A walker crosses the Water of Nevis wire bridge. Did the thieves use this to remove the generator? Photo: Ted and Jen

A remote Highland bothy lived up to its name when it was at the centre of a bizarre theft this week.

Thieves removed a 50kg gas-powered generator from Steall Bothy – carrying it apparently over the infamous high-wire bridge spanning the Water of Nevis and along the rugged glen for more than a kilometre to the nearest road. The only other escape route with the machine would have involved wading through the river.

Members of the bothy’s custodians the Lochaber Mountaineering Club reckon it would have taken at least three people to carry the heavyweight piece of equipment – because that’s how many members it took to get the generator through the gorge when it was installed six years ago.

The theft was discovered by climbers from St Andrews University who were using the building last week. They realised something was amiss when the bothy’s lights failed to come on.

The generator was a specialised piece of equipment that had been converted to run on bottled gas to produce electricity for the hut.

The Lochaber club’s treasurer George Bruce told the Lochaber News: “The thieves must certainly have known our special generator was there, as they didn’t take anything else.

“They have gone to a heck of a lot of trouble to spirit it away from the hut, having disconnected its gas and electricity pipes.

“We had converted the generator to use bottled gas, so that it could supply electricity for the bothy’s lights, its kettles, microwave and toaster.”

The machine is valued at £1,000.