At One with the Mountains - An interview with Nick Gardner
Issue 6: Nick Gardner and his wife Janet were living an idyllic life on a croft…
Loch Lomond and the Arrochar Alps
Beinn Ime
A Munro of 1,012 metres, number 117 of the 282.
The hill
Beinn Ìme is the highest of the Arrochar Alps, the hills west of Loch Lomond, inside the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
Shepherds from Glen Croe once summered their animals here. The ruins of their shieling huts explain the name, which the park authority translates as the butter mountain. An oval stone enclosure stands on the top.
- The start
- Arrochar, at the head of Loch Long. The park authority gives the start as the Succoth car park, five minutes' walk from the village.
- The ground
- The forest at the start is Forestry and Land Scotland's.
- Under snow
- The avalanche service forecasts six other areas, not this hill. No forecast does not mean no risk under snow.
- Summit
- Grid reference NN 254 084
- Car park
- The car park at Arrochar that the council calls Glenloin, on the A83, postcode G83 7AL. For 2026/27 Argyll and Bute Council charges £1.20 an hour or £10.30 a day, pay and display from 9am to 6pm every day, by machine or PayByPhone.
- Bus and train
- Buses from Glasgow to Inveraray and beyond stop in Arrochar village. Arrochar and Tarbet station is a 1½ mile walk from the car park along a forest path.
- Toilets and food
- The nearest public toilets, shops and cafés are in Arrochar village, across the loch.
On the hill today
1° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 1,012 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.
West wind to 12 mph, gusting 26
Rain, about 3 mm
Light from 7.52am to 6.17pm, ten hours
Sat 17Mostly clear−2° to 4° on top · 6 mph, gusts 16
Sun 18Mostly clear−3° to 3° on top · 6 mph, gusts 12
Mon 19Drizzle−5° to 5° on top · 9 mph, gusts 19
A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: West Highlands forecast, Beinn Ime.
October2026
MTWTFSS
Going another day?
Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.
Photographs by Racha Pongchalee, Jon Krebs and Lena Lena, via Google
These walks are unmarked and cover a mix of steep, rocky and open ground.Forestry and Land Scotland, which manages the forest at the start
Before you go
Carry
- A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
- Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
- Food and drink
- A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
- A survival bag
- Boots with a good grip
Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.
If something goes wrong
- Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
- Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 254 084
- Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
- Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999
The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.
How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER
From our readers
Nobody has written from Beinn Ime yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.
Tell the next person
Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.
Read more elsewhere
For the route itself, take the map and read these.
- Beinn Narnain and Beinn Ìme on WalkhighlandsA full route description with a map, where Forestry and Land Scotland sends walkerswalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- The park authority's page for Beinn ImeThe park authority on the hill, its name and how to reach Arrochar by bus, train and roadlochlomond-trossachs.orgThe park↗
- Arrochar, by Forestry and Land ScotlandForestry and Land Scotland on its car parks, the forest at the foot of the hill and the walks aboveforestryandland.gov.scotThe start↗
- Harvey's Arrochar Alps mapHarvey's hillwalker's map of the western part of the national park at 1:25,000harveymaps.co.ukThe map↗
- West Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast for three days ahead, written by forecasters, for the area running south to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Parkmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Beinn ImeThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a computer model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Arrochar alertsForestry and Land Scotland's closures and notices for the forest at the startforestryandland.gov.scotNotices↗
Sleep and eat at its foot
Next along: Beinn Narnain, Ben Vane, Ben Vorlich, Beinn Bhuidhe. Checked on 9 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority's, Forestry and Land Scotland's and Argyll and Bute Council's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's and the Met Office's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.