Braeriach or Brae Riach (, 'the brindled upland') is the third-highest mountain in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and all of the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

, after Ben Nevis and

Ben Macdui Ben Macdui (, meaning "MacDuff's mountain") is the second-highest Mountains and hills of Scotland, mountain in Scotland and all of the British Isles, after Ben Nevis, and the highest of the Cairngorm Mountains. The summit is above sea level an ...

, rising above sea level. It is in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

and is the highest point in the western massif of the Cairngorms, separated from the central section by the Lairig Ghru pass. The summit is a crescent-shaped plateau, overlooking several corries. Probably the most commonly used route up Braeriach starts from Sugar Bowl car park, on the road leading to the Cairn Gorm ski area. From here a path leads over the hillside to a steep-sided rocky ravine known as the Chalamain Gap, before descending around to the Lairig Ghru. After crossing this pass the route heads for the summit via Braeriach's north ridge, crossing a subsidiary peak, Sròn na Lairige. The summit is about from the car park by this route.

Snow patch

The lingering snows of Braeriach are amongst the most persistent

snow patches in Scotland Long-lying snow patches in Scotland have been noted from at least the 18th century, with snow patches on Ben Nevis being observed well into summer and autumn. Indeed, the summit observatory, which operated from 1883 to 1904, reported that snow s ...

and the whole British Isles. ''Sphinx'' is a remote patch of snow in

Cairngorms National Park Cairngorms National Park () is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of National parks of Scotland, two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National ...

on Braeriach, which is historically known for its semi-permanent year-round longevity; the north-facing corrie of Garbh Coire Mor has entirely melted only in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The rate and occurrence of melting appears to be increasing. Named for a nearby climbing route, it was first noted by members of the Scottish Mountaineering Club in the 1840s, and is thought by scientists to have fully melted in the 18th century, given the climatic and meteorological records. More generally, Garbh Choire Mor is Scotland's snowiest corrie, where snow typically persists into the summer months. Declining snow cover has persisted in the area since the winter of 1983–1984.

References

Badenoch and Strathspey Marr, Scotland Munros Marilyns of Scotland Mountains and hills of the Cairngorms Mountains and hills of Highland (council area) Mountains and hills of Aberdeenshire Places and place names on Mar Lodge Estate One-thousanders of Scotland {{Highland-geo-stub

Snow patch

See also

References