Parking
Start on the minor road near Culfork, by the Don bridge. Use responsible roadside parking; a suitable spot is often on the north side opposite the track to Culfork. There is no public transport to the start.
Overview
About Mona Gowan from Strathdon
Why go
- A large 1887 summit cairn and open views over Strathdon.
- The main route follows a clear estate track for most of the climb.
Heads up
- A steady climb with about 421 metres of ascent.
- Informal roadside parking and no public transport to the start.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation327–738 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Cairngorms alerts
- CautionStorm Boelo high windsStorm Boelo will bring extremely windy weather to the Cairngorms; take extra care and limit time outdoors. - The Park Authority expects the very windy weather to last until Monday 26 October.Official details
- ClosureGlenmore wildfire closures and dangerous treesWildfire damage has closed Allt Mor car park and the path to Sugarbowl/Utsi’s Bridge; keep out of the closed area.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cairngorms Tour Guide
Your drive to Mona Gowan from Strathdon, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Cairngorms National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Cairngorms audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Mona Gowan’s Jubilee Cairn0:00 / 0:24
“You're nearing the start of the Mona Gowan walk near Culfork.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Gases Behind the Northern Lights
- The Rainbow with Reversed Colours
- A Deer’s Second Chew
- Watching Shinty
- 298 audio storiesacross Cairngorms’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Reindeer, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 260 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Mona Gowan from Strathdon
The walkMona Gowan from Strathdon is a 7.
Mona Gowan from Strathdon is a 7.25-mile out-and-back from the minor road near Culfork to the summit, returning by the same track. Allow 3.5 to 4 hours for about 421 metres of ascent. It is a steady, moderate hillwalk: the route follows estate and hill tracks for most of the climb, then steepens into zigzags near the top. The reward is a large summit cairn and open views back over Strathdon and the surrounding hills. Dogs can accompany walkers under Scotland’s responsible access rights; keep them under control.
Finding the way upAfter the Don bridge, walk east along the tarmac road past Torranbuie.
After the Don bridge, walk east along the tarmac road past Torranbuie. Ignore a right fork; where the road bends sharply left, continue straight onto the good track. It climbs across Gallows Hill, first through woodland and then onto open moorland. Keep to the main track, pass through the gate and ignore smaller branches as the ground rises. There is no public transport to this start.
The summitThe upper track zigzags more steeply before reaching a plateau.
The upper track zigzags more steeply before reaching a plateau. At the fork, take the right branch toward the cairn; it looks nearer than it is. Mona Gowan is 749 metres high, and the big cairn was built in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The open summit gives a broad look across the rolling hills of this part of the Cairngorms.
Return routeFor this outing, retrace the same track to Culfork.
For this outing, retrace the same track to Culfork. The rougher ridges toward Morven or Cairnagour are separate alternatives, with pathless ground, and are not included in the distance above. The upper moorland can be boggy, especially away from the main track.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Cairngorms
159 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
63 sightingsReindeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
102 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
37 sightingsBlack GrouseMost seen around 4 AMSighting map
72 sightingsRed GrouseMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
82 sightingsPine MartenMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cairngorms. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
