Scotland
Meall an Doirein
423M
1387FT
About Meall an Doirein
Rising above the Coigach peninsula, this rugged coastal Marilyn overlooks the mouth of Loch Broom. While its heathery slopes are largely pathless and require careful navigation through typical North West Highland bog, the summit provides an outstanding vantage point for the Summer Isles and the jagged silhouette of nearby Stac Pollaidh.
Key Statistics
Rank
143rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
North West Highlands
Prominence
?
297m
Nearest Town
Kerrysdale
Geology
You are walking on the Lewisian Complex, specifically a tough, banded rock called orthogneiss. It formed from molten stone reshaped by intense heat and pressure deep underground.
Nearby Fells
Meall an Spardain
Meall Loch na Feithe Mugaig
Meall an Doirein NE Top
Meall an Doirein SW Top
Meall Glac Airigh an t-Saoir North Top
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NG859754
Latitude
57.7173°N
Longitude
5.5963°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Gaelic 'Meall an Doirein', which translates as 'Hill of the little thicket', likely referring to a small grove of trees that once stood in the sheltered hollows of its lower slopes.
- •The summit serves as an excellent grandstand for the Assynt 'island' peaks; from the cairn, you can see the unmistakable outlines of Suilven and Cul Mor rising sharply from the surrounding peatlands to the north.
- •Though modest in height at 422 metres, its status as a Marilyn is due to its isolation from the higher ground of Ben Mor Coigach, separated by the low-lying pass of the Bealach a' Choire Reidh.
- •In this part of the Highlands, a prominence of 150 metres is often a polite geological term for 150 metres of arduous, ankle-deep heather and hidden watercourses.