Scotland
Meikle Conval
571M
1873FT
About 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.
Key Statistics
Rank
66th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Isle of Skye
Prominence
?
246m
Nearest Town
Dufftown
Geology
You are walking on granite from the Ben Rinnes Pluton. This rock formed as molten rock cooled underground, creating a foundation filled with large, visible crystals.
Classifications
Nearby Fells
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NJ291371
Latitude
57.4189°N
Longitude
3.1819°W
Did You Know?
- •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.