Black Dots by Nicholas White

As the winds charge through the Bealach it takes every effort to forge onwards as rivulets soak the track and the peat mounds itself around your boots. You trudge on under the watchful eyes of a Stag who appears un-phased by this sudden arrival of foul weather. Descending from the mountain pass and into the shelter of a glen, you trace the burn: in spate and unfordable. In fading light you identify a small building; four stone walls, a metal roof and a single chimney stack on one end. This is a bothy. Far from civilisation and only accessible by foot, this stone-tent provides welcome relief from the elements. For fifty years, volunteers from the Mountain Bothy Association have maintained these primitive shelters. Unlocked and free to use, they provide a refuge from the vast terrain that surrounds them and have become an iconic feature of the British Landscape. From day trippers to seasoned mountaineers, the growing community of bothy-users is diverse yet connected by a mutual desire to seek fulfillment from our most wild and lonely places. 'Black Dots' is a study of these bothies and the temporary inhabitants they attract. From the rugged coastal hideaways of Cape Wrath to the snowy munros of The Cairngorm Mountains, it is my hope that the work will generate a wider dialogue celebrating the relationship between man and wilderness in the 21st century. The photographs were taken over a period of two years and shot on Large Format 5x4.