Meall Glas

Meall Glas, at 959 metres, is a fairly undistinguished Munro between Glen Dochart and Glen Lochay, usually climbed together with neighbouring Sgiath Chùil despite the notably steep, low-lying bealach that separates them.

Most walkers reach Meall Glas from Sgiath Chùil, descending an extremely steep slope from the ridge near Meall a' Churain down to the boggy Lairig a' Churain, over 300 metres lower than Sgiath Chùil's summit. From this bealach the route climbs again, initially over boggy, more gradual slopes before an equally steep pull towards Beinn Cheathaich, a Munro Top just short of the true summit — walkers can either aim for the low point of the ridge south of Beinn Cheathaich, passing through a band of broken crags, or bypass these by heading north of the top. From the bealach south of Beinn Cheathaich, a clear path leads the final kilometre or so to Meall Glas's summit cairn, with Ben Challum dominating the view to the west.

An alternative approach from Glen Lochay to the north gives slightly drier going but requires fording the River Lochay near the start — impossible in spate — before track and grassy, largely pathless slopes lead to the summit.

The combined round taking in both Munros from Auchessan in Glen Dochart is around 15-16 kilometres, typically six to eight hours given the severity of the connecting ground.

The descent and reascent between Sgiath Chùil and Meall Glas is widely regarded as among the steepest and most brutal connecting terrain of any regularly paired Munros in Scotland — this should not be underestimated, particularly in wet conditions when the grassy slopes become genuinely treacherous underfoot.

Parking at Auchessan is very limited, holding only a couple of cars, with additional space on the A85 verge; the Glen Lochay approach uses a car park some distance short of Kenknock. There is no public transport to either start.