Meikle Conval

Rising as a smooth, heather-clad dome above the Spey Valley, this Marilyn offers a quieter alternative to its giant neighbour, Ben Rinnes. The ascent is straightforward, providing exceptional views over the distillery-rich landscape around Dufftown and out towards the distant blue line of the Moray Firth.

• •The name is a linguistic hybrid, combining the Scots 'Meikle,' meaning great, with 'Conval,' which is likely a reference to Saint Conval, a 6th-century Irish missionary who traveled through northern Scotland.
• •The summit serves as a perfect vantage point for the 'Malt Whisky Capital'; looking down into the valley, you can clearly spot the distinctive pagoda chimneys of the Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries.
• •This hill is almost always climbed in tandem with its smaller sibling, Little Conval (464m), via a circuitous moorland track that begins at the high pass of the Beatshach.
• •On a clear day, the northern horizon extends far across the Moray Firth to the distinctive, pointed silhouette of Morven in Caithness, nearly 50 miles distant.
• •Despite being the 'Big' Conval, the hill spends its life in a state of permanent architectural shadow, dwarfed by the massive granite tors of Ben Rinnes immediately to the southwest.