Bothy Women: Milly Bee | Podcast

December 3, 2025December 4, 2025John D Burns

Outdoors In Scotland

Outdoors In Scotland

Bothy Women: Milly Bee | Podcast

00:00 / 28:44

Bothies have long been considered male bastions but that view is rapidly becoming outdated. Milly Bee, a Maintenance Organiser with the Mountain Bothies Association, talks about her passion for these remote shelters and how she has been welcomed into the bothy community.

Milly Bee

Maintaining a bothy can be a challenging experience. They are often subjected to extreme weather and their remote locations frequently mean that simply getting materials in to do repairs and reconstruction can be a major operation.

When Milly started volunteering for the MBA she admits that she didn’t posses many of the construction skills required and was a little apprehensive about how she would be received. The bothy community has welcomed her with open arms and have helped to gain the confidence and skills she needed. Now she is responsible for a bothy of her own and feels she’s gained hugely from supporting these simple shelters.

Milly now runs special bothy meets for women to help them gain the experience they need to begin their own bothy adventures. Having faced barriers herself and overcome them, Milly is well placed to introduce other women to the world of Mountain bothies and to encourage them to join her on what has been a special journey for her.

Click HERE to visit the Mountain Bothies Facebook page and start your journey.

Transcript

Audio file

Milly final edit.mp3

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Outdoors in Scotland. My name’s John Burns and this is my podcast for folk who like the outdoors in Scotland or pretty well anywhere else for that matter. Anyone who knows me will know that I’m a very keen visitor to Bothies all across Scotland and perhaps even beyond that really. I wanted to have this little podcast to explore Bothies outside of Scotland, they do exist, and to talk to a maintenance organiser. All Bothies are looked after, that are run by the Mountain Bothies Association, are cared for by what’s called a maintenance organiser, who does exactly what that says on the tin, and repairing the roof and putting the windows in and all that kind of stuff. And without those folk, without that voluntary effort, all the bothies that we love so much just wouldn’t exist. So I’m going to introduce Millie Bee. who is maintenance officer for Arbothy in Wales. I’ll let her pronounce that ’cause I can’t. Hello Millie, how are you?

I’m good, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

Oh, you’re welcome, you’re welcome, you’re welcome. Now, where is it you live?

So I live in East Yorkshire, it’s in Humberside, specifically, in a town called Goo. And I volunteer in Wales for the Welsh team. Originally, I’m from Poland.

Oh, right. And what brought you to Yorkshire then?

So I was a very young girl. I just finished college. I finished technical college architecture. And I was just starting to explore. So first I went to Germany, lived there for three months. And I came to the UK and I liked it so much I stayed.

All right. Yorkshire’s a bit different from anywhere else in England, isn’t it?

Yeah, especially this part. It’s flat as a pancake.

Is it really? I’ve not, I must admit, I’ve never actually been to that area at all. So it’s pretty flat, is it?

Is, yes. Pumber River. And it’s always as well, I find it slightly warmer. Whenever you get snow everywhere, here we might get an inch. and it disappears within hours. So yeah, we’ve got a little microclimate here from Humber River. So yeah, but it’s quite charming. We’ve got lovely countryside and the community people are really nice.

Yeah, yeah, I lived in Sheffield for quite a while, South Yorkshire. It’s a great part of the world, it has a lot of character to it, I think. And I’ve seen to remember there was a fair amount of snow in Sheffield at the time, so it doesn’t have that kind of, it didn’t have a microclimate like that. What got you interested in bothies? What was your first encounter with a bothy?

