Am Bioran

[past my sell by date]

I am lucky enough to have four Grahams within an easy days walk of my house, but none of them gives in any way as exciting an ascent as the North ridge of Am Bioran and Beinn Fuath - the latter (661m) only not being a Graham because of its connection via the South Loch Earn ridge to the Corbett Meall na Fearna. This was briefly described by John Burgess in 2009 as part of a roundabout ascent of Meall na Fearna, viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1184 but I feel it merits a more detailed report. To describe the route as a "scramble would be an exaggeration: as John says, steep grassy rakes enable progress to be made without touching rock at any point. All you have to do is follow the extensive deer tracks.
The ridge is well seen from the St. Fillans - Comrie road

and on the other side from the South Loch Earn road

Following the track through St. Fillans golf course keep R at the fork, climb over the rickety stile , follow the track for 100m or so and head R up the hill.

Rickety stile - recently reinforced

Foot of the ridge
If you head straight up you soon come to a steep sided cleft forcing you R, so it's best to keep R - following the edge of the forest - at the start, cross the little stream, and head steeply back up L.

Steep sided cleft

I headed steeply up L
The ridge consists mainly of steep sections interspersed with a large number (10-12 or more - I lost count) of flat "Landings". I guess earth and plant debris has washed down into dips over the ages, turned into peat and formed these flat slightly boggy sections.

Dundurn hill (St. Fillans mound ) from the first "landing"

Looking up

To keep on the crest I headed up L again

Views from the second (or third) "landing"

The rocky section of the ridge comes into view, but there are still a few "landings" to go before you get there

Closer view - the headwall on this section looks quite daunting, but the rocks can easily be turned on either side

approaching the rocks - the sun was shining directly into the camera so this much foreshortened photo looks a bit odd

A diagonal shelf on the E side of the ridge might offer the most convenient way down

Looking up part of the same shelf

Across to Mor Bheinn and Ben Halton. A lot of felling has taken place here in the last few years and there are new tracks giving better access

There are probably more exciting ways up this section but it is easily turned L or R to yet another "landing" - sun problem again :

Looking down

I guess this must be Bioran Beag

Looking up from Bioran Beag - there are still lots of "landings" to come

On up

The last section

Am Bioran summit - looking towards Glen Artney

A wider view

S to Beinn Fuath
The route on to Beinn Fuath is much less steep and exciting - a few peat hags have to be negotiated, but the view from the higher hill is more extensive,

Meall na Fearna and Ben Vorlich from Beinn Fuath

Back to Am Bioran

A distant view of the Loch Tay and Loch Lyon hills

Mor Bheinn and Ben Halton again

Ben Dearg - the top of this Graham has now moved to a peak out of the picture R
Not much to say about the descent except that I cocked it up .- so I have not included it in my time

Headed down
I have been down here a number of times but the slopes are essentially convex so you see less clearly where you are getting to. ( I consider it a bit "unsporting" to carry a map in what is effectively my back yard )
The terrain close to the ridge looks very steep, but on this occasion I headed too far W (red line in this pic).

descent routes
This wouldn't have mattered that much, but getting out through the forest on to the South Loch Earn road is a bit like escaping from Colditz - 6ft barbed wire topped fences everwhere There are ways through but you waste ages finding them and it is much better to follow the yellow route back to the foot of the ridge and return across the golf course. The crossing of the Alt Fhiantagan just below the steep section is well marked by an massive deer track.
As John found, the rest of the South Loch Earn ridge is dull and the best descent may well be by the shelf to the E.
If only Bheinn Fuath were a Graham this would be a "classic" ascent. Apart from Stuc a Chroin from Ben Vorlich it is (IMO) much the best climb in this part of Perthshire - and if you "baggers" can bear to take "a day off" I can thorougly recomend it