Puck's Glen

NS 15552 85374 Above Puck’s Glen, at an altitude of 346m, is a roofed dry stone house. A visitors’ book kept inside indicates that it was constructed over an unspecified period beginning in 1990 by a Mr John Wilson, but no information about the construction is given, in particular whether it was built up from an existing ruin. It is at the base of a steep hillside, below a rocky crag, and faces W. The hill rises steeply immediately at the back (E) of the house. A small stand of young spruce trees encloses it on the N and W sides, with only a small 2m gap between the front of the house and the trees. The approach is from the S.

The structure is largely intact and has been roofed with narrow poles anchored with plastic rope and sealed with reinforced plastic sheeting. Otherwise, the construction is similar to what is found in the many ruined dry stone houses or shielings in the area, for example in the occasional incorporation of a large flat boulder (c1.5m) into the base of the walls.

Internally, the single room is of internal width 1.9m at the N end, narrowing to 1.5m at the S end. A stone bench of width varying from 0.4 to 0.6m runs along the N wall. In the middle of the E wall is a fireplace with metal chimney. To the right (S) of it is a bench that continues round the S and W walls up to the doorway. The visitors’ book shows that this bothy is frequently visited and is occasionally used as overnight accommodation.

David Dorren and Nina Henry, 2008