Scotland
Meall na h-Eilrig
465M
1526FT
About Meall na h-Eilrig
Rising above the Flowerdale Estate near Gairloch, this rugged Marilyn offers a wilder experience than its modest height suggests. Characterised by rocky outcrops and pathless heather, the ascent reveals a spectacular perspective over the sprawling Loch Maree and the jagged, quartzite-capped peaks of the Torridon and Fisherfield ranges.
Key Statistics
Rank
245th Highest in Region
Parent Range
North West Highlands
Prominence
?
187m
Nearest Town
Balchraggan
Geology
You are walking on the Achnaconeran Striped Formation. It is made of hardened layers of sandy and muddy rocks.
Nearby Fells
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NH537326
Latitude
57.3604°N
Longitude
4.4336°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic 'Meall na h-Eilrig', meaning the hill of the deer trap. An eilrig was a topographical bottleneck, either natural or man-made, into which deer were driven by hunters to be killed or captured.
- •The summit serves as a premier grandstand for viewing the iconic 'Triple Buttress' of Coire Mhic Fhearchair on Beinn Eighe, providing a scale of the mountain often lost when standing closer to its base.
- •The terrain is a classic example of Lewisian Gneiss landscape, featuring a complex 'cnoc and lochan' topography where ice-scoured hollows between rocky hummocks remain perpetually boggy even in a dry Highland summer.
- •Climbers often approach the hill via the 'MacKenzie's Cairn' path from Flowerdale, an estate held by the MacKenzies of Gairloch for over 500 years.
- •While it lacks the stature of the nearby Munros, the hill's intricate, craggy ribs ensure that anyone attempting a direct line will spend significantly more time climbing than their map suggests.