Beinn Narnain January 2001

Photos by Niall Corbet

For our first winter walk for the season, Niall, Steve, Scott, Lindsay, Roser and myself went to Beinn Narnain in Arrochar. It was not particularly cold at the bottom, by Loch Long, but by around 600 m we got to the snow. Perfect winter walking weather- beautiful views, sun and snow, and little wind.

Loch Long from the bottom

Before the snow

Loch Long

Loch Long

Loch Long

Looking towards Ben Lomond

Steve

After a stop for lunch with lots of hot soup (it was worth carrying that enormous thermos up after all!), we headed towards the steeper ridge leading up to the summit. On reaching it, we decided it required crampons and axes, so Scott, Lindsay, and Roser, decided to go back at this point as they didn't have crampons. Niall, Steve and I carried on, glad of the extra grip on the increasingly icy ground.

As we went up a small gully, the clouds closed in, and soon afterwards we reached the top. From then on we only got fleeting glipmses of the views, just enough to reassure us that the compass bearings were taking us the right way, as we headed down to a col and onward to a second top. This section was very icy, and at times the crampons made little mark.

We descended quickly, as it was getting quite late, and got back down just as it was getting dark, with the lights of Arrochar multicoloured against the dusk. A great day was finished off with a pint in a hotel on the drive back.