So I started to hike. I always, coming from Poland, I lived far, far away from mountains. And my parents live in forestry area where there’s plenty of lakes. So I always thought that going into mountains is quite technical, like mountaineering. And then my friend once, she said, oh, fancy going hiking with us. And she was Polish. So she said that in Polish, but then used the word hiking in English. And I said, what do you mean by hiking? And she’s like, well, it’s like walking in mountains. So I’m like, in mountains? That’s mountaineering. She said, no, it’s not technical. All you need is just sturdy books and waterproofs. And I’m like, that’s going for a walk. He said, no, it’s not quite like going for a walk, but it’s not quite like mountain, something in between. And I’m like, what? I don’t understand. And there is no word in Polish for that. So she said, all right, I’ll take you. And she took me for a hike. And the next thing we was doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge. I met someone who was doing mountain leader training. We got along because we had the same pace. So we walked most of this challenge together. And the next thing he started dragging me all over the Welsh mountains because obviously he was in the training. He wanted to have the most QMDs, as much QMDs as possible. And then because I was so gullible and I said yes to everything, he just dragged me everywhere. And which I’m super grateful because I learned so much. And that’s how he started taking me to bothies. The first bothy we went to was Arenig Faur. It was just a lunch stop on our way up Arenig. mountain. And I was just blown away of the idea that they open to public, you don’t have to book, you can use them whenever you want. These places are shelters, you can stay for a night. I love the scenery, I love how basic they are. Then next, he took me to next one, which was Dulin. We spent the night there. It was crowded, but everyone was super friendly. At that time, we stayed in a tent and we woke up to snow and it was just, it was so, beautiful. Next one was Cayamos. And after that, Corona happened. So obviously, we all struggle more or less. I struggle a little bit more with being locked up. And as soon we could get out, or even soon before that, I decided to venture out myself, because I had already quite a lot of experience with Andy, who taught me a lot. And I went to Doolin Bothy and I remember reading that book called Bothy by Phoebe Smith. And she was telling about Phil, how generous he was that he shared the meal with her and what a lovely experience she had. And I was like, oh, I would love to meet one of the maintenance organizers. I’m walking in and there’s two guys sitting in front of the fire, just a very lovely glow from the fire, dark. They just like asking me questions. Soon when I undressed, from my wet stuff, put my sleeping stuff out, they start cooking, share the meal with me. And it came out that was Phil, maintenance organizer to Dulan. After that, yeah, after that weekend, he, after we get along really well. So he invited me to one of the work parties. And I turned up by myself and the team was just so, welcoming and friendly. I came a bit hesitant, unsure what I’m doing there because I’m like, I have no skills. What am I going to be doing here? They was doing a roof and I’m like, if I can only pass the nails and a hammer, that would be enough. And they just dressed me up in their PPE. They fed me, they told me stories. They showed me more secret paths, secret caves, secret buffets, and I was just hooked. That was it. Merely was part of the Welsh team. So I started attending work parties more and more often, slowly sinking in a team, building that relationship. And within a year or something like that, opportunity of being a more came around. And I remember Phil was asking me, because by that time we was already pretty close friends, He said, Millie, we’ve got two bosses, Pendras Isaf and Luis Cuempa. You would be great and off for one of these. Join them all. And I was like, oh, I don’t know. I would love to maybe in the future, but. It’s a bit tough time. I was doing my mountain leader qualifications.

Life was pretty much full on. I had two jobs. I was single mom and I was like, can I handle another task? And it’s in a way I was like three and a half hours away from my house. Right, right. And I thought, you know what? I don’t know when next opportunity gonna come along, I’m just gonna wing it. I was going to wing it. I’ll see how it goes. I’m sure the lad’s going to help me. I said yes. They voted me in and I’ve been in MR now since 2022.

Right. And what’s that been like for you? Is it? I mean, you said you’ve got no practical skills. I mean, has that changed?

Oh yes, massively with every work parties, you learn a little bit. So you start from the donkey jobs.

And you know what, at the work party, parties, the biggest part of work party is carrying things in and carrying things out. It’s usually take the whole day or more to bring the tools, to bring the materials and by end of the work party to take the material tools out. So we always need people to do that and anyone can do that. If you can walk and you’re carrying something on your shoulder or back, you’re welcome to come and help us. And then there is always some nettles to pull out. Anyone can splash a little bit of paint on the wall. Anyone can, with a little bit of introduction to a tool and supervision, start doing more complicated tasks. So I remember my first things was like doing pointing, because I never wanted to do it. So I was like, really, do you, can you do pointing? And I’m like, I have no idea what that is, but I’ll do it. Yeah, just show me what to do. And they put me on the guillotine to put the slates to the size. And then while you come in more and they get in to know you more, they’re giving you more and more and more. And next thing, last project, Cayamos, three years nearly we spent. that, putting roof together with lads that is like ****** girl me.

