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Meall Garbh on the left and An Stùc to its right under fresh snow, beyond brown moorland ridges.
Ben Lawers and Glen Lyon

Meall Garbh

A Munro of 1,123 metres, number 32 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Meall Garbh stands in the Ben Lawers range above Loch Tay.

An Stuc is under a kilometre to the south-west, Ben Lawers itself about two and a half kilometres to the south and Meall Greigh about three to the east. It is the thirty-second highest of the Munros, a few metres taller than An Stuc beside it.

Ben Lawers gives its name to a National Nature Reserve, famous for its flora, that the National Trust for Scotland owns and manages. By the Trust's count more than 40,000 people explore these hills every year.

This is the higher of two Munros called Meall Garbh: the other stands above Glen Lyon.

The name
Two Munros are called Meall Garbh. This is the higher, in the Ben Lawers range above Loch Tay: check that any route or map you read is for this hill
The reserve
The National Trust for Scotland's reserve takes in the summits and southern slopes of Ben Lawers.
Summit
Grid reference NN 644 437
Bus
Perth and Kinross Council lists service 893 between Killin and Aberfeldy, with a stop at Lawers Hotel on the A827 beside Loch Tay. Its timetable is dated 2018 and runs on schooldays only: check it before relying on it.
On the hill today
−1° to 3°Drizzle on the summit, 1,123 m. Feels like −5° in the wind.

North-west wind to 16 mph, gusting 32
Dry, or nearly
Light from 7.50am to 6.14pm, ten hours

Sat 17Mostly clear−3° to 2° on top · 9 mph, gusts 19
Sun 18Clear−4° to 3° on top · 7 mph, gusts 14
Mon 19Drizzle−6° to 4° on top · 6 mph, gusts 14

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 Garbh, No avalanche forecast for this range.

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.

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 644 437
  • 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 Garbh yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

Tell the next person

Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.

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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, Ben Lawers, Meall Greigh, Meall a' Choire Leith. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the National Trust for Scotland's and 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.