Scotland
Garbh Mheall
913M
2996FT
About Garbh Mheall
Sitting on the remote Ben Alder estate, this high, stony shoulder is famously just four feet shy of Munro status. It forms part of the sprawling plateau south of Loch Ericht, offering a rugged, wind-blasted environment and exceptional views across the deep trench of the loch toward the distant Drumochter hills.
Key Statistics
Rank
54th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Grampians
Prominence
?
49.9m
Nearest Town
Perth and Kinross
Geology
You’re walking over ancient, hardened sands and garnet-rich mudstones. These durable layers of quartzite and sandy rock create the rugged, solid ground beneath your boots.
Classifications
Nearby Fells
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NN500505
Latitude
56.6229°N
Longitude
4.4457°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Gaelic Garbh Mheall, meaning 'Rough Hill' or 'Rough Lump.' It is an apt description for a summit defined by shattered quartzite and boulder fields, lacking the gentler, grassy character found on the hills further east.
- •At 913.1 metres (2,996 feet), this is the highest point in the British Isles that is not a Munro. It misses the 3,000-foot benchmark by a mere 1.2 metres, though it remains a significant peak as a Munro Top of Ben Alder.
- •The summit provides a superb perspective of the 'Short Leachas' and 'Long Leachas' — the dramatic, rocky ribs that climb the eastern face of Ben Alder — alongside views down the length of Loch a' Bhealaich Bheithe.
- •Despite the best efforts of optimistic hillwalkers to pile up stones or stand on their tiptoes while holding a GPS device, the hill remains stubbornly and definitively sub-Munro.