Return to Applecross on two wheels October 2017

In a previous blog, I wrote about a 1000 mile trip I did around Scotland on two wheels, covering most of the NC500 as well as visits to a few other famous locations and landmarks.

I vowed to myself I would visit one particular spot again the following year. This spot being Bealach na Ba also known as the Applecross Pass, the 3rd highest road in Scotland. The reasons for wanting to return to this place were made obvious in my last blog and will be made obvious in this one too.

Facts & figures:

Bike: VFR800A VTEC
Luggage: 1 large topbox, 1 small sized rucksack, tent & sleeping bag held with bungee nets
Days: 1.5
Nights: 1
Miles: 475
Route: 
Incidents / near misses: None
Midges: None

Fuel cost per litre: average £1.16
Total fuel costs: £60.00 = 12.7p per mile / approx. 40.5mpg
Campsite fees: £10.00
Food & drink: £15.00
Other costs: £0.00
Total cost of trip: £85

The route

Dunfermline - Callendar - Glencoe - Invergarry - Dornie -
Lochcarron - Bealach na ba - Applecross.

The route home was similar with only a slight detour to cross the Skye Bridge and back.

-----------------------

It was Friday 27th October 2017 and just like my last trip, I saw what was probably my last window of opportunity of the year to revisit Bealach na Ba. A last minute holiday for the next day inevitably meant I was going solo again for this trip and with the shortage of daylight hours I knew I'd have to 'rough it' in a tent for at least one night. I am by no means a 'Boy Scout' but this is something I particularly enjoy. The weather forecast was in my favour, albeit a lot cooler than most would feel comfortable in with highs of 11oC and a low of 3oC overnight but it didn't phase me.

The next day, at first light I left Dunfermline with instant doubt in my mind after feeling how cold it was. Wearing as many layers I could under my bike jacket still wasn't enough. Passing through pockets of freezing fog and with an air temperature around 4oC it wasn't long before I was wishing I had heated grips. I welcomed every glimpse of the sun at one point to stop the occasional shiver.

After an hour and a half I was beginning to warm up. Five miles north of Tyndrum I come across my first good photo opportunity looking towards Ben Dorain as the sun emerged. It was at that point I wished I was at the summit looking down on what would have been a great cloud inversion. Nevertheless, I was still pleased to be in the right place at the right time for this picture.

Around 10 miles further up the road I stopped for another photo opportunity at Loch Tulla Viewpoint. I thought to myself, how much better can these opportunities get? Any feeling of cold and numbness at that time was overshadowed by a feeling of excitement for what may lay ahead on this trip. I stayed put for ten minutes, watched the cloud lift and tourists stop and go before moving on.

Loch Tulla Viewpoint

I stopped sporadically to take the odd picture on my route through the Glencoe area passing popular spots like Glen Etive and Kings House due to time constraints.

------------------------

Making time to go through Glen Etive and visit The Kings House is highly recommended! Take a good camera and some carrots with you as it's possible to feed the wild deer that roam from your own hands in these locations. If you're lucky you may also see stags standing proudly on high spots overlooking their surroundings. See my Instagram for evidence of this.

------------------------

View a few miles away from the Rannoch Moors (Glencoe)

View from Glencoe Mountain Resort looking towards Glen Etive & Buachaille Etive Mor

Glencoe Mountain Resort

The 3 Sisters - Glencoe

View looking towards the Pap of Glencoe

View looking over Loch Leven (Highlands)

Panoramic view looking over Loch Leven (Highlands)

After taking the above photo I did not stop for any others as I was having too much fun and if you enjoy a spirited ride / drive then the A87 from Invergarry to Dornie will give you smiles per gallon! In my opinion, this is in the top five sections of road in Scotland. At the time I did this, it was almost flawless and the wide and windy tarmac would tick the boxes for most bikers and driving enthusiasts. I particularly enjoyed this section to say the least before stopping at what has to be one of the most photographed castles in Scotland, Eilean Donan Castle. 

Eilean Donan Castle

My route eventually came to this point.. an abused sign highlighting what was to come on the route ahead... Intimidating? Sounds great if you had asked me! Personally, having been on the pass before I think the sign should not advise but have certain vehicular restrictions...

Looking in the direction of Bealach na Ba, behind the sign, I stared at the cloud. I then began to have thoughts that weren't too positive. I was somewhat disheartened about the possibility of reaching a cloudy summit. This wasn't what I came all this way for...

