A REMOTE bothy close to the former Waverley Line is set for a new lease of life.

Will's Bothy had been rescued from falling into a state of disrepair back in the early 1990s.

And for more than a decade it was a popular stop-over for walkers and cyclists.

But recently the former shepherd's cottage had been neglected.

The Mountain Bothies Association, which manages and maintains more than 100 bothies across the UK, has again become involved.

Neil Stewart from the Association told us: "Our tenure of the building lapsed but it has been taken up again at the behest of Forest Enterprise Scotland, who own the building.

"The bothy has fallen into disrepair and volunteers from the Mountain Bothies Association's Southern Scotland team will undertake a programme of renovations beginning in September."

The remote cottage near Riccarton Junction was first renovated by the group Friends of Will's Bothy in conjunction with the MBA in 1994.

The bothy, also known as Leysburnfoot, is a memorial to the hill runner and climber Will Ramsbotham, who died whilst climbing in North Wales in 1993.

The Ramsbotham family remain interested in the bothy and have expressed their delight at the renewal of MBA involvement.

All of the restoration and maintenance work by the MBA is undertaken by volunteers and is financed by member subscriptions and by donations.