GREEN-fingered enthusiasts were digging in at the weekend to provide some indigenous shelter for a popular bothy in the remote Ettrick Valley.

Volunteers from the Mountain Bothies Association, with some help from the Borders Forest Trust, planted 170 trees around the recently refurbished bothy at Over Phawhope.

The remote building remains a popular stop-off for walkers on the Southern Upland Way.

And recent improvements will make it even more attractive for a sleepover.

On Saturday and Sunday the volunteers planted willow, birch, rowan, hazel and alder trees in the vicinity of the bothy.

Mountain Bothies Association project organiser Trevor Cotton said: “Over the last months we have made major improvements to the fabric of the bothy, including re-slating the roof, improving the sleeping area and installing a new stove.

"However, we also wanted to enhance the environs of the bothy.

"Thanks to the assistance of the Borders Forest Trust, we have been successful in an application for funding to plant a number of indigenous trees.”

The Mountain Bothies Association was established in 1965 and has around 3,800 members.

Of the 101 buildings it maintains throughout the wilder parts of Scotland, England and Wales, which include old cottages, huts and similar buildings, Over Phawhope bothy is the only one it also owns.

The Borders Forest Trust, which was established in 1996 to help restore native woodland to Southern Scotland, supported the Over Phawehope project.

Alasdair Fagan of Borders Forest Trust explained: “It is great to have this opportunity to work with the Mountain Bothies Association on this exciting project.

"It was made possible through the Borders Tree Planting Grant which provides funding of up to £1,000 to organisations, schools and landowners in the Scottish Borders for small woodland planting projects.

"These projects help to increase the cover of native woodlands and trees across the Borders, improving the landscape and its ecology.”