The Luibeg route into the Lairg Ghru is currently impassable. Photo: Nigel Corby CC-BY-SA-2.0

Mountain experts are warning that walkers in the Cairngorms face difficulties after a bridge was washed away.

The Mountaineering Council said torrential rain has lifted a bridge from its foundations and swept it down the Derry Burn in Glen Derry.

Walkers using the route to access the Lairig Ghru will find their way impassable until normal river levels resume and they can ford the burn.

The bridge, at the foot of Glen Derry, is an essential link in the most commonly used route to the Lairig Ghru. The pass cannot be accessed by the Luibeg branch.

The council warned that for the foreseeable future anyone considering using the route should assess the situation and be aware that, although the river is fordable at times of low water, heavy rain will make it dangerous or even impossible.

The only alternative crossing is more than 2km upstream and its safety has not yet been assessed.

Head ranger at the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate, Peter Holden, said his team was still trying to assess the scale of damage done by the floods, with possibilities that other bridges could have been affected.

“The upper bridge over the Quoich was also swept away, and there is damage to the track up to Derry Lodge, but we have not been able yet to check bridges such as the metal bridge at Derry Dam in Glen Derry, or the wooden plank bridge leading in to Coire Etchachan,” he said. “We’ll also have to check the Luibeg Bridge.”

Once the extent of damage has been assessed the estate will be in a position to start addressing the question of repair or replacement.

The MCofS said, in the meantime, walkers heading into the Cairngorms should do what they can to check latest conditions on their route and ensure their plans are flexible.