Meall Glas
Encyclopedia
Meall Glas is a mountain situated in the southern highlands of Scotland
, it stands on the northern border of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
, some 8.5 kilometres north east of Crianlarich
.
status with a height of 959 metres (3146 feet) and is the highest point in the high rolling uplands between Glen Lochay
and Glen Dochart
, this area has no distinctive mountainous character but includes another Munro
Sgiath Chuil
, two km to the east, and the Corbett Beinn nan Imirean which lies two km to the south west. The three hills can be climbed together in the same walk.
Meall Glas is overshadowed by the more impressive mountains around the Crianlarich area and its name which translates from the Gaelic
as “Greenish-grey hill” shows its lack of importance and topographic highlights. It was probably named by the inhabitants of Glen Lochay to which it shows its more impressive northern outline, with the summit ridge seen as a curving hollow. The hill is not well seen from Glen Dochart to the south, from where it is usually climbed, being observed as just the top of rising moorland.
and dropping to a height of approximately 860 metres before rising to an unnamed top with a height of 908 metres, then swinging north east to the subsidiary summit of Beinn Cheathaich (937 metres) which lies just over 1.5 kilometre from the main peak. Beinn Cheathaich has a trig point on it and is listed in the Munro Tables as a “Top”. In Sir Hugh Munro
’s original tables of 1891 Beinn Cheathaich was listed as the Munro with Meall Glas as the “top”, a situation rectified in the 1921 revision of the tables. From Beinn Cheathaich the ridge swings north and drops to Glen Lochay while broad slopes to the east descend to the Lairig a’ Churain (609 metres) which connects to the adjacent Munro of Sgiath Chuil
.
The large Coire
Cheathaich stands on the mountains northern slopes, it is almost two kilometres across at its widest point as it falls to Glen Lochay, it is rimmed by the summit ridge. Although the mountain is made up of schist
rocks of the Dalradian
group there are outcrops of pink granite
on the mountains upper slopes. The south side of the mountain has a broad shelf at a height of around 450 metres this is the result of lateral erosion by glacier
s in the Ice Age
. Rainfall on Meall Glas drains to the east coast of Scotland via the glens of Dochart (south) or Lochay (north) and then by Loch Tay
and the River Tay
.
and goes northerly across moorland to reach the summit ridge just to the east of the highest point. The northern approach starts at the road end in Glen Lochay at Kenknock (grid reference ), walk for 1.5 km west up the glen, cross the River Lochay by a ford (the bridge no longer exists) and follow a track by the Lubchurran Burn which goes south and west and gains height to reach the summit of Beinn Cheathaich and then Meall Glas.
The summit of Meall Glas is marked by a small cairn perched on a rocky outcrop, the mountain has a considerable prominence of 554 metres and is a good viewpoint with the Mamlorn peaks around the head of Glen Lochay and the Crianlarich hills to the south west looking especially fine.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, it stands on the northern border of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond, and includes several ranges of hills, the Trossachs being the most famous...
, some 8.5 kilometres north east of Crianlarich
Crianlarich
Crianlarich is a village in the Stirling district and registration county of Perthshire, Scotland, about six miles north-east of the head of Loch Lomond...
.
Overview
Meall Glas reaches MunroMunro
A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...
status with a height of 959 metres (3146 feet) and is the highest point in the high rolling uplands between Glen Lochay
Glen Lochay
Glen Lochay is in Perthshire, Scotland through which the River Lochay runs eastward towards Loch Tay, joining the River Dochart at Killin. Glen Lochay is about 20 miles long, running from a point north of Crianlarich to Loch Tay....
and Glen Dochart
Glen Dochart
Glen Dochart in Perthshire, Scottish Highlands is a glen which runs from Crianlarich eastwards to Killin, following the course of the River Dochart as it flows through Loch Dochart and Loch Iubhair. It is met by Glen Ogle at Lix Toll....
, this area has no distinctive mountainous character but includes another Munro
Munro
A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over . They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet , who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891. A Munro top is a summit over 3,000 ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain...
Sgiath Chuil
Sgiath Chuil
Sgiath Chùil is a mountain situated in the southern highlands of Scotland. It stands within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, on its northern border. It is approximately west of Killin.- Description :...
