Detour #27: Applecross Pass, Scotland
You know you’re about to experience something special when you see a road sign that reads “Not advised for learner drivers, very large vehicles or caravans.”
The Applecross Pass – or Bealach na Bà – was once a drovers’ road, worn out of the mountainside by cattle, not cut by machines for other machines. As such it’s narrow, windy and steep. Very steep. In fact, with inclines of one in five, it’s the steepest in the UK and often referred to as Britain’s Stelvio Pass.
With linked hairpins that bring you to the 2,054ft peak it has the feel of one Switzerland’s mountain passes, even if it doesn’t quite reach the same dizzy heights. On a clear day the outlook over Loch Coire nan Arr is still awesome, and well worth the ascent.
Despite the warning signs it’s a popular drive and the chances are you’ll come across motorhomes, motorbikes, pumped up cyclists and people shooting car commercials. Given the restricted width of the road that can make for some precarious manoeuvres as passing traffic squeezes by.
On my last trip, the Land Rover Discovery I was driving felt cumbersome – especially compared to the beautiful classic Mazda Cosmo Sport I was shadowing (yes, we were shooting a car commercial) . That said, the constant stop-start on the steep incline gave his clutch cause for concern.
To my mind the perfect car for Bealach na Bà would be a hot hatch or lightweight roadster like a Lotus Elise or Mazda MX-5. What do you reckon?
Words Nik Berg Twitter | Instagram
Photography Shutterstock / Nik Berg
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Roadbook
Class: Mountain Pass
Name: ‘BeAlach na Ba’ Applecross Pass
Route: Tornapress to Applecross
Country: Scotland, UK
Distance: 11 miles