Marilyn · Cairngorms
Little Conval
The smaller and northerly sibling of Meikle Conval, sharing the same Dufftown skyline of distillery chimneys and barley fields. Eighteen metres lower than its bigger neighbour but a Marilyn in its own right and ideally tackled with the Meikle on a single half-day.
Quick facts
- Height
- 553m/ 1814ft
- Prominence
- 165 m
- Grid ref
- NJ 29417 39242
- Nearest city
- Inverness· 63km
- Dogs
- Dogs on lead required near livestockDog-friendly guide ↗
Height and prominence cross-checked against the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY).
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Standard route
heather moorland 65% · grass slopes 25% · rocky summit 10%
From the col between the two Convals (gained on the path from Pittyvaich) it is a fifteen-minute pull north onto the rounded top of the Little Conval. Combined with the Meikle the round is around 9km — four hours of pleasant easy walking.
Terrain
Grassy upper slopes and short heather; a clear path from the inter-Conval col. The summit is broad, undefined and easy underfoot.
In winter
Snow lingers in the cleft between the two hills longer than on either summit. The exposed ridge tops the windchill chart — a stiff Cairngorm breeze can bite hard.
This hill is in the Northern Cairngorms SAIS forecast area. Check SAIS forecasts in winter (December–April).
Best time of year
Getting there
- Glasgow5h 56m
- Edinburgh4h 51m
OS maps: OS Landranger 28, OS Explorer 424S
Mobile signal: Patchy. EE patchy up high; better toward Dufftown.
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 05:05
- Sunset
- 21:34
- Civil dawn
- 04:12
- Civil dusk
- 22:27
NOAA Solar Calculator · 30 July 2026
Pair with
Curated multi-hill combinations from Little Conval.
Around Little Conval on the SCOT network
Getting there, basing yourself, and what to do off the hill.
Getting there: Aviemore station
Cairngorm plateau; Lairig Ghru; Speyside Way; Glenmore
48km from the hill
tripscot.co.uk
On TripSCOTBase yourself in Dufftown
Speyside whisky town in the eastern Cairngorms
3km from the hill
tripscot.co.uk
On TasteSCOTAfter the hill: Glenfiddich
Dufftown — the world's best-selling single malt; visitor centre on the Speyside Way
3km from the hill
tastescot.co.uk
Little Conval — common questions
- What difficulty is Little Conval?
- On the OutdoorSCOT scale, Little Conval comes in at 2/5 — moderate. Underfoot: Grassy upper slopes and short heather; a clear path from the inter-Conval col.
- What is Little Conval's prominence?
- 165m of prominence. That's the vertical drop from the summit to the col that links Little Conval to the next higher ground. That drop is what qualifies it as a Marilyn — a hill with at least 150m of descent on every side.
- When is the best time to climb Little Conval?
- March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October give the most reliable conditions on Little Conval. Beyond that window the high ground turns wintry: carry full mountain kit, be confident navigating, and check the SAIS avalanche forecast for the area.
- Is Little Conval dog-friendly?
- Yes, but dogs must be kept on a lead — there is livestock or ground-nesting bird interest on the route.
- Is there mobile signal on Little Conval?
- Patchy. EE patchy up high; better toward Dufftown.
- Is Little Conval safe in winter?
- Snow lingers in the cleft between the two hills longer than on either summit. The exposed ridge tops the windchill chart — a stiff Cairngorm breeze can bite hard.
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