Altitude: The Bealach na Ba

Rolling out of Applecross campsite, the climb up the Bealach na Ba starts immediately. 626 m of elevation gain on switchbacks and gradients ranging from moderate to insane. Needless to say, all this in pouring rain which steadily got worse with altitude. At the summit the temperature was a freezing four centigrades. All the more reason to take the steep descent extra slow. Several impatient drivers made the climb on that narrow single track road a test of attention and bike handling.

West to East

The bulk of today's route consisted of following the Carron river up to Ledgowan forest. There the pass is located that crosses the watershed between both coasts. Most of the remainder of the day was spent riding downhill along the river Bran. I reached the east coast shortly after Muir of Ord and continued along the north bank of the Firth of Beauly until Kessock.

The hope for more benign weather on the east cost of Scotland was unjustified as it kept raining all the way to the Firth of Beauly.

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