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Bein Narnain Walk

Length: 5 miles (4 hours)
Start: Succoth, car park near Arrochar GR,NN294049

Beinn Narnain (gaelic for 'butter mountain', from the seasonal yellow colour), often known as the Cobblers right hand man is a true Munro although only by the narrow margin of about 35 ft.  An interesting walk with some scrambling and a couple of options to extend for length and variety. Height 3035 ft.

The Route

The walk starts at the lochside carpark at Succoth from where you cross the busy main road to access the hill by the marked path.

The path leads straight up the hill with no rest for about 1000 ft, crossing the forestry road, up through the opening made by the burn and follows a line of concrete blocks which at one time carried the tramway used in the building of the Loch Sloy hydro scheme.

At the end of the concrete blocks the Cobbler path turns left but you continue up the hillside following a rough track toward the first of a series of rocky outcrops. Whilst the rocky outcrops will cause you to put hand to rock occasionally they should cause no serious trouble providing a little exposure does not bother you.

At the summit you find a level area about the size of a football pitch and covered with loose rocks. Excellent views may be had here to the Cobbler, Ben Ime and Ben Vane as well as vast panoramas to loch long with the Clyde estuary beyond.

Option 1

Other than re-tracing your steps, the shortest return is to cross to the north west corner of the summit and carefully pick your way down through the boulder field and grassy slopes towards the Bealach a Mhaim where you can then follow the burn down a wet route to join the conservation track back to the car park. In misty weather be careful to avoid the sheer rocks at the north west corner of the summit.

Option 2

Follow option 1 but cross the bealach and ascend the Cobbler to the summit ridge, crossing the ridge to descend via a rocky scramble and rough path to join the conservation path at the burn. If exploring the Cobbler summit in poor visibility care is essential due to sudden sheer rock faces at all three summits. This extends the walk by about 1 mile.

Option 3

At Beinn Narnain summit, look for the north east ridge leading to A Chrois (2760 ft). Again, beware sheer rock faces. Follow the ridge past the corrie on the right to the summit of A Chrois to get splendid views of Ben Vane.

Retrace your steps to descend, carefully as wrong route leads to rocky outcrops, to the burn - usually dry.

Follow the left bank of the burn down through the wooods to meet the forest road. Turn right on the forest road and watch on the left for the path by the concrete blocks by which you came up. This route extends to walk to about 7 miles.