Brilliant, brilliant. And what do you think effect it’s had on you? Has it changed your confidence? You come across as quite confident, but it sounds to me as though maybe you’ve maybe you’ve come to where you are, you know, a bit of a journey.

Oh yeah, definitely. It was a bit of a journey because when I first started, I was I was in a bad place. I wasn’t mentally where I should be. Being a foreigner, you’re always lacking that feel of community. And I think in MBA, I found that. I found my community, I found my family, and I found my friends. I found somewhere where I belong. And with that, and knowing that people look after you and they letting you to be who you are, just build your confidence, but also allowed you to be a little bit vulnerable, but in a comfortable way, if you know what I mean.

Yeah, that’s quite important really, because until fairly recently, I would say that the bothy community had a reputation for being mostly male, Mostly middle class, no, not middle class, I wouldn’t say that’s right, but mostly middle-aged, say, or to older. And I could imagine that being a bit off-putting to someone like yourself. Is that right?

Not necessarily, no. And you’re right. And when I arrived, the guys was middle-aged and, you know, because how they take care of me, I felt like they daughter or granddaughter.

I mean, there is a very strong sense of community, I think, amongst not only people who maintain bothies, but people who use them as well. I think it’s partly because you’re often in the middle of nowhere. You rely on each other if there’s a problem. Is that true, do you think?

Yes, definitely. I heard some stories where bothy had been locked, and I am not saying that’s not true. It just never happened to me. Mostly, I’ve been going out to bothies for about 7 years, 7 or 8 years. And it never happened, fortunately to me. And I don’t know, I’m still questioning myself what it would be, how I would react, what I would do if that would happen to me, especially in the bothy that I look after, that someone barricades the door and say, sorry, both is full.

Oh, yeah, I’ve never experienced that.

I don’t know. With the community, yeah, if someone forgets stove, you say, I’ve got stove, please. If someone, and there is always, a bottle of whiskey or rum going round, or someone puts some nibbles on the table and share food, always the talks, stories. And even if someone looking for ideas for walks, et cetera, there is always that generosity in sharing the knowledge.

Do you feel from your own experience Did you feel a particular barrier being a woman entering that kind of community?

No, I didn’t have that experience because the way the lads welcomed me and outdoors, I never felt that. And when I start to reach in beyond my team to England and Borders, South Scotland and beyond that, meeting more area organisers, more maintenance officers, more volunteers for MBA, I just found a very welcoming approach. So even though it’s male dominated, I didn’t came across that.

Do you think that the image that that perhaps bothies have might be something that other women might find off footing.

Definitely. You know, that’s why, I don’t know if you know, but from over a year, I start doing the women-centred bothy night for beginners. And I remember the feeling inside me still when I was like, oh my God, who am I going to come across? Who’s going to be there? Are they going to try to hurt me? Are they going to, are they going to be unpleasant? you know, how am I, what is going to be there? And, but because I’m quite, I don’t know, I just go and then figure things out. I’m just sometimes my worst enemies, I think.

You said you’re running a scheme that introduces women to bothies, is that right? Yes, I picked that up right. Tell us a little bit about that.

Yes, so I started this and I’m doing this within a buffy code. So I’m taking five girls, sorry, for four girls. And we’re having a great time. We’re going for a little walk. I’ll tell them all about MBA, what both is, introduce them correctly, tell them all the information, show them how to dispose ashes, show them how to start fire, show them how the dowling stoves works, to hang the bags up because we, even though you might not see them, the mice are there. Oh yeah. stuff like that, how to go to toilets. And some subjects might not be as comfortable to talk in a group, but in our little team of girls, it’s just different. And even talks like periods and how you deal with that. Because when I first started going on hikes, I was like, oh, I’m on period, I’m not going. But that shouldn’t be a barrier. That shouldn’t be something that stop us doing. So it’s great to have those girls and talk openly about things like that. And it’s great to see them and their faces brighten up when we’re inside and having this great experience. And I’ve seen the girls who came back to bothies. So I think this is a successful little movement.

