The Cobbler + Two

Mike on the trail up to The Cobbler

So far the month of June has not been overly generous with warm, sunny days. Whenever one presents itself, we grab it and go. On Tuesday, June 14, Scotland gifted us with just such a day, so off we went to the Arrochar Alps for a multi-peak ramble.

The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains tucked into the land at the head of Loch Long, and close to the north west side of Loch Lomond. They are made up of a number of peaks (including four Munros – mountains over 3000 feet), but the summit that attracts everyone's eye is surely The Cobbler (aka Ben Arthur). This 884 metre (2900 ft) mountain is supposed to represent a cobbler working shoes at his last – but to me it looks like a Dungeness crab reaching up with its pinchers to catch the sun. It doesn't qualify as a Munro, but for sheer hill walking fun it is hard to beat. However, the day wouldn't be complete without a Munro or two, so after The Cobbler we did Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain - 1011 m/3316ft and 926m/3038ft respectively.

Mike and I first glimpsed The Cobbler in Sept 2007 from the top of Ben Lomond and I have been lusting after it ever since. When we got down off the bus in the village of Arrochar the morning sun was just hitting the mountain. I couldn't believe my luck in having such a perfect day to fulfill my Cobbler-climbing dreams.

The Arrochar Alps contain some of the most southerly Munros and, with easy access from Glasgow, they can be heavily used. Such was not the case for our day in the hills - we saw only a few people, and all were very friendly. I don't know who makes and maintains the trails in this area, but they are in excellent shape, with large stone steps through areas that could easily become eroded mud-fests.

On the way up we came across two young fellows from the Paisley area (just south of Glasgow) who were out for a ramble in the hills - they were keen to talk about Bonnie Scotland, sports, life in other places, and Scottish politics. Over the day we chatted with several other adventurers, many of whom were much older and moving much faster than us!

The Eyeglass

Approaching The Cobbler from the eastern corrie gave us ample time to gaze up at the interesting summit. Looking at the mountain you might think that the northern crag is the top, but not so. The actual summit is a small pinnacle of rock centred on the ridge between the two "pinchers". To access the true summit you climb through a small hole in the spire. This gap, called Argyle's Eyeglass, leads to a slightly pitched ledge edged with a sheer drop off. You take a few steps along the ledge to a spur of rock jutting out at right angles, scramble up the spur, lever on to the flat top and there you are - on the peak.

Mike on the summit ledge

Sadly, neither Mike nor I made the actual summit - both of us went out on the ledge and over to the spur. It did not look too difficult to get up, but I knew I would have trouble coming back down. For Mike's part, I'm pretty sure the only thing stopping him from going to the top was me -- because, if he made the summit, he knew I would surely have to try!

On Beinn Ime

After a lunch stop on the northern crag we headed down to the bealach between Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain. Ime was our next stop, and, after an easy, if somewhat sloggy and boggy ascent, we reached the top of our first Munro for the day. We were greeted by a group of Ramblers (a hill-walking club) who happily filled us in on mountains in the vicinity, and other routes of interest. At 1011 metres, Ime was our highest peak for the day. The views from up top were extensive – we could see Ben Nevis to the north, south to the Isle of Arran, and all through the West and Central Highlands.

We retraced our path back to the high pass bealach and then headed up Narnain. The top of this Munro is a broad plateau of schist, quartz, and mica. We took a rest, mugged at the cairn, and decided to head down off the east ridge. The ridge is a combination of steep fissures and rolling tops. It made for an interesting scramble in the golden light of early evening.

Evening views down Loch Long from Beinn Narnain

We regained our trail of the morning and headed down from the hills with chorus after chorus of skylarks singing us on our way. We got back to Arrochar village with just enough time for a quick pint at Ben Arthur’s Bothy. Then it was up onto the bus and away home to Glasgow.



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