So that time I fell asleep on a boulder for at least 20 minutes…

My plan for the 25th of July 2019 was to climb up Ben Narnian and Beinn Ime. I decided to go late the night before after checking the weather forecast and seeing sun and not seeing the very high temperatures. I was just bored of being in my house all day and wanted out. Nobody could come with me on the short notice so this would be my first attempt at Munro’s solo. I’m actually very glad I went myself because it allowed me to walk very much at my own pace, which was needed because I was on a horrendous go slow, even compared to my usually slow pace on a hill.

There were a couple of reasons for this. I had kind of aggravated my right ankle from a long drive down south a few days earlier in a rental car I wasn’t comfortable in so I had been very tense and my ankle was clearly just a bit tender from that. Brilliant when you hurt yourself sitting down. I also woke up headachey, warm and uncomfortable with an unusually sore stomach so I had to start my day with coffee and painkillers- never something I enjoy. And then there was the heat. That high temperature I didn’t really register when planning would turn out to be a record breaking temperature for Scotland in July. So yeah, slow pace.

The walk up through the forest at the beginning was extremely slow going. I had brought 3 litres of water with me (not necessary actually, could have brought one and my water filter) so my pack was a little heavier than I was used to and I’d camelled up by drinking loads of liquid on the drive to Arrochar. This was good because the first 300m of elevation gain which was on a gentle switchback path was still so muggy and sticky that by the time I broke out through the trees my shirt was not even remotely dry. Walking up past the river and dam I really just wanted to sit in it.

My plan changed quickly. I was supposed to have seen an indistinct path off the main trail leading straight up to Ben Narnian but I missed it and carried on up the path that runs through the valley between Ben Narnian and The Cobbler. I considered going back across to the indistinct path when I reached a track forming part of the Cowal Way which intersected both routes but decided against it as I was already beginning to reassess whether I could manage one or two Munro’s comfortably that day and if it was a choice between the two I’d rather conquer the larger Beinn Ime.

Finally breaking through the muggy manky forest into the valley was astounding. Now I was stopping not because I was tired but because I wanted to stop and appreciate the views around me. It was cooler and calmer in the valley and at that point mist was swirling around the top of Ben Narnian and the Cobbler keeping them obscured from view. As I progressed towards the Narnian boulders the mist began to lessen and move keeping some features obscured and allowing some pinnacles to appear. I was fascinated by the landscape and kept stopping and sitting for five or ten minutes at a time just watching the weather and land interact. This is when I really appreciated being alone because there was no pressure for me to move on and I could just sit and be.

Most people who passed me were aiming for the Cobbler which I had been told about but never seen. Seeing it for the first time just took everything out of me and my journey became me taking photos of the Cobbler every ten steps or so because it changed so often. The urge to neglect my plan completely and aim for the Cobbler too was pretty strong but it’s somewhat protected in my plan of hills because I know my dad would like to climb it and it would be good to do it with him.

The sun properly appeared when I reached the Bealach and the junction of paths where I could choose the Cobbler, Beinn Ime or Ben Narnian. My choice was ultimately decided by the pockets of bright white snow that were somehow lined up regularly along the path up Beinn Ime. How on earth on a day as hot as this in the middle of July was there still snow, let alone on a slip that wasn’t north facing? I started up the path to Beinn Ime, crossed through a gate and decided to have lunch on a large flat boulder.

I happened to have signal at this point so my phone started pinging with messages from friends complaining about the heat and stuffiness of their homes or workplaces. I however felt cool and content as there was a breeze along with the bright sunlight on my boulder, it was remarkably comfortable. I lay with my back on the boulder, my legs stretched out in the sun and my head resting on my pack marvelling at the hills I could see. Ben Vane looking like a rugged lizards back (move that a few places up the to do list) the now wispy clouds swishing and sliding in the bright blue sky above me, the sound of the wind in the hills genuinely almost sounding like music…

… and I lost at least 20 minutes, could have been a lot longer, I’m not sure. I am famous amongst my friends for being able to sleep anywhere but a nap on a boulder completely vulnerable and by myself on a deserted Munro was quite impressive even by my standards. It was just so comfortable and I was so content and happy where I was. It wasn’t a nap of needing one because I was tired, it was a nap because I felt extraordinarily safe and calm.

The rest of the story, don’t get me wrong, isn’t boring. I carried on up the boggy muddy path and decked it covering myself in mud all up one leg. I discovered the snow pockets weren’t snow, or sheep, or weird out of place super shiny rocks as I had variously thought as I’d gotten closer. They were bags of rubble for workers or maybe volunteers improving the path. My muddy leg would have been very thankful in the future if the path improves. The guys working on the path were nice and good humoured and seemed genuinely happy to have trekked up a hill in searing heat to conduct manual labour. The views from the top were sensational and it was so windy I was worried I would topple over if I stood up. It was a great day out.

But I guess the biggest reflection I came to was that it really doesn’t matter that it took me 5 hours to climb a really straightforward hill. I enjoyed the hell out of it and really appreciated the time myself spent just sitting and appreciating the landscape. I passed lots of people who claimed both Ben Narnian and Beinn Ime, my initial target that I abandoned. I met some who did all three with their journey also including an ascent of the cobbler. Power to them and I’m glad they had fun. I’m happy to not tick off Munro’s for the sake of it and I’ll come back to this valley and repeat some of my journey to go up Ben Narnian at a later date, and the cobbler probably on a different day again. Hopefully with some friends and family. Because it’s a crazy beautiful and peaceful part of Scotland and I’m really looking forward to coming back.