Bealach Na Ba - highest road in th Britain

[PH68]

Took the Octavia Estate up to NW Scotland a couple of years ago.

We had rather good weather as we took the car over Bealach Na Ba in the Applecross mountains.

Here is the video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oUxwEg8pBU

To find it just turn off the A896 near Torridon & take the mountain route to Applecross.

Edited 4 June, 2010 by PH68

[Dragonrider]

Nice Vid!! Did the run this way over the bank holiday weekend. Pity it doesn't show how steep the first part of your run is. Certainly warms up the brakes if you push it. Love to know your set-up for the vid. Would like to do a tour of Scotland like that. Some beautiful runs around there, and loads of challenging roads. Pity the tourists drive so slow, i now drive round there like a local, but not like a nutter.

[PH68]

It's done with just a Fuji Finepix E900 digital camera.

It was just plonked on the dashboard up against the windscreen, I then lightly held the camera to stop it sliding around while my wife drove.

All of it was filmed in one take and then later edited it using Windows Movie Maker.

The whole route around the Applecross coast back up to Sheildaig in Torridon is fun too.

In fact there's a lot of nice roads in NW Scotland.

We're off up there again this summer, albliet further North to Assynt & Sutherland... as we've not been up that far for about 10 years.

[Dragonrider]

From Spean Bridge I managed to get up to Durness and Tongue and all the way back in an easy days driving, but beware the cost of fuel up top, 137.9ppl!!!! for diesel and 131.9 for petrol!!!! Beautiful scenery through Sutherland. The Knocken Crags very spectacular on a gloriously sunny day.

[Captain Scarlet]

Swmbo would hate to be a passenger on that road let alone drive it...

Nice vid though...what a road.

[CharlieWhiskey]

Bit of a panorama from the top, not brilliant as done some time ago without stitching software. But it will give you some idea of the scale of this awesome road, unique in the UK!

Off upt there again in October

Edited 20 September, 2010 by CharlieWhiskey

[Fish]

This is a superb road (although it isn't the highest in the UK) and the view across to Skye and The Cuillins on a clear day is awesome.

Although I have been on it a handful of times before, last time was the first I had approached it from leaving Applecross itself (after the drive around the coast from Shieldaig).

Two old dears in a motorhome came hurtling downhill towards me - I'd hoped they hadn't forgot where the brakes were!

Edited 15 January, 2011 by Fish

[Rich_N]

I know that this sounds masochistic but I really want to cycle up there on my road pedal cycle - then let the brakes go and head down as fast as I possibly can! They do a cycle event which finishes there every year but I've not done it yet!

I must be stark raving bonkers :p .

Rich

[fabdavrav]

Yeh, the the cycle event I've watched on TV (also know a couple of people who,ve done it) is NUTS!! HARDCORE and yes you are bonkers! If you like steep hills with twists and turns try the road that climbs up to the ski resort on CairnGorm Mountain (By Aviemore) it's a regular for me! And in summertime they close the road and hold gravity racing (soapbox derby) down the road and they hit speeds in excess of 60mph!! Bentley, Aston Martin etc were there last year, you should see the crashes on Youtube!!!Check out Cairngorm soapbox extreme 2010 (good film uploaded by ash275)!!

Edited 10 March, 2011 by fabdavrav

[keystonedriving]

That takes me back.......

Did the road in my Sunbeam Rapier on a week's tour of Western Scotland. Three days later we watched Neil Armstrong on the moon over breakfast in Inverness!

Cornwall to Scotland and back via Warwick to pick up and drop off my Aunt. Happy days.

Rob.

[mdk1]

When i was up there a few years ago, the first time we went up and over it was heavy rain and cloud on the top, which was fun trying to see which way the road went!

A few days later it was sunny and enjoyed the drive alot more.

[James I]

Have to agree this is a stunning route to take and well worth the time in the car to continue all the way up the west coast through torridon. We took an A4 avant that way last year and will be going again in October IF my Yeti is delivered before then :'(

[duckman]

About 5 miles north of Applecross village there is an MOD site. Back in the mid 70's we were there and were having our mid-morning brew when a lorry driver came in and exclaimed "never again". This was shortly after the new road (the motorway) to Torridon had opened and it had yet to appear on the maps. He was delivering a 40foot long portakabin (and don't forget the length of his tractor unit) and had come over the top with it without a co-driver/driver's mate to help him. Needless to say he didn't go back that way.

[VWD]

The Bealach road is getting popular, so for those interested there's a fellow motoring enthusiast who lives up there. he can be found on PH ( POST ON THE ROADS SECTION,POSSIBLY THE BEST PLACE) ,goes under username of GetCarter. Helpfull bloke, who can tell you best times to go and state of local weather etc.

[Ootohere]

Just a small point, as already said in other posts, this is not the highest road in Scotland or Britain

or even the second highest road in Scotland.

Edited 13 April, 2015 by goneoffSKi

[rum4mo]

Image this, "roadworks" on the section from Applecross to Sheildaig and on the worst section - I would say that as I "touched" a "Roadworks Ahead" sign while shuffling the S4 across into what remained of a passing place to stop an X5 having to hang on a steep corner section. (£1780 it seems)!  There were also quite a few low level sections with low rock walls further up North on extremely twisty narrow sections with zero forward visability, really a case of being lucky.  The high level straight sections are okay as you can see about three passing places ahead, but that does not work too well when both of you stop when you find a good sized passing place - and not in sight of each other!  In the main foreign motor bikers treat themselves like cars and use passing places - or wait for you to, it must be said that "Southern" reg'd motor bikers in the main do tend to expect you to become as narrow as they are so avoid stopping in passing places, not clever!

One reason that I took the S4 was that I could "point and shoot" when getting to the switch-backs, pity about the scrapes though!

In general, from a Scottish person's point of view, the mountains up there are a bit extreme - I thought that nothing in UK could compare with the Dolomites.