Closed.
Mar Lodge Estate announced on Facebook today that the metal footbridge at Derry Dam in Glen Derry (NO 039958) is closed due to flood damage.
There are no further details at the moment but it’s likely that the problem lies with the foundations on the east bank, which were partly undercut in the major flood back in August 2014.
A face on view from the west bank of the damage done in 2014
The estate post says the bridge will be repaired as soon as possible, although that may not be for some time. In the meantime people are advised that the nearest bridge is the footbridge at Derry Lodge (itself just replaced a couple of years ago after being broken by a flood). However, the most relevant advice is that if you’re going up or down Glen Derry just stay on the east side of the Derry Burn. And don’t plan on doing that admittedly lovely short walk up one side of the burn and down the other.
Any queries should be made to the Mar Lodge Estate Ranger Service at 013397 20164.
cairngormwanderer 
That’s a shame – I don’t really like the path the other side. Having said that, I think it will be a few years before I get back up that way if I’m realistic 😦
I prefer the west bank for going up the glen, and it is shorter if you’re coming back down tired, but the extra height of the east bank track gives you great views over the woods.
Aye Neil,…i noticed the bank damage , after the floods we got in August , previous to the major floods at Hogmany …ah well ,at least there will be less rubbish at Hutchie , while the footbridge is oot of action !!!
Don’t kid yourself Ian – they’ll just come up the east side of the burn. A lot go that way anyway.
These bridges should be repaired quickly. It is a national park and a NTS property after all – created for people ?? Funds should be diverted from other less immediate plans surely. Any prolonged delay will lead to the path getting overgrown. And there’s the SRWS and the Cairngorm Club who put the bridge up originally.
Was speaking to the head ranger and plans are to repair it within the next few weeks, although the nature of the damage means that proper environmental permissions will have to be secured for working in the river. There’s little danger of the path getting overgrown in the foreseeable future in any case. Incidentally, while Dr George Taylor designed the Derry Dam bridge, it wasn’t the Cairngorm Club which built it. As explained here – https://cairngormwanderer.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/the-year-of-the-bridges/ – it was funded by the NCC and built by students.