Where to Stay for Munro Bagging: From Bothies to Bases

Munro bagging is as much about logistics as legs. The hills are scattered across the whole of the Highlands, and where you choose to sleep decides how much driving you do, how early you can start, and how many summits you tick in a trip. There is no single right answer — a wild bivvy high on a ridge and a warm B&B with a drying room both have their place. This guide runs through every realistic option, what each costs you in comfort and effort, and how to pick a base that puts a cluster of Munros within easy reach.

Mountain bothies: free, basic and brilliant

A bothy is a simple, unlocked shelter — usually an old shepherd's or estate cottage — left open for anyone to use, free of charge. Most are maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association, and they are one of the great institutions of Scottish hillwalking. Do not expect much: bare stone walls, a wooden sleeping platform, perhaps a fireplace, and no beds, water on tap or toilet. What they offer is a dry roof deep in the hills, which can turn a scattered group of remote Munros into a comfortable weekend. The etiquette is strict and simple — leave it cleaner than you found it, carry out all rubbish, take a trowel for toileting well away from the building, and never assume you will have it to yourself. Our guide to Scotland's best bothies for baggers covers which ones unlock which hills.

Wild camping: sleep where the hills are

Scotland's access legislation makes responsible wild camping legal across most unenclosed land, and for the committed bagger nothing beats it. A tent lets you sleep at the foot of the climb, wake above the midge line, and take on big remote rounds that are simply too far for a day trip. It demands more from you — the weight on your back, the skills to pitch and cook, and the discipline to leave no trace — but it buys total freedom. Camp high, away from roads and houses, stay one or two nights in any one spot, and take everything home with you. Read our full guide to wild camping Scotland's Munros before your first pitch, and note the seasonal byelaw zones around Loch Lomond.

Campsites and campervans

If you want the freedom of camping with a hot shower at the end of the day, a formal campsite is the middle ground — a pitch, facilities, and often a drying room for a modest fee. Campervans and motorhomes take this further, letting you move with the weather and wake at the trailhead, though you must use proper aires and campsites rather than laybys, and dispose of waste responsibly. Both suit walkers who want to roam between regions over a week without committing to a single base, and both are far cheaper than a run of hotel nights. They are a natural fit for bagging on a budget.

Hostels: the bagger's default

For many walkers the hostel is the sweet spot. A bunk in a Hostelling Scotland (SYHA) or independent hostel gives you a bed, a hot shower, a shared kitchen and — crucially — a drying room, all for a fraction of a hotel. They cluster exactly where the hills are, in mountain towns and glens, and their communal kitchens and lounges are where trips get planned and partners get found. Book ahead in summer and for the popular bases, take earplugs for the dorms, and you have the ideal blend of comfort, cost and location for a multi-day bagging trip.

B&Bs and hotels: comfort and a proper breakfast

Sometimes you want a real bed, a drying room and a cooked breakfast before a long day — and after a soaking on the hill, few things are worth more. B&Bs, guesthouses and small hotels in the mountain towns deliver exactly that, and a good landlady will happily do an early breakfast or a packed lunch if you ask. They cost more, and they tie you to a fixed location, but for a short trip, a winter weekend, or simply when you want to be looked after, they are hard to beat. Book early for holiday weekends, when the best places in the honeypot glens fill months ahead.

Choosing a strategic base

The real trick to an efficient trip is picking a base that surrounds you with hills, so you drive less and climb more. A handful of towns do this superbly. Fort William is the capital of the West Highlands, with the Nevis range, the Mamores and the Grey Corries on the doorstep and Glen Coe a short drive south. Aviemore puts the whole Cairngorms plateau within reach and has hostels, campsites and hotels in abundance. Kinlochleven sits perfectly between the Mamores and Glen Coe, and Tyndrum and Crianlarich anchor the southern Highlands with dozens of Munros inside an hour. Base yourself well and a long weekend can yield six or eight summits instead of two.

Mixing it up

Few serious baggers stick to one style. A typical season might blend hostel weekends in the popular ranges, a wild camp for a remote round, a bothy trip when the forecast is kind, and the odd B&B when the body needs a rest. The best approach is to match the accommodation to the objective: comfort for the hard-to-reach clusters, a tent or bothy for the far-flung singletons. Whatever you choose, saving your base, your trailheads and your planned hills together in the Munros app keeps the whole trip in one place — so from a bunk in Aviemore or a bothy in Knoydart you can see exactly which summits are in range for tomorrow.

Related guides

• Scotland's best bothies for baggers — free shelters that unlock remote hills
• Wild camping Scotland's Munros — sleep where the hills are
• Munro bagging on a budget — how to keep the costs down