as you think is reasonable and then a bit further.
cairngormwanderer 
Aye, bye far the best bothy in the gorms this yin neil (and a dinnae just mean the “Atholl” gorms) 😉
Is that right then, Derek? That would explain why I just had someone on twitter saying it was the coldest bothy he ever stayed on. 😉 If you speak nice I might come up when you get the work party organised there. 🙂
I’m nae surprised neil. You should tell them that if they “stayed in” the bothy rather than “on” it they’d find it’s a cracking wee place! 😛
Aye that’s right. Mak fun off a gie that cannt spel. 🙂
I recently spent 2 nights in this bothy,which had been kept very clean and tidy.I found the 2 guys who worked for the MBA that I met there to be very welcoming and would recommend a visit here.There are some breath taking views on the way in that make you proud that the opportunity to visit such a place is available to anyone in Scotland. I have left a working camp stove for future use for anyone visiting to use.
Aye, it’s a nice wee bothy there, well looked after by Derek Stewart.
Anyone know what the tracks like to this Bothy? Are they snowed completely over or are they visible.
Hello
Am looking at going to the bothy next month is there any protocals to follow with the corona virus or am i free to head up
Thank you
Chris
Sorry Chris, all bothies are currently closed because of COVID-19, in accordance with Scottish Govt advice. When that changes – and there are no indications it will be soon – you’ll hear a great commotion all over the internet. Lots of folk waiting for the all-clear.
Hi there
I am going 6th in december in the Allt Scheicheachan Bothy, is open now?
Sorry but I was doing some walks but never in the mountans, can I be lose? is clear the way, any recomendation for maps or app? like alltrails or maps.me, or OS Maps.
Thank you
Hi Mauro, the bothy is open and is normally easy to reach as the track goes straight past it. However at this time of year you should pay particular attention to the weather forecast, as the walk in takes you across some high and exposed ground. If there is a lot of snow about, it is possible the track could become covered and hard to find, so you should pay heed to this as well. I don’t use electronic navigation, so can’t advise you on that, but the traditional 1:50000 OS map should be sufficient for you.