Snapshot: The Lookout
By Jonas Stuck
When I first reached the Lookout, I was blown away by the spectacular plunging cliffs and the magnificent views across the sea and the Outer Hebrides. But I hardly had any time to enjoy the sunset—a storm was about to hit northern Scotland, and it would last three days. I took the photo and hurried inside.
During my three-day stay in the hut, I learned about the amazing history of the shelter. This former coastguard observatory overlooking the Little Minch, an important shipping channel, was built in 1928. During the 1970s it became redundant and was transformed into a hideout for whale spotters, bird watchers, and those in search of inspiring panorama.
In 2005, the structure suffered great damage during a storm and the owner asked the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA)—a charity that maintains abandoned structures in remote parts of Great Britain—to renovate the building and maintain it as an open shelter. Volunteers carried out the renovation of the Lookout over the course of several years. Thanks to their amazing work, I was able to wait out the storm safely inside the bothy, and came away with a reminder of the experience.
Jonas is a doctoral candidate at the RCC and a member of the DFG Emmy-Noether Research Group “Hazardous Travels.” His photograph recently took first place in the “Working at the Edge” photo contest run by Edge Effects magazine.
Doctoral candidate Katrin Kleeman received an honorable mention for her photograph of a river in the Icelandic highlands.
seeingthewoods.org 
hey jonas. In February 2002 I was with 3 friends also in this hut during a storm for 3 days. We were not well equipped and collected rainwater and were happy to find an old can of beans in the hut. I didn’t have a camera with me, so I was very happy about your picture! Thanks! Even after 20 years an unforgettable view and place for me.
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