Adventurer died alone in Highland wilderness David Austin, 29, was found dead in a hut by a track worker a mile south of one of Scotland's most remote railway stations, Rannoch in Perthshire, on New Year's Eve morning. His body is believed to have been lying in the hut for several weeks when it was found. A post mortem examination found no suspicious circumstances behind his death. Bothies are basic shelters left unlocked to provide free refuge for hill walkers. Mr Austin, from Derby, is believed to have told relations in November that he was heading to the Highlands to live out his dream of living off the wilderness. He planned to live rough on a year-long adventure despite being urged to reconsider by family and friends. He is believed to have attended several courses in outdoor survival and bushcraft skills over the past two years with a view to realising a long-held dream of surviving in the wild alone. A number of personal possessions including a knife and a daily journal were found next to his body. It is believed he may have died of hypothermia. It is thought he spent his 29th birthday on Dec 3 alone outdoors, in the first heavy snowfall of the winter. The death has been reported to the procurator fiscal.