- Bealach na Ba
The Bealach na Ba (Gaelic: "Pass of the Cattle", see
Cattle droving ) is a famous, twisting, single-track mountain road, rising to 626 metres (2053 feet) in theApplecross peninsula , inWester Ross ,Ross and Cromarty , Highland,Scotland . It is one of very few roads in theScottish Highlands which is engineered in a similar fashion to thegreat mountain passes in the Alps , with very tighthairpin bends which switch back and forth up the hillside, with gradients approaching 20%.The road was featured in several episodes of the television series "
Hamish Macbeth " (much of which was filmed in nearby Plockton), in which is it pictured as having a roadsign indicating: "Narrow road - no more than three sheep abreast".Recently a cycling event has been staged in the surrounding region to the Bealach Na Ba - the Bealach Na Ba Challenge - this 90 mile
cyclosportive is certainly a challenge although the pass is neither the highest nor the steepest road climb in the UK. A shorter race - the so-called Bealach Beag is staged in May with its big brother, the Mor, being staged in September.External links
* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/scot/dundee04/dund0025.html Highlights of Scotland - the Bealach na Ba]
* [http://www.scotlandthemovie.com/movies/laxdale1.html Scotland: the Movie Location Guide] -Laxdale Hall - Bealach na Ba
* [http://www.bealach-na-ba.co.uk Bealach na Ba Challenge]
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