Mona Gowan (the lazy way)

[Crow62]

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My original plan was to climb both Mona Gowan and Morven from further down the road, but the Obergruppenführer arranged an evening out at short notice and I thought I better not turn up needing a double hip replacement, Plan B was quickly put into action and I realised that it would be quicker to climb Mona Gowan on it's own, across Scraulac and Cairnagower Hill, I started from a "small" lay-by on the A939, There was just enough room to squeeze in about 10 cars, a few buses, the starting grid of a Formula one race and the queue for the Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry.

Compact but Bijou

Stone steps lead up into the heather and a path, which more or less follows the fence, leads up to the top of Scraulac. There's a slight downhill and rise to Cairngower Hill with a padlocked gate, but remembering my army training, I managed an Arctic roll over the gate and threaded my way through the peat bogs. The view to Morven was improving. even though it was an overcast, windy day.

Morven

There's a bit more downhill before the final pull-up to Mona Gowan, with a more substantial river of Peat in the dip.

Grand Canyon

I donned flippers and an aqualung to make my way across, but later realised that if I'd left the fence and followed a parallel ATV track, I could have gone round it. The Cairn is truly a creation, a skyscraper in the world of cairns, and the views in all directions had a differing array of weather conditions, most including rain.

A magnificent erection

As time was short, I returned to the car by the same route. All in all a cracking little hill for not much effort.