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We chose Mona Gowan because my friend Ian had recommended it and it sounded straightforward and easy. We did the usual drive down over the Lecht and turned right off the A944 about 3km before reaching the village of Strathdon. Just after the bridge over the River Don we found a space for parking opposite the track heading to Culfork.
Off road parking
From there we walked east along the road beside a burn, bearing left past the house at Torranbuie. When the road turned sharp left we kept straight on along a good track. We later met four other walkers who had parked on the grass verge at the side of the track, one of them with a bike which he used to make a quick descent. His car was there as we walked in and the other one arrived later. Our parking spot added a little to the distance but it was such a pleasant road to walk we were happy with it.
Looking back towards parking space
Straight on is the way to go
Strathdon
I don't know the name of the conical hill to the north which appears to have a large cairn on top. There seems to have been a liking for building substantial cairns on the hills of the rolling landscape around these parts. The ones on the Cromdale hills are massive.
Conical hill with large cairn on top (zoomed)
The track traverses the flanks of Gallows Hill, winding through trees that were mainly larch and spruce. As we'd predicted it was easy walking on a gently rising track through a plantation of conifers.
Conifer corridor
Last of the trees
A gate and cattle grid announced the start of open moorland where an information board told about the area and asked for dogs to be kept under close control during ground nesting season. Knowing it to be grouse estate country I had decided not to take my dog as being constantly on the lead in wide open spaces (effectively what it means) is frustrating for her and for me.
Gate and cattle grid
Out to the open moor
Mona Gowan means Goat Moor but it didn't look much like goat country to me. Where I've seen wild goats were on An Teallach, Slioch, Sail Mhor and Beinn Damph - all steep rocky terrain, which this isn't.
View back to Strathdon
Not our track
Our track
Walkhighlands mentions an uninviting metal shelter by a left turn in the track which we looked out for. After close observation on ascent and descent we concluded it was so uninviting it has now been removed.
Patchwork on Meikle Charsk Hill
As the ascent steepened zig zags took the hard work out of and before we knew it we were standing beside the summit cairn.
For a modest hill the summit cairn seems disproportionately large. It was built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. I suspect she was the reason for most of the large cairns around these parts and have noticed from my own wanderings that she's celebrated from Loch Tummel to Edzell to Balmoral to Cromdale. More than any other person I would think. Apart from being a longer reigning monarch than most I wonder what else she did to justify so many monuments.
Mona Gowan summit 749m
Windswept on Mona Gowan (Moira's photo)
It was windy enough for us to choose the more sheltered side of the cairn to huddle down for lunch and just as we were leaving the cyclist whose car we'd passed arrived from the Morven direction and after a quick chat was on his way down. We met his three walking pals further down the hill. As expected from the forecast our summit views were hazy. To the west we could make out the tors of Ben Avon and to the south Lochnagar and the isolated triangle of Mount Keen. But what we're looking at nearer to hand in the photos I took I'm not sure.
What was clear was nearby Morven which we climbed in August 2017 on a day of glorious purple.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=75551East to Morven
We decided to keep things simple and return by the ascent route.
The descent
There's an extensive clear felled area which is a strange expression since the land it leaves isn't clear at all but is covered with bleached stumps and part skeletons of trees that once grew there.
Felled area
We had planned to pay a visit to the Glenavon Hotel in Tomintoul, as we've done previously, but when we got there found it closed. So we stopped in Carrbridge instead, which did very nicely.
Village Square, Tomintoul
Old Packhorse Bridge, Carrbridge
For a gentle walk on a good track with a sense of wide open space Mona Gowan fitted the bill exactly. Scotland is good for having such a variety of walking country, all with its own character and history.
