Beinn Narnain appears prominently from the shores of Loch Long in Arrochar and is marginally over shadowed (in noteriety) by its smaller neighbour The Cobbler.

It rises sharply from the head of Loch Long via its south east ridge rising over the knoll of Cruach nam Miseag to the rocky prow of The Spearhead and the little level plateau of its summit. Beinn Narnain's other principal ridge runs north east over Creag Tharsuinn to the peak of A'Chrois. One of the most striking features of this peak lies between it and the Cobbler. On the path, in the glen between both peaks, two large rocks that have fell from Beinn Narnain sit. These are the famous Narnain boulders. A timely reminder to keep a watchful eye around you at all times as getting crushed by a huge boulder is not on anyones list of things to do!!!

Beinn Narnain stands at a height of 926m/3038ft and is listed as Munro No.259. It has no translation of it's name and is pronounced as it is spelt.

The summit itself is very rocky and appears almost moon like. It commands fine vies all around with the views down Loch Long to the Kyles of Bute and across to Arran being the most beautiful.

Getting There

The best city in Scotland for Beinn Narnain is Glasgow, however access can be gained from a variety of locations.

Airports

There are a variety of airports throughout Scotland that would provide easy access to Beinn Narnain. Below are a selection of the homepages for these airports;

Glasgow Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Prestwick International Airport

Car

From Edinburgh follow the M8 westbound direct to Glasgow.

From Perth/Stirling follow the A9/M80 direct to Glasgow.

From Glasgow take the A82 road via Loch Lomond until reaching Tarbet. For Arrochar and Glen Douglas continue straight on at Tarbet (this is the A83 road).

The following link can be used for gaining step by step car directions to Beinn Narnain from anywhere in the UK or for variations to the route(s) described above: AA Route Planner

Train

Glasgow Queen Street station direct to Arrochar.

Scotrail info

Bus

Buses run daily from Buchanan Street bus station in Glasgow to Campbell Town, via Arrochar.

Scottish City Link info

Red Tape

Beinn Narnain

There is no red tape in Scotland due to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 which encorporated the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This code, which commenced on the 9th of February 2005, has established statutory rights of access to land and inland water for outdoor recreation. So the good news is that the hillwalker/climber has full access to all the peaks in this region.

The Land Reform(Scotland) Act 2003

Scottish Outdoor Access Code

Special consideration, however, should be taken into account when planning a trip in the mountains when the deer stalking season is in full flow. See the section for this below.

Deer Stalking Information

Deer stalking takes place in Scotland between July and October. Information on this can be found at Hill Phones

The main stalking dates for GlenFyne/Glen Falloch: Mid August until mid October. Telephone: Cairndow (01499) 600137 for a regularly updated recorded message on stalking activities.

When on the hills during these times walkers can help to avoid disturbing the deer by:

1. Checking with the estate or appropriate Hillphone service.
2. Find out about stalking activities before you go.
3. On the day, follow any advice on locally posted signs about preferred routes.
4. Keep to established tracks where they exist.
5. On the hill, keep to the ridges and avoid cutting through corries especially when descending as this will disturb the deer less.

It should be noted that no deer stalking takes place on Sundays.

Accommodation

Looking down Loch Long

There is numerous accommodation in and around the area, ranging from hotels, B & B's, lodges and campsites. The best places to base yourself for hiking and climbing in the area are;

• Arrochar
• Luss
• Lochgoilhead
• Ardlui
• Inverary

Below is a small selection of some of the avaiable accommodation.

Tarbet hotel
Colquhoun Arms Hotel
Rowantree Cottage
Inveraray Youth Hostel
Ardgarten campsite
Beinglas Campsite

Books & Maps

Image reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland

Books

Ski Mountaineering in Scotland by Donald Bennet & Bill Wallace
The Southern Highlands by Donald Bennet
Scottish Hill and Mountain Names by Peter Drummond
The Munros by Cameron McNeish
The Munro Almanac by Cameron McNeish
Climbers guide to Arran, Arrochar and the Southern Highlands by K.V. Crocket & A. Walker
The Scottish Peaks by W.A. Poucher
Cicerone Guide - Central and Southern Scottish Highlands – backpacking guide by Graham Uney
Cicerone Guide - Scotland’s Mountain Ridges - A Guide to Scrambles and Climbs by Dan Bailey
Cicerone Guide - The Munros Vol 1 - Southern, Central and Western Highlands by Steve Kew

Maps

Landranger Map 56 - Loch Lomond & Inverary
OS Map Explorer sheet 364 - Loch Lomond North
Harvey Superwalker Map - Arrochar Alps

Mountain Conditions

Beinn Narnain from the Narnain boulders

Cobbler's north peak

Cowal & the Arrochar Alps are fully accessible throughout the entire year however, the weather conditions in the Grampians of Scotland can change rapidly and for that reason you should be fully prepared for all weather eventualities when on the mountains in this area.

Western Highlands Mountain Forecast

Local Mountain Forecast

5 Day Arrochar Weather Forecast

Video Link

The following link provides information on Beinn Narnain from an old Scottish television programme from the 90's called The Munro Show;

The Munro Show - Beinn Narnain

External Links

Narnain's summit plateau

Visit Scotland

Discover Scotland

Undiscovered Scotland

The Scottish Mountaineering Club

Munro Magic

Hill Phones

Buachaille.com

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland

Walk Highlands

Images



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