Meall Fuar-mhonaidh, Loch Ness

Meall Fuar-mhonaidh may not be a familiar name, but it's the most prominent summit around Loch Ness and one of the best short hillwalks in the area, its bare, domed top giving one of the finest views anywhere over the loch and down the Great Glen towards Ben Nevis.

The route starts from a car park just before the end of the Bunloit road, reached from Drumnadrochit — beyond the car park, space is reserved for the nearby pottery only. Continuing on foot along the road, signed "Hill Footpath," the route stays right at a bridge leading to the pottery, following a pleasant path alongside a small stream with Meall Fuar-mhonaidh visible ahead. The path curves away from the stream, crosses a track via two gates, and climbs through birch and hazel woodland — a genuinely beautiful stretch, with a stream running alongside as the gradient steepens.

Beyond the woodland, the path crosses a fence at a gate and continues onto open moor, with a first glimpse of Loch Ness appearing behind. The route swings left, crossing a deer fence via a large stile, before reaching the moorland ridge — the going here becomes rougher and boggier, though still clearly worn, heading directly along the ridge towards the final summit push. The last hundred metres are notably steep, arriving at a cairn that isn't actually the true summit; crossing a shallow dip leads to the knobbly plateau beyond, where the true summit cairn — the furthest one — commands an excellent view down the Great Glen to Ben Nevis and virtually the whole of Loch Ness.

This is a straightforward hillwalk on a clear path throughout, though the upper slopes are eroded, rough, and boggy, and the final approach genuinely steep — a good introduction to Highland hillwalking, but full boots and layers are recommended given how exposed and windy the summit can be.

Parking near the end of Bunloit road is free; there is no public transport to the start.