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.

• •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.