Scotland
Meall Leitir Meirleach
527M
1729FT
About Meall Leitir Meirleach
Rising from the rugged Letterewe Forest, this craggy height offers a perspective of the 'Great Wilderness' that belies its modest stature. It is a pathless, heathery climb, but the reward is an intimate, grandstand view of Slioch’s fortress-like western face and the intricate, wooded islands of Loch Maree.
Key Statistics
Rank
154th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Data coming soon
Prominence
?
23
Nearest Town
The Craigs
Geology
You’re walking on Carn Chuinneag granite that was squeezed and heated into a tough, layered stone. This solid rock forms the very foundation of the hill.
Classifications
Nearby Fells
Clach Sgoilte
Clach Sgoilte
Mullach Coire Preas nan Seana-char
Carn Feur-lochain
Carn nan Aighean East Top
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NH427789
Latitude
57.7721°N
Longitude
4.6464°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Gaelic 'Meall Leitir Meirleach', which translates as the 'Hill of the Slope of the Thieves', suggesting these broken, rocky flanks once provided cover for cattle reivers moving through the remote interior.
- •The summit provides an excellent vantage point to study the complex geography of the area, specifically the transition from the ancient Torridonian sandstone of Slioch to the jagged Lewisian gneiss surrounding Fionn Loch.
- •Reaching the base of the hill usually requires a long approach via the Tollie path or from Poolewe, making it one of the more isolated 'small' hills in the Northwest Highlands.
- •It serves as a strenuous reminder that in this part of Scotland, a hill's difficulty is rarely determined by its height, but rather by the depth of the heather and the distance from the nearest tarmac.