Bothy near its mouth at the North Sea. Another Scottish example from the peak of the salmon fishing in the 1890s is the fisherman's bothy at the mouth of the Burn of Muchalls. A further example is the Lairig Leacach Bothy in Lochaber, not far to the east of Fort William. The best-known estate bothy is the one in the Royal Gardens at Windsor Castle, which could house about 25 people. It was used by the improver gardeners and disabled ex-servicemen who worked on the estate. Most reasonably-sized estates had a bothy, which housed single men only; in fact, if they
Bothy until recent years as gathering points for local men and were often situated in an old hut or caravan. The etymology of the word "bothy" is uncertain. Suggestions include a relation to both "hut" as in Irish "bothán" and Scottish Gaelic "bothan" or "bothag"; a corruption of the Welsh term "bwthyn", also meaning small cottage; and a derivation from Norse "būð", cognate with English "booth" with a diminutive ending. Most bothies are ruined buildings which have been restored to a basic standard, providing a windproof and watertight shelter. They vary in size from little more than a large box up