Gimme shelter: in praise of mountain huts

High in the mountains, warmth, company, refuge from the weather matter more than luxury – and Europe’s high places are, thankfully, dotted with places offering just that

We are huddled close to the radiator while the wind howls outside, driving flurries of snow and scraps of cloud past the window at an alarming speed. One of the meteorologists stationed at this outpost in Slovenia’s Julian Alps tells us that the outside temperature is -5C, “but with wind chill, more like -15C.”

In summer this mountain hut is crowded with families having lunch before hiking the final 350 metres of Mount Triglav, Slovenia’s highest peak at 2,864 metres. Every table in the large, timber-clad main room, with its bar and food counter, would be occupied. Behind the bar are dozens of small bunk rooms, and they would all be full – despite the name “hut”, this place can sleep 500 people. But now, in winter, an older more traditional role emerges: offering shelter. The front door remains unlocked and anyone can take refuge from the elements in the company of like-minded wayfarers.