Bealach na Bà, Mountain pass in Highland, Scotland
The Bealach na Ba road stretches through the Applecross peninsula, featuring tight hairpin turns and reaching an elevation of 626 meters above sea level.
Engineers constructed this mountain passage in 1822 to create a route for drovers moving their livestock across different sections of the Scottish Highlands.
The name originates from Scottish Gaelic language, translating to Pass of the Cattle, reflecting the traditional agricultural practices of the Highland region.
The narrow single-track road requires careful navigation, particularly during winter months when snow and ice make driving conditions more difficult.
This road holds the distinction of being the steepest ascent in the United Kingdom, with gradients approaching twenty percent in certain sections.
Location: Highland
Elevation above the sea: 626 m
GPS coordinates: 57.43278,-5.75250
Latest update: May 27, 2025 06:54
The Scottish Highlands span thousands of square miles in northern Scotland, offering striking landscapes of mountains, jagged coastlines, and remote lakes. This region retains villages that only recently gained road access, such as Rhenigidale on Harris Island, connected to the rest of the island in 1989. The Knoydart Peninsula remains accessible only by boat or on foot and has about a hundred residents. Notable sites include the Torridon hills, formed of red sandstone and rising roughly 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), the Bealach na Bà road which climbs to 626 meters (2,054 feet) with slopes up to 20 percent, and Sandwood Bay, a sandy beach reachable after several miles of walking. The Speyside Way stretches 85 miles (137 km) along the River Spey, passing through forests and moorlands near whisky distilleries. On the Isle of Skye, the Storr features needle-shaped rock formations, while Coire Lagan forms a glacial cirque carved into the rock. These sites highlight the region’s geological history and the ways of life that have persisted despite isolation.
Skye Bridge
17.1 km
Duncraig Castle
12.4 km
Loch Torridon
16.4 km
Strome Castle
14.4 km
Loch Carron
15.9 km
Hallaig
16.9 km
Sand, Applecross
8 km
Beinn Bhàn
5.5 km
An Ruadh-stac
17.7 km
Bad a' Chreamha
13.3 km
Falls of Balgy
13.8 km
Brochel Castle
16.5 km
Dùn Caan
17.6 km
Plockton, Innes Street, Plockton Church
12.2 km
Beinn a' Chlachain
5.4 km
Kyleakin Lighthouse
17.3 km
Applecross, Parish Church
3.8 km
Eilean a'Chait Lighthouse
11.4 km
Upper Loch Torridon
15.9 km
Meall Gorm
4.5 km
Bridge, Duirinish
13.6 km
Tornapress Bridge
9.2 km
Sgurr na Bana Mhoraire
14.7 km
Bridge, Drochaid Mhor
8.8 km
Colonel Murchison's Monument
17.6 km
Applecross, Parish Church, Churchyard
3.8 km
Lower Diabaig, Pier
16.3 km
Eilean Ban, Kyleakin Lighthouse, Keepers' Houses
17.2 kmReviews
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