Craigengower – The Hill and the Monument above Straiton
About 4.3 miles on foot.
Straiton is a village of low stone cottages in the Carrick hills of South Ayrshire, and the green hill behind it, with a stone obelisk on top, is Craigengower.
A waymarked circuit of 7 km climbs steeply to the monument, where the view on a clear day runs all the way to Argyll, and comes back through Bennan Wood. It's a short hill walk with one stiff climb, and it's wet underfoot in places.
- Time
- Two to two and a half hours: a waymarked circuit of 7 km (4.3 miles) with 290 metres of climb.
- The path
- Paths and tracks, very wet in places, with a steep climb and a steep way down. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- The village car park beside the playground on Kirkmichael Road, Straiton, KA19 7ND. The signs there show how long you can stay.
- When to go
- All year in daylight, and best on a clear day. From November to January set off by 12.30pm.
- Dogs
- On a lead: sheep on the hill and cattle at the farm.
- Children
- A steep hill, up and down. Fine for older children used to hills.
- Toilets
- Public toilets behind McCandlish Hall on Main Street, kept by the village: leave a donation.
- Before you set out
- A steep climb, and very wet in places on the low ground. Keep it for a clear day.
The walk
Park in Straiton's village car park beside the playground on Kirkmichael Road, where there are picnic benches and the signs show how long you can stay. KA19 7ND is the postcode. The public toilets are behind McCandlish Hall on Main Street. They're kept by the village, so leave a donation. South Ayrshire Council looks after the paths round Straiton, and it gives the Monument and Bennan Circuit as 7 km, a little over four miles. A walker's guide to it counts 290 metres of climb and allows two to two and a half hours.
The walk crosses the Water of Girvan and takes on Craigengower by its steep side, with wooden posts showing the line higher up. Craigengower's name is said to mean the hill of the goats. The obelisk on top remembers Lieutenant-Colonel James Hunter Blair of the Scots Fusilier Guards, who died at the Battle of Inkerman in the Crimean War in 1854. From beside it you look down on the village and the valley and, on a clear day, out across the Firth of Clyde to Argyll. The circuit takes in Bennan Wood, where a short extra climb leads to a viewpoint on Bennan Hill. Wear boots: parts of the low ground are very wet, and the hill is steep going up and coming down.
Sheep graze the hill and there are cattle at the farm, so keep dogs on a lead. Back in the village, the Buck Tearoom at 32 Main Street does breakfasts, lunches and home baking and welcomes walkers. It usually opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm, so ring 07507 764194 before counting on it. From November to January, set off by 12.30pm.
If it rains
The hill is open to the weather and the view is the point of it, so keep this for a clear day. In rain or low cloud, Lady Hunter Blair's Walk, up a wooded glen of waterfalls from the same car park, is the better choice.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
None of ours is close by: the nearest is Talli House, 30 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Fri 30 Oct to Sun 1 Nov.
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For further reading, before you go.