The Corrieyairack Pass (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

– ''Màm Choire Ghearraig'') is a 770 m (2526 ft) high

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland *Pass, Poland, a village in Poland *El Paso, Texas, a city which translates to "The Pass" * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see Li ...

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 ...

at . It is notable for the presence of one of General Wade's military roads, built at the time of the Jacobite risings in the eighteenth century.

Military road

This pass would be relatively obscure were it not for

General Wade Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal George Wade (1673 – 14 March 1748) was a British Army officer and politician who served in the Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, Jacobite rising of 1715 and War of the Quadruple Al ...

military road A military road is a type of road built by an armed force A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily Weapon, armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and ma ...

built over it in 1731, between

Fort Augustus Fort Augustus is a settlement in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, at the south-west end of Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands. The village has a population of around 646 (2001). Its economy is heavily reliant on tourism. History Early histo ...

in the

Great Glen The Great Glen ( ), also known as Glen Albyn (from the Gaelic "Glen of Scotland" ) or Glen More (from the Gaelic "Big/Great Glen"), is a glen in Scotland running for from Inverness on the edge of the Moray Firth, in an approximately straig ...

to the north and Melgarve in Strath Spey in the south. This path almost became the site of a major battle in the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

, when

Prince Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

encamped at the height of the pass, and the Government commander approached from the south to quell the rebellion. The Government forces retreated due to the strongly entrenched position of the Jacobite Forces.

The pass today

The Highland Council states that the Corrieyairack Pass is not maintained as a public road, and is not suitable for use as one, so it advises against using motor vehicles on the pass. The road surface is made of stone, though it is now very eroded and damaged, and in many places the original paving has been lost. It is now used primarily by

hiker A hike is a long, vigorous walking, walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer tim ...

s and

mountain biker Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durabilit ...

s, as well as access for workers maintaining the adjacent electricity pylon line. The military road is designated a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

with separate listings for each section, these being from south-east to north-west: *Melgarve to Allt Ruadh *Allt Ruadh to watershed *watershed to Allt Lagan a'Bhainne *Allt Lagan a'Bhainne to Black Burn *Black Burn to Connachie Burn *Connachie Burn to Culachy

References

{{coord, 57.05119, N, 4.61136, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(NN417986), display=title Roads in Scotland Mountain passes of Scotland Scheduled monuments in Scotland Geography of Inverness Badenoch and Strathspey Transport in Highland (council area) Landforms of Highland (council area) Droving roads