Scotland
Meikle Corr Riabhach
779M
2556FT
About Meikle Corr Riabhach
Rising above the high pass of the Lecht, this smooth, grassy Tump is defined by its role in Scottish snowsports. Its eastern slopes are criss-crossed by ski tows and pistes, while the summit offers a clear, elevated perspective over the winding A939 road and the vast, rolling moors of the eastern Highlands.
Key Statistics
Rank
8th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Isle of Skye
Prominence
?
73m
Nearest Town
Cock Bridge
Geology
Beneath your boots lie striped layers of hardened silt and sand, alongside blocks of tough, sparkling quartzite rock.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NJ251134
Latitude
57.2058°N
Longitude
3.2400°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a linguistic hybrid: 'Meikle' is Scots for large or great, while 'Corr Riabhach' likely stems from the Gaelic for a dappled or brindled hill, describing the textured appearance of the heather and grass on its slopes.
- •Unlike many more rugged Scottish peaks, the ground here is exceptionally smooth and boulder-free; this allowed the hill to be developed as a ski centre, as it requires very little snow cover to provide usable pistes.
- •The hill overlooks the A939 between Cock Bridge and Tomintoul, which reaches 637 metres at the Lecht pass. This is one of the highest main roads in the UK and is famously the first to be closed by snow at the start of winter.
- •From the 779-metre summit, you can look south across the deep road pass to see the massive, tor-crowned plateau of Ben Avon, one of the most remote and sprawling massifs in the Cairngorms.
- •While hillwalkers usually reach the top on foot, this is one of the few summits in the country where you might find yourself being overtaken by a toddler on a plastic sledge.