Carn Easgainn Mor

Rising above the Spey Valley near Kingussie, this broad Monadhliath summit offers a classic high-moorland experience. Its rounded, heather-clad slopes provide an excellent vantage point for surveying the massive northern corries of the Cairngorms across the strath, including the distinctive profiles of Braeriach and Cairn Gorm.

• •The name translates from Scottish Gaelic as the 'Big Hill of the Eel'. This likely refers to the serpentine, winding nature of the burns that drain the surrounding peat hags, or the marshy ground found in the dips between the ridges.
• •The summit provides a clear, unobstructed view across the Strathspey towards the Lairig Ghru, the famous high mountain pass that slices between the massive granite bulks of Ben Macdui and Braeriach.
• •The hill is characteristic of the Monadhliath range, featuring high-altitude plateau terrain that serves as an important habitat for mountain hares, which are frequently seen here in their white winter coats.
• •Walkers often approach this summit using the network of estate tracks that service the surrounding moorland, making for a long but steady ascent through primary red grouse territory.
• •Given the 'Eel' in its name and the notoriously wet nature of the Monadhliath plateau, you are significantly more likely to encounter an 'eel-friendly' peat bog than a bone-dry path to the cairn.