Hills: The Cobbler, Beinn Ime, Ben Narnain
Date: 28th April 2007
Company: Myself and Bob
I first ascended Ben Narnain and Beinn Ime on 11th April 1998 with my friend Steve.
During my first ascent of these Munros they were wearing their Winter coat.
Just over nine years later, I ascended Ben Narnain and Ben Ime again but this time together with The Cobbler.
On this occasion the hills were free of snow and the weather was perfect.
Of the three hills, the non-Munro i.e. the Cobbler, is the finest.
Click here to see a map of the route undertaken
We parked in the car park at Long Long and followed a good path for just over 2km to reach the Narnain Boulders. We stopped for a short break at the boulders to test our strength. Nine years previous, I ascended and descended Ben Narnain via its SE-ridge, starting from Succoth.
Myself at the Narnain boulders:
Bob at the Narnain boulders:
From the boulders, we continued to follow the path making our way towards the Cobbler. For a number of years I wasn't sure whether the left peak or the right peak was the summit. The answer is neither, the middle peak is highest
.The Cobbler (Ben Arthur):
It was interesting to ascend the rocky section passing numerous climbing routes. I have never climbed on the Cobbler but do fancy trying Recess Route and Punster's Crack sometime in the future.
Ascending the Cobbler:
It didn't take too long to eventually reach the needle. We had to wait a few minutes for our turn to ascend to the summit. While we were waiting I spotted my friend Mike - first time I had seen him in 15 or more years - small world.
Queuing below the summit:
When our turn came, I threaded the needle and then carefully scrambled to the summit. I was a bit apprehensive about this final section but it turned out to be much easier than expected - a one-move wonder but definitely not a place for a slip!
Myself at the summit of the Cobbler:
Once I descended, my friend Bob then threaded the needle to also make his way to the summit.
Bob at the summit of the Cobbler:
After also ascending to the top of the North peak, we made our way towards the path leading to Beinn Ime. It looked like there had been a trig point at the summit at some point in time. I couldn't recall if it had been there nine years previous.
Summit of Beinn Ime:
The descent from Beinn Ime was nice and easy. From the Bealach a Mhaim we made our way to the summit of Ben Narnain.
Looking back to Beinn Ime:
Approaching summit of Ben Narnain (Ben Lomond in background):
From Ben Narnain we descended via a rocky coire to reach the path leading back out to the car.
Looking back to Ben Narnain:
A great day out in perfect conditions.