Meall Chuaich

About Meall Chuaich

Rising above the A9 south of Newtonmore, this rounded Munro offers a straightforward ascent over heathery slopes. While often tackled as a solitary peak, the summit provides an expansive, earned perspective across the deep trench of Loch Ericht toward the remote, multi-topped massif of Ben Alder.

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• •The name is derived from the Gaelic 'Meall Chuaich', which translates as 'Hill of the Cup' or 'Hill of the Quaich', a reference to the bowl-shaped corrie on its western flank.
• •The approach from the north-west follows a dead-straight service track alongside a hydro-electric aqueduct, part of the extensive Lochaber water power scheme developed in the early 20th century to feed the Loch Ericht reservoir.
• •From the summit cairn, walkers are rewarded with a clear view of the sprawling Monadhliath mountains to the north and the high, rolling plateau of the Gaick Forest to the east.
• •Unlike many of the neighbouring Drumochter hills, this Munro is often climbed as a single peak rather than as part of a long ridge walk, due to its relative isolation from the main massifs.
• •The broad, mossy summit provides a vantage point looking directly down the length of Loch Ericht, which stretches nineteen miles into the heart of the Grampian mountains.
• •The long, flat march along the aqueduct provides a specific kind of mental endurance test, often leading walkers to regret not stashing a mountain bike at the base of the hill for the return leg.