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As I get closer to my 100th munro I've been trying to knock out some of the Arrochar/Trossachs area hills. Saturday I was up and down Ben Vane in a Monty-like rush, 4 hours flat, but sadly there were no views in the damp mist. Sunday I arranged to meet Gammy Leg Walker and Mr & Mrs Jockstar for a trip up Beinn Narnain and Beinn Ime. After a bit of a late start we were warming up the legs as the path meandered through the forest above the car park. The views back to Ben Lomond and down Loch Long were fantastic.
Higher up the terrain became more interesting and some of the smaller scrambling sections were reached. This is just a warm up to what is to come I explained to Su. Just past halfway up we were rewarded with our first view of the Cobbler, what a sight! It looks alien to this area I have to say, but I'm dying to get up it now.
After the initial easy scrambles we made it to the flat spot below the imposing Spearhead. Gammy and I assured a slightly nervous Su that the path looked worse than it actually was and that we would stick together and get up in no time. Meanwhile, Jockstar's eyes lit up, he gets this summit fever look in his eyes sometimes, especially if a scramble is involved
. So up we went, taking our time to make sure everyone made it through the slippery steep bits. The cloud was really closing in at this point which made the towering Spearhead look all the more daunting. Upon reaching the bottom of the gully I assured Su that it would all be over in a matter of mintues. So up we went. About midway up the gully I stopped to help Su up a tall section of rock and she was shaking nervously as I pulled her up. The worst is over I said, well done! Just a short bit later we were at the trig point on Narnain and Su had a huge smile on her face after getting through the Spearhead.
![Just one more scrambly section Su.jpg]()
![The interesting bit.jpg]()
![Gammy and his scrambling spaniels.jpg]()
![Su has caught the scrambling bug.jpg]()
![The scramble continues.jpg]()
![An eerie gully ahead.jpg]()
![Gammy, Su, and Stretch on Beinn Narnain.jpg]()
After a quick lunch break we made our way down to the bealach where Gammy and I decided that as a group we would not have enough time to tackle Beinn Ime. So the decision was made to head back around the Cobbler and back to the cars. Conditions were deteriorating and the light would have faded before we made it back if we had tried Ime so it was the right call in the end. There were loads of people, mostly in jeans and trainers heading up the path toward the base of the Cobbler as we walked out. Hopefully they weren't planning to attempt a climb at this stage in the day.
Two HDR's:
Overall this was really a fun day out with some great company. Just to see the sense of joy and accomplishment on Su's face after reaching the top of Narnain was enough to make this a great day on the hill. It was also good to meet Gammy and his fine and most obedient spaniels. Now I can't wait to get back and combine Beinn Ime with the Cobbler!