View from near the bottom of Bealach na Ba also known as the Applecross Pass

Views looking down the pass

A panoramic simply does not do this location any justice!

Video heading north up Bealach na Ba also known as the Applecross Pass

Bealach na ba viewpoint looking towards the Isle of Skye. The view I came for!

As I made my ascend up the pass those negative thoughts quickly disappeared. The smile widened. I couldn't have been happier! The weather was great, the pass was pretty dry and it was virtually empty on both directions! It exceeded all my expectations and the view looking over to the Isle of Skye did not disappoint! This was what I came for!

Applecross

I made my way down into Applecross where I enjoyed a great fish supper from the airstream diner van I admired last time I was here. I made it here in good time given the number of stops I made to take photos. The weather and the lack of traffic most certainly helped. My intension was to stay in Applecross as there is a campsite directly behind the Inn... Very convenient some would say! However I decided I would head back along the same route I came and get as close to home as I could but also take a slight detour across the Skye Bridge and back. I just couldn't help myself as I was so close to Kyle of Lochalsh.

Homeward bound. Taking the pass in the opposite direction

I made my way over the pass again in the opposite direction, stopping to take the above photo and was extremely lucky not to come across one car the whole way down! I continued in a homeward direction until I reached Fort William, where I parked up for the night.

-------------------------------

The location of choice for slumming it happened to be Glen Nevis campsite. Mainly because of the shortage of daylight hours I had but also because I have found the facilities to be excellent here after spending a number of nights on this site in the past. This site is also one of only a few that remain open this late in the year. If you find you are rather parched or hungry there is a pub / restaurant just next to the site. This is very convenient as it is quite a walk back onto the town of Fort William if you'd like something alcoholic. The site was still close enough to town to get a 3G mobile signal on an O2 network for those that cant live without social media. The only negative thing I have to say about the site was that the camping zones were all rather waterlogged probably due to wetter autumn months.

-------------------------------

For the remainder of that night I reflected on my day... I had such a great feeling of fulfilment after achieving what was a personal goal of mines. 

Many thought I was mad for even considering camping at this time of year in freezing temperatures but I was prepared and warm. That night turned out to be probably the best sleep I have ever had in a tent, getting 9 consecutive, uninterrupted hours.

I woke up to light rain and decided to wait it out until it eased before packing up and leaving. I did feel rather achy after the previous days riding but had no intentions of stopping for a photo opportunity in the damp conditions heading home.

Google map Links:

Applecross Pass
Applecross Pass Viewpoint

I believe this trip could have been done comfortably in a day from the central belt in Scotland in months with longer daylight hours. However, for a number of reasons I left it rather late in the year to complete what was a personal goal of mines.

After doing this trip I have confirmed to myself that I would rather camp in cold temperatures than be eaten alive by midges in summer.

I live by the motto 'Fail to prepare, prepare to fail' which provokes thought about possible scenarios that you could encounter. I believe this moto should be applied to any trip so prepare as best you can and carry what you can to mitigate or avoid the worst scenarios.

Travelling over the pass both directions was certainly an experience and an experience I'd recommend to everyone! 

As this pass forms part of the NC500 route, I consider myself to be extremely fortunate on my visit here at this time of year. I can probably put this down to a number of reasons. I have heard many stories of convoys of cars and campervans led by motorhomes during warmer months. This is most likely down to the global broadcast of programmes featuring the NC500.

What I will say is, this pass isn't a racetrack. This is a single track road with small passing places and is very narrow at points. The road is steep,  there are hairpin bends, there are many potholes on it and there is loose gravel in many places. The pass commands respect and courtesy is most definitely required from all the road users.

Personally, If I owned a large motorhome, I certainly wouldn't want to take it up this road. This not because I think it is impossible to, but simply because since the introduction of the NC500, the increase volume of traffic in warmer months will only make this road more challenging for every other road user as well as yourself. The signage simply states that it does not advise large vehicles use the Bealach na Ba road but it does not prohibit the use of the road.

I hope you found this blog of interest and that it inspires and encourages you to do something similar! Go somewhere new, go explore and go support small businesses and areas!

Feel free to comment,  follow me here or on Instagram or just check out some of my favourite photos taken on previous trips. https://www.instagram.com/8i11y/

If you interested to see other trips and stunning locations and are using a mobile device then select a trip of interest from the drop down arrow at the top of this page. If you are using a laptop then select a tab at the top of this page.