Meall na Teanga

Meall na Teanga is a Scottish mountain located in the Highland council area, 11km north of Spean Bridge.OverviewMeall na Teanga is situated on the northern side of Loch Lochy and is closely associated with the adjacent Munro of Sròn a' Choire Ghairbh which lies two kilometres to the north across the Cam Bealach ("crooked pass"). The two mountains are usually ascended together. Meall na Teanga is seen prominently from the A82 road on the opposite bank of Loch Lochy, showing steep slopes which have the conifer plantations of the South Laggan Forest below the 300 metre contour.The hill just qualifies as a Munro by four metres, reaching a height of 918m. In the original 1891 version of Munro's Tables, Meall na Teanga was listed as a subsidiary "Top" of Sròn a' Choire Ghairbh. It was promoted to Munro status when the tables were updated in 1921, despite continuing doubts as to whether it had sufficient height. The hill's name translates from the Gaelic as "Hill of the Tongue". This refers to one of the hill's ridges: either the long tongue-like western ridge which curves round two fine corries, or the steep buttressing spur which rises from the loch to the summit. The hill is sometimes referred to by its informal moniker of "Tango".GeographyMeall na Teanga is made up of a series of short ridges and one longer one and has three fine corries on its slopes. The longer western ridge runs for two kilometres before dropping down steep grassy slopes to the head of Gleann Cia-aig. It runs along the rim of two large north-facing corries. Coire Odhar Mor and Coire Odhar Beag are both steep and craggy, and their streams form the headwaters of the Abhainn Chia-aig which flows west then south around the mountain to join the River Arkaig in the Great Glen. The shorter north-east ridge goes over the lesser top of Meall Dubh (839 metres) before descending to the top of the Cam Beallach, which links it to the adjoining Munro of Sròn a' Choire Ghairbh.