, two km to the east, and the Corbett Beinn nan Imirean which lies two km to the south west. The three hills can be climbed together in the same walk.
Meall Glas is overshadowed by the more impressive mountains around the Crianlarich area and its name which translates from the Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
as “Greenish-grey hill” shows its lack of importance and topographic highlights. It was probably named by the inhabitants of Glen Lochay to which it shows its more impressive northern outline, with the summit ridge seen as a curving hollow. The hill is not well seen from Glen Dochart to the south, from where it is usually climbed, being observed as just the top of rising moorland.
Geography
Meall Glas is composed of mainly grassy rolling slopes, it has two main ridges, the north west ridge drops to Glen Lochay and can be used for a direct ascent from that valley. The mountains other crest, initially forms the summit ridge as it goes east curving round the lip of a corrieCirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
and dropping to a height of approximately 860 metres before rising to an unnamed top with a height of 908 metres, then swinging north east to the subsidiary summit of Beinn Cheathaich (937 metres) which lies just over 1.5 kilometre from the main peak. Beinn Cheathaich has a trig point on it and is listed in the Munro Tables as a “Top”. In Sir Hugh Munro
Hugh Munro
Sir Hugh Thomas Munro, 4th Baronet of Linderits was a Scottish mountaineer who is best known for his list of mountains in Scotland over 3,000 feet , known as the Munros....
’s original tables of 1891 Beinn Cheathaich was listed as the Munro with Meall Glas as the “top”, a situation rectified in the 1921 revision of the tables. From Beinn Cheathaich the ridge swings north and drops to Glen Lochay while broad slopes to the east descend to the Lairig a’ Churain (609 metres) which connects to the adjacent Munro of Sgiath Chuil
Sgiath Chuil
Sgiath Chùil is a mountain situated in the southern highlands of Scotland. It stands within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, on its northern border. It is approximately west of Killin.- Description :...
.
The large Coire
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
Cheathaich stands on the mountains northern slopes, it is almost two kilometres across at its widest point as it falls to Glen Lochay, it is rimmed by the summit ridge. Although the mountain is made up of schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
rocks of the Dalradian
Dalradian
Dalradian in geology describes a series of metamorphic rocks, typically developed in the high ground which lies southeast of the Great Glen of Scotland...
group there are outcrops of pink granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
on the mountains upper slopes. The south side of the mountain has a broad shelf at a height of around 450 metres this is the result of lateral erosion by glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s in the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. Rainfall on Meall Glas drains to the east coast of Scotland via the glens of Dochart (south) or Lochay (north) and then by Loch Tay
Loch Tay
Loch Tay is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the district of Perthshire.It is a long narrow loch of around 14 miles long, and typically around 1 to 1½ miles wide, following the line of the valley from the south west to north east...
and the River Tay
River Tay
The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom. The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui , then flows easterly across the Highlands, through Loch Dochhart, Loch Lubhair and Loch Tay, then continues east through Strathtay , in...
.
Ascents and view
Meall Glas can be climbed from either Glen Dochart or Glen Lochay. The southern approach from Glen Dochart is the most popular because of ease of access from a main road. The route starts at Auchessan (grid reference ) on the A85 roadA85 road
The A85 is a major road in Scotland. It runs east from Oban along the south bank of Loch Etive, through Lochawe and Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Crieff before passing through Perth, where it crosses the River Tay via Perth Bridge. Its name between the latter two locations is...
and goes northerly across moorland to reach the summit ridge just to the east of the highest point. The northern approach starts at the road end in Glen Lochay at Kenknock (grid reference ), walk for 1.5 km west up the glen, cross the River Lochay by a ford (the bridge no longer exists) and follow a track by the Lubchurran Burn which goes south and west and gains height to reach the summit of Beinn Cheathaich and then Meall Glas.
The summit of Meall Glas is marked by a small cairn perched on a rocky outcrop, the mountain has a considerable prominence of 554 metres and is a good viewpoint with the Mamlorn peaks around the head of Glen Lochay and the Crianlarich hills to the south west looking especially fine.