Meall na Fearna West Top

Perched above Loch Earn, Meall na Fearna West Top is the kind of peak only a dedicated list-ticker or a lost sheep could love. It offers expansive views across the Trossachs, assuming you haven't vanished knee-deep into the ubiquitous Highland peat hags guarding its summit.

• •The name translates from Gaelic as 'Hill of the Alder West Top,' an optimistic title considering you're far more likely to find sphagnum moss and wind-chill than a thriving woodland at this elevation.
• •It sits in the shadow of its larger neighbor, Meall na Fearna, which is a Corbett; this West Top is essentially the underappreciated younger sibling that everyone forgets to invite to the mountain-bagging party.
• •The terrain here forms part of the rugged watershed between Loch Earn and Glen Lednock, featuring some of the most impressive peat hags in the southern Highlands for those who enjoy 'extreme bog-hopping.'
• •Historically, these slopes were part of the vast royal hunting forest of Glenartney, though the primary quarry today is usually a hiker's lost boot, claimed forever by the unforgiving Highland muck.
• •Navigating this plateau in a mist is a masterclass in existential dread; you will spend three hours convinced you've reached the summit, only to realize you're standing on a particularly ambitious molehill surrounded by a moat of liquid peat.