Meall Corranaich

Meall Corranaich, at 1,069 metres, forms the western end of the great Ben Lawers ridge, well seen from the Lawers visitor centre but usually approached from the quieter Lairig an Lochain to its west, together with neighbouring Meall a' Choire Lèith.

The route starts from a small parking layby just north of the summit of the Lairig an Lochain road linking Loch Tay with Glen Lyon, marked by a large cairn — note this road is not kept open in winter. A well-made path leaves the road a short distance east of the cairn, immediately left for a waymarked path climbing south-east up rough slopes, eventually leading east then slightly north-east to meet a line of old fenceposts, followed south-east. The initial ground crosses boggy terrain, unavoidable given the terrain's peaty character, before a long, steady climb up increasingly stony ground reaches the summit, a small pile of stones on a modest grassy plateau with superb views to Ben Lawers and out over Glen Lyon.

From the summit, most walkers head east on a faint path following fenceposts, which becomes more obvious as it zig-zags downhill with a little rock-clambering — slightly tricky in winter conditions — to a wet bealach, from where the route continues to Meall a' Choire Lèith or, for the shorter round, simply retraces the outward path.

The combined round taking in both Munros from the Lairig an Lochain layby is around 11.25 kilometres with roughly 795 metres of ascent, typically three to four hours — genuinely one of the more manageable double-Munro days in the Breadalbane hills, and considerably quieter than the main Ben Lawers path despite sharing the same general area.

Paths here are faint in places and the terrain very rough with unavoidable peat bogs — reports of conditions vary considerably with recent rainfall, from firm and dry in a hot spell to genuinely boggy after wet weather, so waterproof boots are always worth carrying.

The Lairig an Lochain parking layby is free but very limited; there is no public transport to this remote high pass.