Scotland
Meallan a' Chuail
751M
2462FT
About Meallan a' Chuail
This remote Graham sits deep in the Reay Forest, often overlooked in favour of its grander neighbours like Meall Horn. The terrain is typically Sutherland: a mix of boggy peat and rugged rock. Reaching its summit provides a quiet, wild perspective over the vast, uninhabited moors of the North West Highlands.
Key Statistics
Rank
45th Highest in Region
Parent Range
North West Highlands
Prominence
?
205m
Nearest Town
Highland
Geology
You are walking on the Altnaharra Psammite Formation. This rock formed when ancient layers of sand were squeezed and hardened into the solid stone beneath your feet.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NC344292
Latitude
58.2207°N
Longitude
4.8200°W
Did You Know?
- •Derived from Scottish Gaelic, the name translates as the 'little hill of the firewood', suggesting it may once have been a rare source of timber in an otherwise stark, treeless landscape.
- •The summit is often visited as part of a long circuit from the estate village of Achfary, usually paired with the neighbouring Graham, Meall Horn, to make the most of the remote trek into the interior.
- •The view from the top is defined by the sharp quartzite profiles of the Sutherland 'giants' to the west, specifically the rugged, tiered ridges of Arkle and Foinaven.
- •If you are searching for the wood that gave the hill its name, you are several centuries too late; the slopes are now characterized by deer grass, peat hags, and weathered Lewisian gneiss.