UKHillwalking contributor John Burns took to social media yesterday to praise the work of Mountain Bothies Association volunteers, following a wintry unplanned night out in the recently-revamped Fords of Avon Refuge in the heart of the Cairngorms.

"A big thank you to the MBA and everyone who worked on the Fords of Avon Refuge, it saved my bacon last night" he wrote on the Mountain Bothies Scotland Facebook group.

"I was heading for Faindouran from Glenmore Lodge. Weather was great as I passed Bynack More but on the descent towards Fords of Avon I hit deep, soft snow and was soon struggling to make any progress as the weather broke."

"I realised I wouldn't make Faindouran and things were looking grim as the light began to fail along with my legs."

"Then I remembered the Fords of Avon Refuge and made for it. Took me a long time to get there, crashing through the snow into the burns below. I spent a warm, dry night in there. High winds and heavy rain outside. It would have been a serious situation if the refuge hadn't been there."

Bothy fan John recently wrote us an article, 12 Types of People You'll Meet in Bothies. It looks like he had the Fords of Avon to himself however.