Rackwick Bothy reopened after painstaking renovation
The grand opening has been marked for the masterly restored Rackwick bothy.
A huge renovation effort, led by the Hoy Trust, has seen the much-loved cottage safeguarded for future generations of locals and visitors alike.
On Saturday, the months of hard work were recognised with the official opening at Bournmouth. Speeches were given by Stanley Thomson and John Budge.
“You can see by the look of it now, it fits in just perfect with the hills in the background and the general ambiance of the sea,” Mr Thomson said.
The project has been driven forwarded by Marty Flett and the rest of the Hoy Trust, alongside the skill of contractors Brough Brothers and stonemason Ben Glue.
Graham Brough has been coming to Rackwick for many years, so the chance to take on the project has been a real high point for him and his workforce.
“It’s been needing renovation for a long while and there have been a few bits and pieces done to it over the years, but its just been patching,” he said on Saturday.
When the team started work, the timbers inside the bothy were in a really poor condition. Only six of the couples, out of around 30, could be reused.
The new timbers were hand-axed, before a traditional Japanese wood-burning technique was used to make them resemble the older wood.
New stone for the bothy came from the roof of the byre at Big Wards in Longhope, owned by Grace and lan Robertson.
“I think it’s a good advert for the future of the Hoy Trust,” said Graham on the opening of the bothy.
“They’ve put a lot of time and a lot of effort into this.” He added that the trust’s warden, Jimmy Sinclair, will ensure the site is kept in order.
Liz Dennison, from the Hoy Trust, was delighted to see the hard work at the site come to fruition.
“It’s just absolutely stunning — a job really well done and it should mean the building is going to be here for generations to come,” she added.
With new toilet and washing facilities, the trust is confident more visitors will be encouraged to come to Rackwick.
Mr Budge, former chairman of the trust, said it was a great honour to speak at the opening of the bothy.
“I’m very proud to think that we did get the ball rolling on this,” he said.
“It’s just amazing. The Brough Brothers have done a wonderful job here. They really have.”
He said the revamped cottage will be an asset for the whole community.
“Dare I say, we’ve not just had the best of encouragement from the local authority but, with Marty, and his decorum, he got through it all and we can’t thank him enough really.”
Mr Budge also praised the efforts of all the people who worked on the site.
