NC500 and one of the most dangerous roads in Europe!

We left our pod at 9am, ready for the long and slightly dangerous drive ahead. Our plan was to drive from the Isle of Skye to Gairloch, a small village on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands. But first, we needed to navigate the Bealach na Bà; one of the most dangerous roads in Europe (as seen on The Grand Tour Lochdown Special!).

We decided to split up the journey with a stop at Attadale Gardens; there are a couple of famous gardens on the west coast of Scotland as they can grow loads of diverse flowers and trees due to their location on the gulf stream. Prince Charles had also visited so if its good enough for him, its good enough for me!

It took us 1.5 hours to drive there, but it was worth stopping. The gardens were beautiful, and it was very relaxing walking around. We didn’t linger too long as the midges were starting to come out in force (we learned today that one female will call to all the other female midges, then you are screwed! And they react to your breath, so maybe wearing a mask isn’t a terrible idea).

Our next port of call was Applecross, a beautiful fishing village found at the end of the Bealach na Bà. The Bealach na Bà, meaning "pass of the cattle," is a winding single-track (emphasis on single-track!) road through the mountains of the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross. This mountain pass was built in 1822 and has really tight hairpin bends that switch back and forth up the hillside and gradients that approach 20%. It also has the steepest ascent of any road climb in the UK, rising from sea level at Applecross to 626 metres (2,054ft), and is the third highest road in Scotland. It is considered the holy grail of British road climbs and I was determined to drive it, even though the fog was pretty low-lying. The below image is from google, but it gives a good idea of the road on a clear day!

All I can say is “We survived!”

And here are our pictures...

The road was reasonable until we got higher, then the fog hit. I literally couldn’t see anything 3 metres ahead and the next passing point was just nowhere to be seen. At one point, I had to reverse to the passing point I had just gone by as a car was coming the other way. It was really bad for a mile or so, then the fog started to clear. I have never been more relieved, and I think Alfie (the Astra!) agreed.

We eventually reached Applecross, I was delighted. My brakes were overheating and the smell coming from the discs was disgusting. I parked up at the Applecross Inn, hoping they could fit us in for an early lunch. This is where I was happy there was so much fog as it meant there was less tourists about.

We took a seat, ordered lunch and I tried to relax as the hard bit was over!

Instead of driving back across the Bealach na Bà, we drove around the coast. I was pretty sure this would be easy in comparison, and it was to some degree. Unfortunately, it was all single-track road (a definite theme so far!) and I was trying not to brake too much. We eventually made it past Fearnmore, Shieldaig and then onto Torridon. We did pass “The Torridon”, a beautiful 5 star hotel, which Iain has promised me we can go to next time!

We eventually came to the end of the single-track road at Kinlochewe; I could have literally got out the car and kissed the tarmac!

The next stage of the drive was easy and it was only 9 miles to our next stop, Victoria Falls. The falls were named after Queen Victoria, and they are a simple 5 minute walk to visit. There is a route for disabled people and then there is the route I made Iain take; I would like to point out that I can’t repeat what he said as he stumbled grumpily up the hill!

We then continued towards Gairloch, hoping to get to the museum in time. The museum is in a converted nuclear bunker, and showcases the history, culture and natural heritage of the area.

Luckily, we arrived in time and had an hour to wander around. There were some really interesting exhibits, and we learned a lot about life in this part of Scotland throughout the ages. There was also a really cool exhibition about the old lighthouse, Rubh Re. Inside was the Fresnel Lens and outside was the Foghorn (it’s now lit by an LED lamp and controlled from Edinburgh remotely).

We bought a couple of things from the gift shop including Bedachro Gin and Whisky, but there’s a story about that which we only found out later! (I’ll let Iain explain once we arrive at the hotel)

The hotel was only a 1 minute drive from the museum and I was delighted. I needed a stiff drink and a bit of relaxation as I had been driving for over 5 hours! We checked in to the Myrtle Bank Hotel which overlooks the seafront. It looked a bit downtrodden, but our room was huge and had a fabulous view.

We decided to take a walk to the square, which is quite literally a car park. I wanted to go to the Mountain Coffee Company, but it was closed; we will just need to go tomorrow. We went into the weirdest R.S McColls you have ever seen, then sauntered back along the beach front passed the local radio station.

Next stop …The Lounge!

Dinner is booked for 8.15pm so we are having a few drinks. Iain has made friends with the “friendliest, gentlemanly, barman” he has ever met, and we are being quizzed on the music (It’s all 60s!).

He also told us the story of Bedachro Distillery….I’ll pass over to Iain.

Iain – So, I asked the barman (Sean) if they had the Badachro Whisky at the bar as I couldn’t see it. I had just bought a small bottle at the Gairloch Museum and fancied trying it to see if it was worth keeping or giving to Brian, the father-in-law, as a gift (Spoiler - it seems to be good so I’ll keep it). Anyway, I asked if they had it, and was surprised to hear ‘Unfortunately, we do’. I said, ‘alright then,’ and Sean dutifully went to fetch it. The bottle was hidden in the top left, behind another couple of generic brands. Odd. After a few ‘what’s happening here’ eye contact exchanges I nervously chuckled and then said ‘I get the feeling there are some local politics going on here that I don’t know about…’. Secrets were revealed. So, the guy who owns the Distillery (I capitalise Distillery, live with it!) is a local and apparently universally hated. So far so good. But, the kicker is that the whisky is outsourced and he sticks a label on it! I will echo the barman’s words and say, “it’s a shame it’s really nice”. And that is how we made a friend who now asks us to name the songs of pre-80’s music with a smile on his face as he collects empty glasses at the tables around us.

Anyway, we have just had a lovely dinner, although the langoustines were no longer available so I was a bit sad….until tomorrow!