Beinn Narnain & Beinn Ime: A room with a view - at last!

[2manyYorkies]

At the third attempt, my first Munros of the modern era with an actual view from the summits!
The Boss had said "take a couple of days and get up to Scotland", (I must have been in a grumpier mood than usual), so as the forecast was slightly less pessimistic than usual the offer was snapped up. Leaving York at 5 am, I arrived at Arrochar at 10:30, and was leaving the car park 20 minutes later.
The path up to Narnain is easy to miss from the main drag, as the route guide suggests,

but once found is a case of straight up through the trees

And on up across the hillside....

.. towards the first and very false summit.

The views in front are of grass, path, rock and beads of sweat, so stop frequently and look behind for more inspiring visuals:

Ben Lomond with Loch Long in the foreground

Loch Long looking out to sea

A small grassy plateau gives the one and only breathing space on the relentless ascent, and the mouth-watering prospect of the rocky clamber up to and past the Spearhead buttress

The path clambers up to the left then crosses in front of the Spearhead (centre picture on skyline) and goes up to the right of it.

There is a small cairn on the top of the Spearhead, with the actual summit of Beinn Narnain a bit further on across the plateau.

The Cobbler from the cairn atop the Spearhead Buttress

On the summit plateau with Beinn Ime behind

There is a fair old drop from the summit of Beinn Narnain to the bealach between it and Beinn Ime, in fact at 1350m total ascent, this is fair old climb for the pair.

The actual climb to Beinn Ime is a kinder gradient then that to Beinn Narnain, but murky and boggy in the lower parts...

I don't know if it's just me, but there's also one of the noisiest wee burns higher up, you can hear it for ages, and when it comes into view it's nothing much at all. Maybe it was the altitude...
The summit of Beinn Ime is well met, with magnificent views all around (I was really getting into this "no cloud at the summit" thing), my favourite being the one back to the other Arrochar Alps:

Beinn Narnain to the left and the Cobbler over on the right.

Beinn Narnain with the path down Beinn Ime in the foreground

It seemed to have taken all-day just to get up to the tops, and only half the distance of the walk is covered at this point, but the rest is all downhill! Through bog to the good path from the Cobbler back down to Succoth, the going is pleasant and the views ever-changing. But just to keep me in my place, the rain came back in from the bealach onwards, as if to prepare me for the following day (see Beinn Dorain - coming soon...).

The well-made path down to Succoth.

Loch Long seems to remain tantalisingly close for a long time on the descent through the final forest, with plenty of zig-zags to keep the knees in good order. All in all this is a fine walk, on what was for me a fine day. And I think it's quite a tough one, with full on ascent from sea-level to summit for the first top with hardly a break. Nice one.