Maoile Lunndaidh

Maoile Lunndaidh
Maoile Lunndaidh seen from Mòruisg, five km to the NW. The massive corrie of Fuar Tholl Mòr can also be seen.
Highest point
Elevation	1,007 m (3,304 ft)
Prominence	400 m (1,300 ft)
Listing	Munro, Marilyn
Naming
Translation	Bare hill of the wet place (Gaelic)
Pronunciation	Scottish Gaelic: [ˈmɯlə ˈlˠ̪ũːn̪ˠt̪ɪ] English approx: mool-uh LOON-ty
Geography
Location	Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland
Parent range	Northwest Highlands
OS grid	NH135458
Topo map	OS Landranger 25, OS Explorer 430

Maoile Lunndaidh is a Scottish mountain situated 13 km south of Achnasheen in the Ross and Cromarty district of the Highland council area. It is part of the high ground between Loch Monar and Gleann Fhiodhaig.

Maoile Lunndaidh is a large and remote mountain, covering an area in excess of 10 square miles (2,590 hectares). Its location is almost equidistant from the valleys of Strathconon, Strathfarrar and Glen Carron, the nearest public road being over 10 km away. The mountain is listed in the current edition of Munro's Tables as 1007 metres (3304 feet). This height dates from the introduction of the 1:50k OS map series in the 1970s. However the current 1:25000 map shows a spot height of 1,005 metres, in better agreement with the trigonometric height of 3293.8 feet on old 6 inch maps (equivalent to 1004.1 metres after conversion to the Newlyn datum).

Maoile Lunndaidh has been described as “the flattest of bulks”. Its extensive level summit plateau is reminiscent of the Cairngorm and seems out of place amongst the west coast peaks. The mountain has two impressive corries which cut deeply into the mountain on its NW and SE sides and are its most impressive geographical features. Maoile Lunndaidh translates from the Gaelic as “Bare hill of the wet place”, with the mountain being especially boggy on its lower slopes. It lies near the headwaters of both the Strathfarrar and Strathconon glens and has several high lochans within its corries.

Maoile Lunndaidh’s curving summit plateau is almost 2 km in length, never dropping below the 980 metre contour. Its flatness has led to confusion as to the highest point, with the location of the summit changing three times in Munro's Tables. The present highest point was originally named by Hugh Munro as the summit in 1891, in accordance with the 1881 6" map which shows a trig height of 3293.8 ft here and a spot height of 3293m at Creag Toll a’ Choin 650 metres to the south west. Between 1921 and 1981 Creag Toll a’ Choin was declared the Munro after its height changed to 3295 feet on the 6 inch map. In 1981 the summit reverted to the original location when the 1007m spot appeared on the new Landranger map, a decision not without some controversy as Creag Toll a’ Choin is the better viewpoint for Loch Monar. The latest 1:25000 map gives both points a spot height of 1005 metres.