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This was my first trip to Scotland just to tick off some Munros & really I just had one day of good weather to get some done. Spring flowers, abundant birdlife and a few distant deer made it a perfect day.
I stayed at the Abyssinia bothy, which was luxurious + a quick & easy walk in. Lucky to have it all to myself for two days..
I couldn't find a route which fitted what I wanted to do - which was all four local Munros starting from the bothy. I thought it was doable though with the perfect weather.
Ascent to Beinn Ime
From the bothy to Beinn Ime is fairly straightforward, some bogginess at lower levels but limited. There is a deer fence with a gate by the stream & a small dam which is useful as a marker. The ascent is fairly gradual until Glas Bhealach where the final stretch to the summit is very steep - a path appears at this point however to make it easier. I arrived at the completely deserted summit with beautiful views to the horizon.
Crossing to Beinn Narnain
The descent from Beinn Ime is along a clear path that descends gradually through grass to the saddle between the two peaks. There is a good path from this to the summit of Beinn Narnain but I managed to miss the start of it. It's easy going however and the path emerges clearly soon after. There is a boulder field to cross near the summit but the slope itself is not excessive. The summit is a plateau with several small cairns and incredible views to all sides.
Crossing to Ben Vane
This is where I started to go a little off piste & it was only possible because of the excellent conditions. I descended down Narnain back to the saddle, then took a diagonal north east to a handy stream to get water. From there I cut along the hill, avoiding escarpments, skirting a major buttress of Ben Ime. The ascent from there up Ben Vane was hard work, but the route was good underfoot.
Crossing to Ben Vorlich
At this point in the day I was very tired and it would have been wiser to take a less precarious but longer route. That said - there was nothing worse than a small downward scramble. The ascent from the dam to the ridge is extremely steep and I could not locate a clear path, with excessive switchbacks it's possible however.
All in all, a cracking day - further than I've walked before and an excellent route that I wouldn't want to do in the rain/snow/fog! I'm looking forwards to moving on to other Munroes!