Meall Glas

Meall Glas is a mountain in the southern Highlands of Scotland. It stands just north of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, about eight and a half kilometres northeast of Crianlarich. The hill reaches 959 metres and is classed as a Munro, one of the 282 Scottish mountains over 914 metres. Two other hills, Sgiath Chuil and Beinn nan Imirean, lie within two kilometres of Meall Glas, so all three can be climbed together in a single walk. The name comes from the Gaelic for ‘greenish-grey hill’, describing its grassy slopes and rocky patches. From Glen Lochay to the north the mountain shows a sweeping outline, while from Glen Dochart to the south it appears as a broad swell of moorland. The mountain is mostly made of schist with pink granite outcrops on its upper slopes. A wide shelf on its southern side at about 450 metres was carved by glaciers in the last Ice Age. Two main ridges lead from the summit: one drops northwest to Glen Lochay, the other curves east past an unnamed top and Beinn Cheathaich before swinging north to Glen Lochay. In 1891 Beinn Cheathaich was listed as the main Munro and Meall Glas as a subsidiary, but this was corrected in 1921. Rain falling on the hill drains eastwards through Glen Dochart or Glen Lochay, then by Loch Tay and the River Tay to the North Sea. The easiest start is from Auchessan on the A85 in Glen Dochart, where a path crosses moorland to the summit ridge. A northern route begins at the road end in Glen Lochay at Kenknock, crosses the River Lochay by the old ford and follows the Lubchurran Burn to the summit via Beinn Cheathaich. The highest point is marked by a small cairn on a rocky outcrop. With a prominence of 554 metres, Meall Glas offers wide views across the Mamores and the Crianlarich hills.