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Meall Chuaich whole, a broad flat-topped dome, from the gravel track and a timber bridge, a loch to the left under a blue sky.
Drumochter and Loch Ericht

Meall Chuaich

A Munro of 951 metres, number 214 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Meall Chuaich is one of 15 Munros the Cairngorms National Park Authority lists within reach of Dalwhinnie, the village at the head of Glen Truim that it calls the highest in the Highlands.

It stands well apart from other Munros. Its nearest neighbour, Carn na Caim, is about seven kilometres to the south-west, and a large cairn marks the summit.

Dalwhinnie is famous for its whisky distillery, and it is also the northern end of SSE Renewables' Tummel hydro scheme, which runs from there to Rannoch Station and Pitlochry. Cuaich power station, part of that scheme, was completed in 1959.

Starts from
The Highland Council's 2020 audit of visitor sites lists a start at Cuaich, by Dalwhinnie. The track there is SSE's aqueduct track.
Stalking
Check for stalking before you go and follow any signs.
Under snow
There is no avalanche forecast for this hill or for Dalwhinnie: the Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecasts for six other areas. Having no forecast does not mean there is no risk under snow.
Summit
Grid reference NN 716 878, at a large cairn.
The road
The A9 from Dalwhinnie to Crubenmore is to become a dual carriageway. In October 2026 Transport Scotland gave the scheme as in preparation, with no change yet announced to the lay-bys. Check its page before you travel.
Train and bus
Dalwhinnie has its own railway station and is well served by local buses, the park authority says.
On the hill today
0° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 951 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.

West wind to 14 mph, gusting 28
Rain, about 3 mm
Light from 7.50am to 6.13pm, ten hours

Sat 17Some cloud−1° to 4° on top · 8 mph, gusts 19
Sun 18Clear−3° to 4° on top · 11 mph, gusts 22
Mon 19Cloudy−6° to 6° on top · 8 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: Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecast, Southeastern Highlands forecast, Meall Chuaich, North Grampian mountain forecast.

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.

Photographs by Iain Carmichael, Peter Ribbeck and John Dryden, via Google

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 716 878
  • 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

Nobody has written from Meall Chuaich yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

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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: Carn na Caim, A' Bhuidheanach Bheag, Geal-charn, A' Mharconaich. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Cairngorms National Park Authority's, the Highland Council's, Transport Scotland's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's and the Met Office'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.