Over The Hill

Although a couple of far flung Corbetts in Perthshire were on offer, I decided to stay more local and make for Beinn Narnain and leave the Corbetts to Alan & Co.

Arriving at an almost empty car park at Succoth was my first surprise of the day, the second being just how enclosed in by the trees and undergrowth the old hydro cable line was, undoubtedly the wet summer encouraging the shrubs and trees to full growth. Nevertheless I trudged up through the lower forest to the base of Creag an Fhithich, where, presented with the prospect of even more head high bracken, I decided to swing southwest along the line of the old approach track to The Cobbler and use this to bring me onto the main Cobbler/Narnain/Ime track at the small dam above the zigzags.

A steady climb, up passed the Narnain Boulders to the 628m bealach at the head of Coire a Bhalachain and onto what is now a newly constructed path branching off from the Cobbler/Ime track and heading up onto the west ridge of Beinn Narnain. Still under construction, it rises steadily to the 750m height at which point it joins up with the older, and much rockier track leading up the shoulder of the west ridge, but here I noticed indications that this section may also be in line for some erosion prevention work.

The weather was cool, with the cloud base lifting ahead of me as I climbed, timing my arrival on the summit just as it cleared from Narnain and The Cobbler, but still stubbornly stuck around the summit of Beinn Ime. As was expected from the lack of cars at Succoth, I had passed no more than a handful 0f other walkers en route, and watched them cut off and head for The Cobbler, and so I was the sole occupant of the entire summit of Beinn Narnain, quite and unusual occurrence; although, two others did arrive shortly after me, having appeared from the direction of the Spearhead.

A distinctly cool breeze on the top saw me retreating to a lower, sheltered spot and getting out that extra layer before taking a short break for some welcome refreshments and some time to enjoy the unusual quietness of this summit. Break over, I made my return to Succoth by simply reversing my ascent route, and continuing down the zigzags to a now slightly busier car park, as was expected by the number of people I had encountered making their way up as I made my leisurely descent.

An enjoyable day once again on a grand mountain.