Ben Narnain and Ben Ime

[Physicistinboots]

Jubilee bank holiday weekend – could there be any better way of filling it than to head for the hills? Following a few months break from walking I had been looking forward to this trip for ages, and the weekend did not disappoint. Early-ish on Saturday we packed up the car and set off, slightly overburdened with stuff in our excitement at not having to use public transport to get there .
Three hours later we finally arrived in Arrochar having taken an unplanned “scenic” detour through the suburbs of Glasgow. The weather was cloudy with a slight breeze, perfect walking conditions. Coming from the blissfully midge free east coast we were not quite prepared for the swarms at the campsite but they soon cleared as we started up the route towards Beinn Narnain.
At first we followed the track that leads towards the Cobbler, easy going on a well made track. Too much so as we managed to miss our turning off the path (navigational fail number two ). Not too much bother though as we were able to pick up the right route a bit later. This resembled a dried up river bed more than anything, fairly steep and rocky but not too bad at the start of the walk when we were all still fresh and raring to go.

John conquers the mountain

A few hours later and a wee bit less fresh we reached the summit. Not too many false peaks with this Munro, which was good for group morale. A few pictures and a quick lunch in the shelter of the cairn and we were off again.

Beinn Narnain summit

Heading for our second, slightly higher Munro of the day Beinn Ime, from the top of Beinn Narnain it looked an easy stroll . Very simple navigation down to the bealach and then up a broad, grassy slope. Some lovely and reasonably clear views back over the lochs and towards the Cobbler. In what felt like remarkably little time we were at the summit, snapping our photos then retreating from the wind behind the cairn.

Flying up Ben Ime

The original plan had been to continue on to Ben Vane then complete the loop back to Arrochar. However the combination of our delayed start and one of the group having a slightly dodgy leg meant that we decided to shorten the walk. We circled back round the base of Beinn Narnain in the shadow of the Cobbler before descending to the midge infested shores of Loch Long. The tents were put up in record time – nothing like midges to encourage efficiency! Then off to the pub for a well earned pint .

Almost back

[skuk007]

Looks like you had a good day, I think it was wise to call it a day when you did.
That extra distance to Ben Vane, on a dodgy leg, might have spoiled your day.