Bealach na Bà

The route existed as a simple track since the Irish monk St Maelrubha founded a monastery at Applecross. Construction of the road started in May 1818, but the first contactor only lasted three months. John Reid & Son from Edinburgh finally completed the construction in September 1822. The road cost around £4000, or about £0.5m in 2020 prices, but the landowner received a 75% government grant to construct it. The Bealach na Ba road was unsurfaced rough gravel until the 1950s, making it difficult to clear of snow in the winter, so sometimes for weeks the only transport to Applecross was by Ferry. Between 1956 and 1958 the road was upgraded, with the road levelled and surfaced with tarmac, plus three of the hairpin bends at the top were widened. In 2025, The Daily Telegraph wrote that Bealach na Bà had become a "worldwide motoring phenomenon". ==In popular culture==

The road featured in the television series Hamish Macbeth (much of which was filmed in nearby Plockton), which pictures it having a road sign that indicates: "Narrow road - no more than three sheep abreast". The road was also featured in the 1953 film Laxdale Hall. ==Cycling==

Since 2006 a pair of cyclosportive cycling events has been staged in the surrounding region, and over the pass. The Bealach Beag event is held each May, and the Bealach Mòr event is held each September. ==Climate==

Bealach na Bà has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). | date=23 February 2021 }} == References ==