Beinn Narnain – Up the Glen and Over the Bealach a' Mhaim

The walk

Beinn Narnain has two ways up from the Succoth car park, the national park says, and this walk takes the one that keeps off the rock. It goes through the forest and up the glen as if to Beinn Ime, then from the Bealach a' Mhaim south-east over a series of false summits to the top. By our map it is about 13.5 km (8½ miles) there and back, with about 940 metres of climb from the shore of Loch Long. Allow about 5 to 6 hours, more with stops, in poor weather or under snow, and leave plenty of daylight for the way down. The other way, straight up from the Loch Long side, is quite rocky and involves a little scrambling, the park says. The summit is 927 metres up.

The park names the start as the Succoth car park at the head of Loch Long, a five-minute walk from Arrochar. By car, follow the A82 to Tarbet, then the A83 for a mile to Arrochar, the park says. Argyll and Bute Council's car park at Arrochar, Glenloin No 2 on its list (G83 7AL), is pay and display from 9am to 6pm every day: £1.20 an hour or £10.30 a day for 2026/27. Forestry and Land Scotland's parking passes are not valid there. Citylink coaches from Glasgow's Buchanan Bus Station stop in Arrochar in about 1 hour 15 minutes, the park says, and the West Highland Line train takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to Arrochar and Tarbet station. From the station it is a 1½ mile walk to the car park along a forest path, Forestry and Land Scotland says. The nearest public toilets, shops and cafés are in Arrochar village, across the loch.

Before you set off, check the mountain forecast, and under snow the snow and avalanche conditions too, as Mountaineering Scotland advises for every trip. Conditions on the hills are often much colder and windier than down by the loch, Forestry and Land Scotland warns. Wear good walking boots and carry warm, waterproof clothing, plenty of food and drink, and a torch in case the day runs long. Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, and do not rely only on a phone or GPS. Leave word with someone of where you are going and when you will be back.

By our map the hill path starts across the A83 from the car park, so cross the road with care. It climbs through the forest in a long series of zig-zags to a forest road, then carries on up the hillside beyond it. Forestry and Land Scotland, whose forest this is, says it is still checking how recent storms have affected its land: follow any signs and turn back if anything looks unsafe. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, it warns, so check for them after the walk and remove them quickly.

Above the forest the path runs up a wide glen, past the flanks of the Cobbler and Beinn Narnain, the park says. It is also the way to Beinn Ime and to the Cobbler, which Forestry and Land Scotland calls the most popular hill in the area. By our map it fords five small side streams, and higher up crosses the Allt a' Bhalachain, not far below its source, with no bridge. After heavy rain any of them can run high: if a crossing looks unsafe, turn back. The owners of the land may be managing deer or farming it, the park says, so follow any signs and keep a dog under close control where there is livestock.

At the head of the glen the Cobbler's path turns south. Keep north instead, on Beinn Ime's path, to the Bealach a' Mhaim, the pass between Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain. From the bealach the park's way heads east, then south-east over a series of false summits to the top. Out on the open hill there are no waymarks or signposts, and paths can be hard to follow, Forestry and Land Scotland warns. These walks are unmarked over steep, rocky and open ground, it says of the Arrochar hills, and should be attempted by experienced hillwalkers only.

The bealach is the place to decide. If the cloud is coming down, the wind is rising or anyone is tiring, turn back: Forestry and Land Scotland asks walkers to turn back if they get tired. Under snow it is a winter mountain, and no avalanche forecast covers it. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecasts six other areas, from Lochaber and Glencoe to the Cairngorms and Torridon, which is no sign there is no risk here.

The top is stony, 927 metres up. On a clear day the park names the view: the Cobbler, Beinn Ime and many hills and mountains further afield. The name translates as hill of notches, the park says, for the rocky ground on the Loch Long side. Come down the way you went up: the direct way to Loch Long is quite rocky and involves a little scrambling.

The way down is the way you came: back west to the Bealach a' Mhaim, down the glen and through the forest to the A83 and the car park. If someone is hurt, dial 999 and ask for the police, the park says, and give accurate details of where you are, a grid reference if you can. The police may send a mountain rescue team.