Meallan Liath Beag

A modest Dodd rising above West Merkland in the remote country between Durness and Loch Shin. At 503 metres, this hill occupies quiet, rolling moorland typical of northwest Sutherland, where heather and peat dominate and settlements are few. The Gaelic name translates as 'little grey rounded hill', an accurate description of its character.

• •The name Meallan Liath Beag comes from Scottish Gaelic: 'meallan' meaning a rounded hill or lump, 'liath' meaning grey (likely referring to exposed rock or lichen-covered stone), and 'beag' meaning small or little, distinguishing it from larger neighbours in the area.
• •This corner of Sutherland between Durness and Loch Shin represents some of Scotland's least populated terrain, with vast stretches of blanket bog and ancient Lewisian gneiss bedrock among the oldest rock formations in Britain.
• •As a Dodd, this hill meets the criteria of having at least 15 metres of prominence and rising to at least 500 metres, placing it just over both thresholds in a region where summits are often spread wide across undulating moorland rather than rising as distinct peaks.