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A bothy is a hut in the hills that provides 'simple shelter' for hikers. For history lecturer Kat Hill, staying in and researching the histories of bothies was suggestive of hope and healing during a time of painful upheaval in her personal life. Each chapter is hinged on a trip to a particular bothy in Scotland and Wales, weaving together travelogue with liberally footnoted musings on a theme, and some contextual background on the bothy itself. For much of the book the various threads all seemed to me to be a little thin and incoherent, and I would have preferred either more proper history and politics of bothies or in depth life writing, rather than a smattering of both - or at least some tighter editing. But the second half of the book improved (or maybe I grew more tolerant!) The inclusion of extensive quoting from bothy guest books over the years provided fascinating insights. The book has made me want to stay in a bothy myself at least once, and to make sure I check out the bothy book while I'm there.