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The rounded top of Meall a' Choire Lèith with a shadowed corrie on its near side, hills ranged beyond.
Ben Lawers and Glen Lyon

Meall a' Choire Leith

A Munro of 926 metres, number 263 of the 282.

Photograph by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Meall a' Choire Leith stands among the Ben Lawers hills in Perth and Kinross, not to be confused with Spidean a' Choire Leith on Liathach in Torridon.

Every one of its near neighbours is higher. An Stuc and Meall Corranaich are each less than three kilometres away, to the east and the south, and Ben Lawers itself is about three and a half kilometres to the south-east.

Ben Lawers is the highest mountain in Tayside, and the range is famous for its plant life. The National Trust for Scotland acquired the massif in 1950 to protect the arctic-alpine plants that grow on its heights.

Summit
Grid reference NN 612 438
The road
Perth and Kinross Council's list of closures shows the C448 Glenlyon closed from 19 to 23 October 2026. Read the list before you set out.
On the hill today
−1° to 4°Cloudy on the summit, 926 m. Feels like −5° in the wind.

North wind to 9 mph, gusting 19
Dry, or nearly
Light from 7.52am to 6.11pm, ten hours

Sun 18Clear0° to 4° on top · 7 mph, gusts 14
Mon 19Drizzle−4° to 6° on top · 5 mph, gusts 10
Tue 20Drizzle1° to 6° on top · 7 mph, gusts 15

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Southeastern Highlands forecast, West Highlands forecast, South Grampian and Southeast Highlands mountain forecast, Meall a' Choire Leith, No avalanche forecast for this hill.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Photograph by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 612 438
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: An Stuc, Meall Corranaich, Meall Garbh, Ben Lawers. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Perth and Kinross Council's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.