The Lairig an Laoigh by Glen Derry from the Linn of Dee

The walk starts at the Linn of Dee car park and goes out and back. A track leads up Glen Lui to Derry Lodge, a boarded-up shooting lodge, where a footbridge leads on to the Glen Derry path. The path follows the east side of the Derry Burn through the old pinewood of Glen Derry, crosses the Derry Dam Bridge, and goes on up the glen, crossing two burns without bridges, to the top of the pass at 748 m, 12.7 km from the car park. The pass runs between Beinn Mheadhoin and Beinn a' Chaorainn. The line turns back at the top. The through route to Speyside goes on to the Fords of Avon, 3 km further, where the River Avon has no bridge and cannot be crossed in spate; this walk stops short of it.

It is 25.4 km with 414 m of ascent; allow about 7½ hours. The grade is Hard because of the length: the paths are good and the climbing is gentle, but it is a long way from help, and the second half is high, open ground.

The two burns in Glen Derry can be hard to cross after heavy rain or snowmelt, and if they are too high you should turn back rather than wade. The pass is bare moorland with little shelter, and in winter it can hold deep snow. The Heading for the Scottish Hills stalking table lists no stalking issues on this National Trust for Scotland ground, including the Glen Derry approach.

The Linn of Dee car park is a pay car park (OpenStreetMap lists a fee).

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.