Over The Hill

The previous report by Mike on the walk to re-discover the old route up to The Cobbler which started from Ardgartan in the days of Ardgartan Youth Hostel, considerably less forestry on the lower hillsides and long before the zig-zags from Succoth were even established, brought back a certain yearning for yet another walk on The Cobbler. And rightly so, as it has been a favourite of ours with at least one visit annually, that was until Covid struck; and 2020 was gone without a Cobbler day. So, not to let 2021 pass in a similar vein, I decided to make amends immediately with a Cobbler day as soon as was possible. With a Bank Holiday weekend approaching and the ensuing hordes that would bring to the hillsides, I set off on Friday hoping for a quieter day to make my pilgrimage.

I had my quiet day, only a handful of others on the hillside the whole day. The weather was kind to me, low cloud and mist kept it cool right up till I reached the ridge between the twin tops. Crossing the Allt a'Bhalatchain beyond The Narnain Boulders, I met a young lad coming down who said the inversion above the mist was quite stunning, which was encouraging, as at this point I could not even see the ridge or tops the mist was so low, down to about 650m. As I continued up, I notice two others gradually catching me up as I reached the point where the path starts to become indistinct, and becomes more broken rock and rubble with the couple of minor sections of hand and feet to clamber over the larger rocks.

Stopping for a breather at one point the two lads behind caught me up, and quickly acknowledged that they had taken the wrong turning at the burn, they had intended taking the route via the bealach and up the far side of The Cobbler. They were also unsure as to where they should be heading on up through the mist; visibility was not bad, but I could see that if you were unsure of this route it could cause some concern, especially at the points where the path splits and goes over rocky ground as to what lay ahead. And so, I had company for the next, short leg of the climb, until, the mist eventually drifted off the ridge, although both tops remained unseen, and I was able to point out the way ahead to the lads, who promptly took off at great speed up towards the ridge. By the time I had gained it, the mist had cleared both tops, but still provided quite a view as it drifted over Beinn Luibhean and Beinn Ime, with their tops appearing and disappearing only to re-appear once again as the mist swirled around them.

Unfortunately, no inversion as I reached the summit, but still plenty of beautiful views to be had from this great top as I settled down for a nice long lunch break, on an unusually quiet summit, with only myself, the two lads from the mist, who returned the favour by taking my summit photo, and just one other person arriving in the time I had my lunch - I have no doubt that tomorrow, the Bank Holiday Saturday, it will be a very crowded, if not overcrowded summit.

When I eventually departed the top, I made my descent down the stepped path of the north ridge to the 628m bealach for a return via The Narnain Boulders and the zig-zags, still quiet, with only a couple of walkers lower down on the forest track.

A most enjoyable day, on and old favourite - The Cobbler

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