Looking up Glen Dee across the flood plain towards Mar Lodge (not visible).
2015 ended badly in Deeside, with major flooding affecting Braemar and Ballater and causing damage to roads and bridges.
However the mountain areas appear to have escaped relatively lightly.
On New Year’s Day, after Hogmanay at the Gelder Shiel, Walt Black and I walked in to Bob Scott’s Bothy, finding everything in good order, with the only effect of the flood being that the bothy had just experienced its quietest Hogmanay in history, with only Gus Fair and one other in attendance.
The Lui had risen with the flooding, but not nearly so high as in the damaging August 2014 flood, and didn’t come near the bothy. The temporary bridge at Derry Lodge also escaped unscathed, with the only visible damage being a few more inches of bank lost just downstream.
The temporary bridge near Derry Lodge, still secure
I spoke to a number of people on Friday and Saturday, and learned that the Hutchison Hut is okay, as is the small footbridge just below it. I didn’t hear anything specific about the metal bridge at Derry Dam but, given the relatively modest flooding in the area, I have no reason to suspect it will be damaged.
A group who came down from Carn a Mhaim reported that the bridge over the Luibeg is also undamaged.
One bridge which is affected though is the road bridge over the bottom of the Quoich. Only saw this from across the other side of the glen, but it appears that the river has cut a new channel to the east of the bridge, rendering it uncrossable.
A distant view in poor light, but you can just about make out where the river has cut a new channel to the right of the damaged bridge
There was more damage up by the Gelder Shiel, on Lochnagar. The rain must have been torrential, for even at the height of the bothy the burn rose enough to completely overrun the bridge just above the bothy and Queen’s cottage. The bridge still stands on its stone gabions, but the bank at either end has been gouged out, necessitating a clamber to get onto the bridge. The water was flowing on both sides of the Queen’s cottage (though neither it nor the bothy appear to have been inundated) and caused extensive and substantial damage to the landy track, gouging out ruts and holes over two feet deep.
The disconnected bridge beside the Gelder Shiel
I’ll update this if any more news comes in, but remember, while tracks through the hills may still be passable, check before you leave home to make sure you can get access to the hills at all. At time of writing the A93 from Aberdeen to Braemar is blocked near Crathie where a long stretch of road has been completely swept away, and at Invercauld Bridge, just east of Braemar, where the bridge is shut because of damage. Check roads here .
Addendum: From the Balmoral Castle & Estate Facebook page:
“Please be aware. The footbridges at the west end of Loch Muick have been washed away and the footbridge across the River South Esk just above Moulzie has also gone”
To finish on a lighter note, after some convoluted journeys we still managed to have a good New Year in the Gelder – including Ian Shand who had just spent a very productive day managing to save his home in Ballater from being flooded.
Teamwork! You blaw and squeeze and I’ll do the fingering.
