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I had always fancied a close look at the Mhoine Mhor, the high plateau between Glen Feshie and Braeriach / Cairn Toul ridge, so I had a loose plan to explore it from Glen Feshie and revisit Braeriach and Cairn Toul. I had been in the Crianlarich area and the midges had forced me to leave, so it was easy to decide to visit my favourite area of Scotland, the Cairngorms.
I left the car near Achlean at about 7.00am on a day that promised good weather and set off up the Foxhunters path. I’d heard that there was a nice waterfall on the Allt Fearnagan not far from the path, so I kept a look out and soon found the narrow path to the falls. I would take a closer look on the way back.
I then set off up the Foxhunters path, stopping to have a brief look at the cleft in the ridge half way up the path.
Glen Feshie from the Foxhunter Path
At the top the view across the Moine Mhor was spectacular - a vast undulating, grey-green plateau, riven by many small streams, dotted with tiny clear lochans and areas of peat hags. It looked inviting enough for further exploration, in contrast to when I crossed part of it one dull March day, when the dense mist, melting snow and swirling black pools made it seem sinister. Einich Cairn and Cairn Toul were amazingly clear and a brief scan of the western horizon told me that it was going to be fine all day, with barely a cloud in sight. It was quite warm by then and I walked on in shorts and t-shirt.
Braeriach to Cairn Toul across the Moine Mhor
Rather than keep to more even ground further South, I decided to wander across to have a look down to Loch Einich from above the Fuaran Diotach. It was worth it for the view over Loch Einich towards Braeriach.
I got out the binoculars to check out the route from Loch Einich up Coire Dhondail, as that was another route I planned to do in the future. From there I followed the rim of the plateau round to the Coire Dhondail path. It was hard going with lots of small streams to cross, each one in quite a deep gully, but some of the window-like views from the gullies down Loch Einich were good.
View of Loch Einich and Braeriach 
There’s no path to follow, so it makes it all the more enjoyable when you make all your own decisions. Despite it seeming straight forward on the map, there’s a lot ups and downs in and out of deep gullies and meandering around rocky outcrops. It was starting to get warm by the time I reached the slopes of Einich Cairn, but the water in the burn I followed was sweet and cold.
Moine Mhor from Einich Cairn
On reaching the shoulder of Einich Cairn, instead of following the ridge round to Braeriach, I wandered down to the source of the Dee at the Wells of Dee, had another drink and filled my water bottle. I remembered the night I camped there and was woken during the night by footsteps on the gravel nearby - my heart nearly stopped, but I did have a look out only to see a stag near the tent.
I contoured round as much as possible to Braeriach, easy going on short turf and gravel at first, then boulder fields on the final ascent to the summit, where I had lunch by the cairn, taking in the huge view from Ben MacDhui, Carn a Mhaim, Glen Dee, Cairn Toul, Loch an Uaine and nearer at hand the massive Garbh Coire with large patches of snow around the coire walls.
Cairn Toul from Braeriach
Despite the sunny day and warmth, I still hadn’t even seen anyone. I fancied having a look at where the Dee tumbles from the grass and gravel plateau over the coire edge, so I made my way there.
July snowbeds over the infant Dee
I took a picture of the snow-covered stream, looked up and nearly fell over - about 50 yds away there was a man rolling on the snow-bed, stark naked, a heap of clothing and a rucksack lay nearby. He didn’t see me, so I crept out of sight and detoured around him and his world of snow and cold. If any man on here reads this and realises that it was him - YOU WERE SEEN - but you deserve a medal.
Garbh Coire and Ben MacDhui
After that interesting scene, I decided that I had plenty of time, so made my way over Carn na Criche and Sgor an Lochain Uaine to Cairn Toul where the view was outstanding, with views even as far away as Ben Nevis and I could pick out The Window of Creag Meaghaidh.
Ben MacDhui and Lairig Ghru from Cairn Toul
Braeriach and falls of Dee
At the Cairn Toul cairn I met the only people I was to speak to all day - a couple of blokes from near Glasgow who had a tent down by Corrour. They left to return to their tent and I sat a while looking West, having a bite to eat and picking out a likely route back across the Moine Mhor.
Loch nan Stuirteag, Monadh Mor and Beinn Bhrotain
Moine Mhor from slopes of Sgor an Lochain Uaine, with herd of deer.
Then I descended back to the Sgor an Lochain Uaine col, from where I angle downhill, past a herd of red deer to the Allt Luineag where I came across the first wetness underfoot that I’d seen all day. It wasn’t boggy, just clear, cold water running over the grass. I followed the burn a while then cut across some peat-hagged (but quite dry) ground, passing close to Loch nan Cnapan, then picking up the path back to Achlean at the Allt Sgairneach.
Loch nan Cnapan, with Sgor Gaoith in the distance
The walk back over that part of the Moine Mhor was remarkably dry, so I made good time. At the head of the Allt Fearnagan, I stopped again for a long cool drink and finished off the last flapjack and Mars Bar. It was getting a bit chilly by then, so I put on a shirt and wandered back down towards Achlean and my car. On the way back I diverted to explore the falls on the Allt Fearnagan. They aren’t so much waterfalls, but rather a waterslide and are in a beautiful setting in among the pine trees - well worth a visit.
Falls on the Allt Fearnagan
I think they would be spectacular after heavy rain or during snowmelt. It was about 4.00pm when I reached the car, so plenty of time to drive back to North-East England. It was as good as any day I’d had in the mountains.
