Airlie Monument is a prominent Angus landmark, visible from miles around. Erected in 1901 in memory of the 9th Earl of Airlie, it stands atop Tulloch Hill, at the junction between the glens of Clova and Prosen.
While the most direct route up to the tower begins at a car park in Glen Prosen, it seemed apt to start my five-mile walk in the shadow of 16th-century Cortachy Castle, the historic family seat of the Earls of Airlie.
Setting off from a walkers’ car park next to Cortachy Primary School, I headed east through the village, passing Cortachy Church, a small but striking red sandstone edifice with heavy gothic influence built in 1828, and the entrance gate to Cortachy Castle which, thanks to its wooded policies, is well hidden.
Crossing the River South Esk, I continued up the road to a black metal gate on the left, the start of a delightful riverside stroll north. The woodland path was laid out in the 1870s for a proposed visit by Queen Victoria.
In the end, she did not bestow the estate with her presence but the imported conifers – including Douglas and Silver Firs and Sitka Spruce – and rhododendrons planted in her honour have since flourished alongside the native beech trees.
The path passes American Bridge, a slim walkway linking both banks with an island caught in the current before roaming upstream above more turbulent waters to Sawmill Bridge, where I crossed.
The route heads downstream briefly, rising above the river, before curving right, emerging from the trees to meet a track that cuts through arable land to Cullow Farm and the Glen Clova road beyond. Following the road north towards Cullow Cottage, I branched left on to a waymarked woodland path that joins a track to Cortachy Cemetery.
To the right of the graveyard gate, a waymarked path strikes west, rising steadily through a grassy plantation of slender pines and purple foxgloves to a track junction where, turning north, I hiked up to Airlie Monument.
Clear of the trees, the red sandstone tower is 30 metres high and cost £1300 to build. It commemorates the life of David William Stanley Ogilvy, the 9th Earl of Airlie, who died in battle while gallantly leading his regiment, the 12th Lancers, at Diamond Hill, near Pretoria, during the Boer War.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to enter the tower, for there would surely be excellent views from the top. However, it is an impressive structure even when viewed from below, with some interesting carved panels set into the stonework.
Dipping back into the trees, I retracing my steps down to the junction and descended to the Glen Prosen road where, on the corner, I paused briefly at Scott’s View Monument, a tribute to the links Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Scott and his chief scientist aboard the Terra Nova Expedition Dr Edward Wilson had with the area where, it is said, they did much of their planning.
Behind the locally sculpted granite tribute, a good track led me between fields to Coiliamy Farm where the way splits, the route on the left signed for Dykehead.
Peeling right, I continued east, emerging onto the B955 to the south of Dykehead, a short road walk, blessed with reasonably generous grass verges, returning me to Cortachy.
If you have enjoyed this article, you might like to PayPal.me or buy me a coffee, which helps support the site and funds new content.
Secret Scotland 