Meall Tionail

Tucked deep within the remote Atholl Forest, this broad, rounded shoulder sits just shy of Munro height. It forms part of the high, peat-scarred plateau north of Beinn Dearg. The terrain is demanding and pathless, offering a sense of profound isolation overlooking the desolate upper reaches of the River Bruar.

• •The name comes from the Scottish Gaelic 'Meall Tionail', meaning the 'hill of gathering'. This likely refers to its historical use as a location for rounding up livestock or deer from the surrounding high summer pastures.
• •At 899.7 metres, it is a tantalising 14.7 metres short of the 3,000ft threshold required for Munro status. Instead, it is classified as a Corbett Top, linked to the higher mass of Beinn Dearg to the south.
• •The summit provides an excellent vantage point over the steep-sided trench of Gleann Diridh and the remote Gaick Forest, with clear views across the wilderness to the lonely Munros of An Sgarsoch and Càrn an Fhidhleir.
• •The approach is famously long; most walkers tackle it as part of a multi-peak expedition starting from Blair Atholl, following the private road up Glen Bruar before heading into the trackless interior.
• •At just three millimetres of map-scale elevation away from being a Munro, it is the mountain equivalent of a runner finishing fourth in an Olympic final—impressive, but missing out on the only list most people care about.