If you’ve ever been to the Alps, you’ll know that some of the most famous walking routes there are strung between series of mountain huts – placed, ideally, in prime peak country. These continental huts may even offer a little luxury (beds with mattresses, flushing toilets, the occasional shower and even on-site catering) but we in the UK have something even better and, what’s more, completely free, with no booking required: bothies. And there are so many that you can easily string together a continental-style hut-to-hut adventure.

One of the best routes is at Kylesku: a remote fishing hamlet in Scotland’s far north, whose cluster of homes and pub traces the edge of Loch Glencoul and Loch Gleann Dubh. When you start your journey from the rough car park just north of the centre of the nearby village of Kylestrome,, probably watching one of the many local grey or common seals popping up to sneak a peek at you, you’ll write this off as an easy traverse. But don’t be fooled: the route will keep you on your toes – you’ll soon be longing for the curve of the loch to reveal itself, and dreaming about reaching that first bothy at Glendhu. You will be just about to give up hope when suddenly it will appear.

This first bothy is part of the Glendhu estate and due to the numbers of red and roe deer – which you may well encounter on your walk – it’s not uncommon to see shooting parties setting out. At the bothy, you’ll find plenty of rooms and a stove, making it a great, warm first night.

Getting to the next bothy at Glencoul – a former estate keepers’ residence built by the Duke of Westminster in the 1880s – is also a wilder and more demanding walk than the map may suggest. In good weather, the views you get from the mere 205-metre highest point en route are a fine reward, and Loch Glencoul itself will take your breath away. This area forms part of a Unesco global geopark. To get to the bothy, you still have to overcome a potentially awkward river crossing, as the footbridge has been washed away. Once you’re over the river and at the stone shelter, the relief and sense of achievement are overwhelming. And when the ferry comes to collect you the following day, you can congratulate yourself on a job well done: an unforgettable three-day adventure.

Top tip

Know your river crossings. Look for a shallow, slow-moving section of the river. Make sure you have good walking poles. While crossing, face upstream and keep your pole upstream of you so that the current forces it into the stream bed. If you lift your pole, keep both legs still and move only one foot at a time. Do not be afraid to turn back. Never cross a river in spate.

Pre-trip

Kylesku has only one hotel, so book ahead if you want accommodation near the start. Otherwise, Ullapool is a good alternative before and after your escapade, with a range of B&Bs, hotels and even a hostel. There’s also a supermarket, a good camping supply shop and a bookshop that’s well stocked with maps and local guidebooks.

Public transport

You’ll need a car, realistically, but if your visit coincides with the fourth Thursday of the month it might just be worth knowing that there is a local bus: route 891 (North West Community Bus, nwcba.co.uk) runs on the fourth Thursday of every month from Dingwall (via Ullapool) to Kinlochbervie, with a stop at Kylesku.The return by boat can be arranged through the Kylesku Hotel (01971 502231)

The plan

Day 1
1. Leave the car park at Kylestrome and turn right to head downhill. At the bottom, where the road you’re walking on bends to the right, leave it and take the path to your left.

2. Follow this path as it takes you along the water’s edge. The path is wide but rough and easy to follow. Look out for seals in the water.

3. At the power plant keep to the lower path. Cross the bridge and continue above the shores of Loch Gleann Dubh as the path becomes rockier underfoot. Continue east and you’ll soon spy the buildings of the Glendhu estate. The bothy is the first one you’ll come to. It’s a big structure, offering two large rooms downstairs and two upstairs.

Day 2
4. Before you leave, it’s well worth taking the time to look at the headland opposite you to make out the route of the path – especially as the first bit can be faint. Then turn left from the bothy to continue to the head of the loch. A footbridge will take you safely over the river.

5. Here the path becomes fainter. Don’t panic: you’ll pick it up again (near the large boulders close to the water’s edge). For now, make your way west. It’s tempting to keep close to the loch as it’s flatter, but beware: the rocks here are extremely slippery with algae and seaweed. Note the small streams you’ll cross, then about 100 metres later you’ll pick up the path again– heading west, diagonally uphill.

6. You’ll start gaining height fairly quickly over rocks on a very narrow path. This route can become a stream in heavy rain. Eventually it will reach something of a summit at 205 metres.

7. At this point, it can get a little confusing. Ignore the numerous deer tracks that cut temptingly downhill. Your path begins to rise a little here, heading first east then south east around the rock promontories above. It may feel at one point as though you’re heading for the summit but don’t worry: just as this happens you will begin to descend again, all the while enjoying the views down to Loch Glencoul – and soon the bothy, too. Here the two waterfalls can cause small landslips, so do take care crossing them. Eventually you’ll cut downhill and join the main path that bears south east.

8. Turn right onto this path and look for a safe place to cross the river. The footbridge shown on the OS map was washed away in the summer of 2014, so you must be prepared to ford it (see the tip above). If the river is in spate, do not attempt this. Instead, pitch your tent here and enjoy a night in this beautifully wild place. If the river is safe to cross, then do so and make the short few steps past the barn and outbuildings up to Glencoul bothy. This is a small, two-roomed affair (don’t be fooled by the locked house behind it). If you’ve still got some energy, it’s well worth walking up the small hillock in front to check out the memorial, and for the great views of your night’s shelter and the loch.

Day 3
9. Wake up, enjoy the view and wait for your boat to arrive to take you back to the harbour.

10. From the harbour, head uphill, turn right and follow the road (carefully) back to the turn-off at Kylestrome. Turn right here and back to your car.

Further information

Up-to-date bothy conditions: mountainbothies.org.uk, Geopark: nwhgeopark.com

Taken from Wilderness Weekends: Wild Adventures in Britain’s Rugged Corners, published by Bradt for £14.99. The publisher is offering Guardian readers a 35% discount on the book; visit bradtguides.com and enter the code GUARDIAN at the checkout. Offer valid until 31 May 2015