Brown Cow Hill

Sunday 14th November 2021

Perhaps not the most inspiring name to entice the hill walker up its slopes on a blustery November day! Nonetheless, 11 hearty souls – Sandy, Gail, Chris, Susan, Kenneth, Irene, Ian, Bob, Jane, Ruth and Steve, met at Corgarff Castle to enjoy the views all around. Leaving the castle via a field of legumes, Ruth was leading, we followed a grassy track jus above the Cock Burn.

Sunlight on Corgarff Castle

After about three kilometres we struck off the track, and into the wind, to follow the watershed south towards Brown Cow Hill. The peat hags at one point providing enough respite from the wind to stop for coffee/banana before the somewhat inconspicuous summit at 823m – though it was a further kilometre to the highest point at 829m!

The highest point! 829m

From here we had atmospheric views into Glen Gairn and the range of hills that separated us from Crathie.

Looking south from Brown Cow Hill into Glen Gairn

Cloud rolling off Ben Avon

To the north there were spectacular views through to the Ladder Hills, Tap o’Noth, Bennachie, and to the east, Morven. Our route now took us clockwise, over Cairn Sawie (820m) and onto Meikle Geal Charn (802m), where we found respite from the wind for lunch.

View north along the River Avon towards Tomintoul

Non-electrified double deer fence!

Once over Little Gael Charn we crossed the electrified deer fence for a short (50m) deviation to the Well of Don, the somewhat underwhelming spring from where the River Don flows.

The Well of Don

Finally, we descended from Cairn Culchavie to the man-made loch at Inchmore, where we had a short tea-break before the walking out along the land rover track eastward back to Corgarff Castle.