Beinn Mheadhoin via the Shelter Stone
Aviemore and Grantown
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1. Park at the large car park at the Cairn Gorm Ski centre and the foot of the funicular railway. There are two options for the first part of the walk, as far as the shelter stone. The recommended route is to head up the track beside the funicular railway (starting to the right of the station). Leave the funicular route at the half-way station and follow the track which zigzags up the west side of Coire Cas. This section of the route is rather ruined by the railway and all ski tows and snow fences; a signed trail indicates the start of a path leading off left which climbs up onto the Fiacaill a' Coire Chais ridge. Continue easily up this ridge to the broken tor at the top of Fiacaill a' Coire Chais. From here you could easily make a diversion to include the summit of Cairn Gorm to the east, but our route continues straight ahead, descending gently into the bowl of Coire Raibert. There is a path down this Coire, and at the far end it begins to descend very steeply and rockily – take care - on the east bank of a cascading stream towards Loch Avon, with great crags and Beinn Mheadhoin visible across the loch.
2. Lower down a path crosses the stream and heads diagonally downhill; take this and the path along the north side of Loch Avon will soon be reached. Turn right along it, heading towards the head of the loch. The Loch Avon basin is one of Britain's wildest and most awe-inspiring places. It can only be reached by either a climb over one of the surrounding mountains, or a truly epic walk for miles down the remote Glen Avon. At its head is a circle of great cliffs that forms the finest climbing ground in the Cairngorms. Continue to the top of the loch beneath these cliffs, where there are several stunning beaches. This point can be reached by an alternative route from Coire Cas, via Coire an t-Sneachda and the 'Goat Track', and then a descent of Coire Domhain. The 'Goat Track' is however often banked out by snow until late summer, and even then is unpleasantly loose, but this route does avoid the ski-developments.
3. From the beach at the head of the loch, take a narrow path that heads towards the huge vertical block of Shelter Stone crag. It soon crosses the stream flowing into Loch Avon; this crossing can be difficult and require a diversion in wetter weather. Beyond it the path begins to climb once more for some distance towards the crag, before weaving back left towards the Allt nan Stacan Dubha. A short detour further right from the bend leads to a truly enormous fallen boulder, marked by a cairn on the top. This is the famous Shelter Stone (or Clach Dion); the boulder is held up by many smaller stones to create a hollow underneath that can accommodate about five people. The resulting cave has been used as a refuge for centuries, and gaps in the sides have been blocked up to make it reasonably wind and water tight. The floor is flat enough for sleeping although many find that having a 1360 ton balanced rock immediately above their noses just a little claustrophobic; other people prefer to camp nearby. Return to the path to continue the ascent.
4. As path path comes closer to the stream the gradient eases off and several small tarns are passed. It continues to ascend gently, and Loch Etchachan comes into view over to the right – a suprisingly large sheet of water at over 900 metres. Before the path begins to descend, turn off left, passing occassional cairns on the boulder ascent to the summit ridge-plateau of Beinn Mheadhoin. The plateau is reached at a larger cairn.
Photo ©Nigel Brown, licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.
5. The boulders ease and the rest of the way to the summit is across flat, stony tundra, blasted by the winds. Beinn Mheadhoin is decorated with a whole series of impressive granite tours – which could be well seen from the path over Cairn Gorm – known as the Barns. In thick mist the larger ones can help with navigation as you take a bearing from one to the next to make progress towards the top, and even in clear weather most walkers will detour to visit them. The summit of the mountain, at a mighty 1182 metres, is atop one of the tors towards the northeastern end. To reach the true top a short easy scramble is necessary, easiest on the north side of the tor.
Photo ©Nigel Brown, licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.
6. Much hard work remains to return to the car park, as the glacial trough of Loch Avon must be crossed once more. You can either return by the exact same route, or use the Goat Track and Coire an t-Sneachda if you are certain it is clear of snow, but either way a substantial ascent cannot be avoided.
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