Derry Cairngorm

Derry Cairngorm
Derry Cairngorm seen from Càrn a' Mhàim, 3.5 km to the SW. The Sròn Riach ridge descending from Ben Macdui is in the foreground
Highest point
Elevation	1,155 m (3,789 ft)
Prominence	141 m
Parent peak	Ben Macdui
Listing	Munro
Naming
Translation	Blue Cairn of Derry (Gaelic)
Pronunciation	Scottish Gaelic: [ˈkʰaːrˠn ˈkɔɾɔm ən̪ˠ ˈt̪ɤɾʲə]
Geography
Location	Cairngorms, Scotland
Parent range	Grampians
OS grid	NJ044013
Topo map	OS Landranger 36, OS Explorers 403

Derry Cairngorm (Scottish Gaelic: Càrn Gorm an Doire) is a Scottish mountain in the Cairngorms range, 14 kilometres north west of Braemar in the county of Aberdeenshire.

Derry Cairngorm is regarded as part of the central group of Cairngorm hills, along with Ben Macdui and Càrn a' Mhàim. Ben Macdui stands four km to the north west and is connected by a col of height of 1014 m. The mountain was originally named An Carn Gorm but was renamed to Carn Gorm an Doire to avoid confusion with the nearby Cairn Gorm. The name has now been anglicised to Derry Cairngorm: the original Gaelic means “Blue cairn of Derry”. Derry is the anglicisation of doire, or doireach, meaning wooded, a reference to the Scots pines that adorn the southern slope of the mountain near Derry Lodge, remnants of the old Caledonian Forest. The hill is well seen from Inverey and often appears as dark blue in colour, however from other angles it takes on a distinct pink tinge as result of its granite rocks (see photo).

Derry Cairngorm is a six/seven-kilometre-long ridge-type mountain that runs north to south, it rises from Glen Luibeg in the south and concludes at Coire Etchachan in the north, where it is joined to Beinn Mheadhoin. Coire Etchachan has Loch Etchachan lying within it, at a height of 930 metres the highest notable expanse of water in Great Britain. It has trout living in it. On its eastern flanks the mountain falls steeply and craggily into Glen Derry while its western flanks descend more moderately to the valley of the infant Luibeg Burn. Derry Cairngorm is characterised by large granite boulders on its higher slopes which make walking in the summit area difficult, the walker often having to resort to hopping between boulders. This large expanse of boulders is formed by the action of freezing and thawing in a periglacial environment and is known as a blockfield or felsenmeer. All drainage from the mountain flows south via the Derry and Luibeg burns to join the River Dee, eventually reaching the sea at Aberdeen.