Story Archive

Bothy 9-3/4

The Essan bothy, a cottage in the Scottish Highlands, can be reached “by quite an arduous walk in,” said Jon Cluett, “or you can paddle for 10 minutes in a canoe across the loch from the road.” Cluett, his wife, and their four kids took the latter option. But the family awoke the next morning to find “the entire area was underwater,” he said. “The rocks I’d tied the boat to were pulled apart and the boat was gone.” He called for help, and the police sent a train — the Jacobite steamer, which normally runs through the area. The train, known to fans of the Harry Potter movies as the Hogwarts Express, picked them up 400 meters from the bothy, and dropped them at its next stop, where Mr. Cluett got a lift to his car. (AC/BBC) ...I thought the Hogwarts Express took you to the little boats, not the other way around.