View source for Braeriach

{{short description|Mountain in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Braeriach
| other_name = {{lang|gd|'''Am Bràigh Riabhach'''}}
| photo = Braeriach and An Garbh Choire - geograph.org.uk - 278991.jpg
| photo_caption = Braeriach from the southeast
| elevation_m = 1296
| elevation_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/mountaindetails.php?qu=M&rf=518 |title=Braeriach |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2019 |publisher=Hill Bagging - the online version of the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH) |accessdate=19 June 2019}}</ref>
| prominence_m = 461
| prominence_ref = 
| parent_peak = [[Ben Macdui]]
| listing = [[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]], [[Munro]]
| translation = The brindled upland
| language = [[Scottish Gaelic language|Gaelic]]
| pronunciation = {{IPA|gd|əm ˈpɾaːj ˈrˠiəvəx|lang}}
| location = [[Cairngorms]], [[Scotland]]
| map = Scotland
| coordinates = 
| grid_ref_UK = NN953999
| topo = [[Ordnance Survey|OS]] ''Landranger'' 36, 43
| type = 
| first_ascent = 
| easiest_route = 
}}
{{GB summits start}}
{{GB summits entry
|Name=Braeriach
|Gridref=NN953999
|Height=1296 m
|Status=Munro, Marilyn
}}
{{GB summits entry
|Name=Carn na Criche
|Gridref=NN939982
|Height=1265 m
|Status=Munro Top
}}
{{GB summits entry
|Name=Sròn na Lairige
|Gridref=NH964006
|Height=1184 m
|Status=Munro Top
}}
{{GB summits end}}
'''Braeriach''' or '''Brae Riach''' ({{langx|gd|'''Am Bràigh Riabhach'''}}, 'the brindled upland')<ref name="ainmean">{{cite web|url=https://www.ainmean-aite.scot/placename/braeriach/ |title=Braeriach |work=[[Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba]]: Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland}}</ref> is the third-highest mountain in [[Scotland]] and all of the [[British Isles]], after [[Ben Nevis]] and [[Ben Macdui]], rising {{convert|1296|m}} above sea level. It is in the [[Scottish Highlands]] and is the highest point in the western massif of the [[Cairngorms]], separated from the central section by the [[Lairig Ghru]] pass. The summit is a crescent-shaped plateau, overlooking several [[Cirque|corrie]]s.

Probably the most commonly used route up Braeriach starts from Sugar Bowl car park, on the road leading to the [[Cairn Gorm]] ski area. From here a path leads over the hillside to a steep-sided rocky ravine known as the [[Chalamain Gap]], before descending around {{convert|100|m|ft}} to the Lairig Ghru. After crossing this pass the route heads for the summit via Braeriach's north ridge, crossing a subsidiary peak, Sròn na Lairige. The summit is about {{convert|9|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=off|spell=in}} from the car park by this route.

== Snow patch ==
The lingering snows of Braeriach are amongst the most persistent [[snow patches in Scotland]] and the whole British Isles. ''Sphinx'' is a remote patch of snow in [[Cairngorms National Park]] on Braeriach,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scotland's 'Sphinx' snow patch melts away for only eighth time in 300 years |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/scotlands-sphinx-snow-patch-melts-away-only-eighth-time-300-years-rcna4461 |website=NBC News|date=4 November 2021 }}</ref> which is historically known for its semi-permanent year-round longevity; the north-facing [[Cirque|corrie]] of Garbh Coire Mor has entirely melted only in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. The rate and occurrence of melting appears to be increasing and has melted completely in each of the last 5 years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Agar |first1=Stephen |title=Scotland’s Snow Melts Away Entirely for 5th Consecutive Year |url=https://snowbrains.com/scotlands-snow-melts-away-entirely-for-5th-consecutive-year/ |access-date=18 August 2025 |agency=SnowBrains |date=18 August 2025}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news |date=8 October 2022 |title=Scotland 'snow-free' for fourth time in six years |website=[[BBC News Online]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-63184780 |access-date=9 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date= 2 November 2021|title=UK's longest-lasting patch of snow melts away - BBC News |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-58980007?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA&fbclid=IwAR2oIoKjZ0JJXD6DP80GC_XCTxSZ7iDik_9Rm3ILzoyVf7huCblWa04KfYM |accessdate=2021-11-03 }}</ref> Named for a nearby climbing route, it was first noted by members of the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]] in the 1840s, and is thought by scientists to have fully melted in the 18th century, given the climatic and meteorological records. More generally, Garbh Choire Mor is Scotland's snowiest [[Cirque|corrie]], where snow typically persists into the summer months.<ref name=":0" /> Declining snow cover has persisted in the area since the winter of 1983&ndash;1984.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publication |url=https://cairngorms.co.uk/working-together/publications/publication/ |website=Cairngorms National Park Authority}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 18, 2017 |title=Scotland's Sphinx snow patch is in its throes – in pictures |url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/18/scotlands-sphinx-snow-patch-is-in-its-throes-in-pictures |website=the Guardian}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Munro mountains]]
* [[Mountains and hills of Scotland]]
{{portal|mountains}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{coord|57.07817|N|3.72883|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(NN953999)|display=title}}<!-- Note: WGS84 lat/long, converted from OSGB36 grid ref -->

{{Commons category-inline|Braeriach}}

{{Scottish Munros section 8}}

[[Category:Badenoch and Strathspey]]
[[Category:Marr, Scotland]]
[[Category:Munros]]
[[Category:Marilyns of Scotland]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of the Cairngorms]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of Aberdeenshire]]
[[Category:Places and place names on Mar Lodge Estate]]
[[Category:One-thousanders of Scotland]]


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