Fafernie

About Fafernie

Sitting on the high plateau of the Mounth, this Munro Top is a sprawling, heathery dome often visited alongside its parent, Glas Maol. Its broad summit offers a superb perspective down the length of Glen Doll and across the wild, craggy skyline of the Lochnagar massif to the north.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is thought to derive from the Gaelic Fadhbh-fhearna, potentially meaning 'the hillock of the alder'. Given its location on a high, exposed plateau far above the treeline, the name likely refers to the scrubby growth found in sheltered burns nearby rather than the summit itself.
• •The summit marks an important historical boundary where the counties of Angus, Aberdeenshire, and Perthshire once met. It remains a significant navigational marker for those traversing the Mounth between Braemar and Glen Clova.
• •It is a staple feature of the classic 'Jock's Road' route, a famous ancient drovers' track. The hill sits just north of the highest point of the pass, where the path begins its steep, dramatic descent into the head of Glen Doll.
• •From the summit, you get a particularly clear look at the deep, glaciated trough of Glen Callater to the west and the impressive eastern cliffs of Cairn Bannoch across the White Mounth plateau.
• •Due to its broad, featureless profile and proximity to higher neighbours, many walkers 'bag' the summit without realizing they have actually reached it, often only discovering their success later when checking their GPS logs.