Well, it’s a funny thing because I’m actually writing one of my books at the moment. And in it, there’s a story about a Polish woman who takes a woman into a bothy and you’ve just made it through. And so I think that woman’s going to be called Millie now. Tell us about the bothy then that you maintain. Give us a pic, what’s it like?

Penras Issa, it’s a quite big bothy. To be honest, in Wales we do have a large number of big bothies. It’s an old farm house.

Right. So when you say it’s big, how many sort of, because people need to sort of get an image of it. How many rooms has it got?

Okay, so it’s two large bedrooms, we call it bedrooms, on the 1st floor. And then on the ground floor, we have snug, which is a room with a stove. Then it’s kitchen. I call it kitchen or cooking room because you’ve got sink. And then his back room, which is a tiny little room divided from the kitchen room, cooking room. And it’s got outbuildings also with the barn and wood store. The barn is locked up because people were setting fires inside. So we’re just trying to reduce the risk of it being burned down.

Sure. Sorry, how long does it take to walk into this both? Is it a long way?

Not at all. So it’s in the forestry. It’s in Coy de Brehun forest, which is very popular for mountain bikers. From the last gate is, I think, 800 yards.

Oh, right. It’s very close then. Yes.

Very close and. And the road is, it’s a forestry track, so no bog, gravel, lovely dry rd taking you to it. But you can make it as long as you want it, really. The forestry in that area, the ranges are quite strict. So if you park your car in a layby or car park, where it says not overnight parking, they will issue a little note for you. That means the details of the cars being taken. And also they’re quite strict with no camping in the forest. So if they notice you, someone will ring the information line.

They will come and ask you to move either to Bothy or away. The visitors told me that this happened. Sorry.

It’s different in Scotland, but yeah, okay. You’re allowed to do that in Scotland. Oh, okay.

Yeah, well, usually you can get away with it, but this area is quite strict.

Some areas obviously have more pressure than others, don’t they? Does the place feel special to you now?

Oh yeah, I think for every person who volunteer and start working on the coffee and give a little bit of yourself a sweat, tear and maybe drop of blood.

The coffee really sinks in you and it starts to feel a bit special because I think once you work on a body, it starts having different meaning. And as well, be a maintenance officer. So if you have your little baby, your little pearl.

I’ve never heard a body called that before, but I’m sure you’re right.

Yes, because at first when, you know, I’m much younger than my colleagues, let’s say. And I can get passionate and emotional. And I really was taking personally, when people, when I left both spotless, which I’m sure many, many visitors do, were done being in the mouse, and then you’re coming back and it’s completely trashed, the pots are not washed, the rubbish are everywhere, some furniture’s are burned. It’s just like, seriously, I just put so much effort into doing this and someone left it like that. And the lads was always saying, mainly don’t take it personally is part of the job. And they also say, rubbish, attract rubbish, minimalism, and don’t leave anything and you will have less things to maintain. And that is really true. So in this last years, I learned that kind of principle. So leave basic because everyone should come prepared and just not taking personal and reach out to people, not being afraid to ask for help, to ask someone to come and collect the rubbish if there is a report of rubbish, because I can’t do it every week. I live three in that round.

No, that’s right. No, I think my feeling really is that in all the times I’ve visited Bothies, I’ve hardly ever seen any deliberate vandalism. I think sometimes people do it out of ignorance or just because they don’t really know what to do. And as you say, people leave rubbish sort of in kind of, bottles can’t walk out, can they? And cans can’t walk out. But people are not used to living in a place like that. They’ve, you know, this kind of just assume there’s some bin somewhere, which isn’t the case in a bottle. But that essentially, I think, as you said, I think the vast majority of people do treat bothies with respect.

