Mona Gowan

About trip

The conical cairn is constructed of granite boulders, and a granite tablet, which has now fallen to the ground, records the construction of the cairn by General Sir John Forbes, KCB., of Inverernan and tenants. A similar example can be seen on the summit of the nearby Gallows Hill. A partly collapsed conical cairn of granite boulders is situated on the summit of Mona Gowan, at a height of 749m OD. It measures 7m in diameter and about 2.2m in height. A rectangular granite tablet, measuring 0.53m by 0.45m and 0.25m in thickness, lies on the N side of the cairn, amongst the tumbled debris at its foot. It bears the following inscription in small capitals: '1887 | Jubilee Cairn | Erected By | Gen. Sir John Forbes K.G.B. | of Inverernan | and Tenants'. Traces of cement around the edge of the tablet indicate the means by which it was affixed to the body of the structure.