River Gairn

The River Gairn rises in the Cairngorms National Park on the slopes of Carn Eas and Ben Avon in Aberdeenshire. It flows east-south-east for just under five kilometres before joining the River Dee near Ballater. Along its short course it passes through or close to small settlements such as Daldownie, Rinloan and Torbeg. The Gairn is fed by more than a dozen named burns, including Wester Kim, Eastercon and Duchrie Burn. Some of these tributaries themselves begin in the high corries of the Grampians. The river’s water comes from the melting snows and upland peat bogs of the range. Walkers can follow the Gairn’s banks from its source down to the Dee. The path crosses moorland and birch woods where red deer and golden plover are often seen. At Bridge of Gairn the river widens, and in late summer the shallows attract dippers and grey wagtails.