Oh yes, definitely. If not this vast majority of visitors who leave bothy nicely and will take those rubbish left by previous visitor, I think we would struggle and I think we would lose a lot of bothies because we just don’t have the manpower to do it. So Mainly, maintenance officer really is just a visit twice a year and make sure that structurally it’s okay and organise work parties to repair any damage. But the rubbish issue, mainly we count on our, to help us on our volunteers. So yeah, definitely, majority, they are lovely people who don’t mind doing something for free.

OK. As a final thing then, what would you say to anyone who might be in your position as a woman not knowing about bothies? If someone’s interested in going into a bothies themselves, a woman like you perhaps.

Come and see me. That’s right.

You need to come out. You need to do what exactly what I did. Get yourself out on the work party. You will be looked after, I’m sure. The work parties are introduced on the website, on Facebook group, in our newsletter. Come out to your, both of you want to visit or in your area, you will feel welcome. And if you don’t want to go on the party, Ask people, try to find friends who might go, or even ask on Facebook group if it’s anyone or some girls in the area who wants to meet up and go. And I’m sure there will be girls who will come out and wanted to meet up and spend the night in the coffee. But I know I keep saying that about girls, but don’t be afraid to reach out to guys because our guys are the most lovely, helpful, respectful men. There is nothing to be afraid of. Bothies are not places for American horror when someone behind the wall in the middle of the night waiting with a chainsaw. That’s definitely not true.

I’m very glad to hear that. So if someone was interested in, you talked about your groups to introduce women to bothies. If someone was interested in joining one of those little groups with you, how would they go about that?

So yeah, Facebook group, that’s the main chain to it.

What? Sorry, what’s the next group called?

Mountain Bothies Association.

Go to the Mountain Bothies Association Facebook.

Yes. Go on events tab and I’m trying to organise four of these a year. So I already set two, one in Nansidian Bothy, which is in Mid Wales, one in Llros. which is my bothy in North Wales. Next 2 will be later in the year and I will be organising them more north. So I’m thinking maybe Humberland bothies or somewhere in Scotland, depending where I’m going to be because obviously, you know, it’s a long way. I always have a full house and To be honest, I can’t take any more than four or five. No, of course not.

I realise that.

So it’s limited, but you know, sounds like it’s going to be something that could well grow and sort of take off. I have to say, listen to you, it’s been an inspiration, really. I’ve enjoyed listening to really what you’ve got out of Bothian, how it’s become important to you and how that community is welcomed to you has been fantastic. And just our last thing to say to you is thank you very much. what are you doing?

Oh, thank you so much for having me. And no, absolutely pleasure. I think the boss is giving me more than I give it to bothies. I should thank NBA, a Welsh team and yeah, everyone who is part of it, really.

Great. Thanks very much for everything you do. And I really hope you continue to enjoy bothies and to introduce more women to them. That’s fantastic. Millie, thanks very much. Thank you for having me. It’s been a pleasure. And a big thank you there to Millie for talking about her tremendous work with the Mountain Bothies Association and really lovely to hear how supportive the community was to her. If you’d be like to get involved in the Mountain Bothies Association in any way, do pop along to their Facebook page, say hello and I’m sure somebody will point you in the right direction. I don’t know if you’re aware, but one of the things I’m also doing, I’m developing my one-man show, Bothy Tales, which is a bit like spending an hour or so in a bothy with me while I recount things like encounters with mountain lions and avalanches and nights of spending the bothies and just things about access. It’s a very entertaining little show I’m putting together, and if you’re interested in having a performance of that, do get in touch and I’m Hope we can sort something out. Coming up on Outdoors in Scotland is a veteran climber. I think you’d probably have to call him the godfather of British mountaineering, really, Dennis Gray. And he’ll be talking about his new book, Essays from the Edge, 50 Years of Mountain Writing. So he’s actually been going longer than I have, which is hard to believe, really, isn’t it? And I’d also like to extend a big thank you to Derek Williams for his fine editing and technical support, without which these episodes wouldn’t exist, really. So thanks very much, Derek. One last thing, if you’ve enjoyed the show, do give us a little subscribe, and I look forward to talking to you again. I’ve been John Burns. Thanks for listening.

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