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Ged HolmyardAPPLECROSS PENINSULA , WESTER ROSS

Distance: 60 miles

Maps: Bartholomew Skye & Torridon Leisure Map. OS Landranger 24.

Terrain: All road, mostly single track. This route incorporates the highest mountain pass and one of the ultimate cycling challenges in the UK - the Bealach na Ba (Pass of the Cattle) - a climb that takes you from sea level to over 2,000 feet in 5 miles.

Start and finish: This route begins and ends at Torridon Youth Hostel - an excellent base if you like your accommodation good and inexpensive.

You can get to Torridon by train from Edinburgh to Achnasheen via Inverness, then ride the 21 miles to Torridon along mostly single track roads - the A832 to Kinlochewe, then the A896 to Torridon.
By road, you can drive up the A9 to Inverness, join the A835 at the Tore Junction, cross the Cromarty Firth, west to Garve, then the A832 to Kinlochewe, and finally the A896 to Torridon (or further on to Shieldaig).

Food: Applecross Inn - deserved winner of the Bar Food Pub of The Year Award 2001.
Flower Tunnel, Applecross - a caff in a polytunnel. Fab home baking. Child friendly (sandpits).
Ben Damph Lodge, Torridon - good pub grub - if you manage to get there by 8.15pm.

Accommodation
Torridon Youth Hostel: comfy hostel (great showers) with a friendly warden (Neil) who's an Edinburgh Bicycle customer.
Tigh an Eilean Hotel, Shieldaig. If you are prepared to pay for en suite comfort, the Tigh an Eilean Hotel in the bonny village of Shieldaig comes highly recommended. Staying in Shieldaig may also be attractive if you like the idea of shortening the route by around 15 miles.
The Bothy Balnacra. Arrina on the Applecross estate. Self contained accomodation for 4 - 2 cabin bunkbeds with linen provided. Shower, WC and Kitchenette. Warm and very well appointed. Plus secure bike accommodation, and bike cleaning facilities.
Applecross Inn

Inspiration: This route is very tough but the reward of riding some of the most dramatic scenery in the Scottish Highlands entices many cyclists back to Applecross again and again. I've been over the Bealach 4 times over the last 10 years. When it starts to climb, I defy you not to think, 'Wow'. I remember my friend Dave saying it reminded him of the opening scene of Herzog's Aguirre Wrath of God. You know the bit where the native Peruvians snake up the mountainside with the sun lighting up the glen on one side while a blanket of mist covers the hill on the other. Truly awesome.

Route: Ride back a couple of hundred yards from the hostel to rejoin the A896 then ride west to Shieldaig. This road helps prepare you for what's ahead - hard climbs followed by swooping descents rewarded with many fine views of Upper Loch Torridon and Loch Shieldaig. Shieldaig is one of the few places along the route with a village store so you might want to stop here to stock up on drinks and snack carbos.

Nine miles south of Shieldaig, turn right at the Tornapress Junction. The ominous signpost describes what you're letting yourself in for.

'Applecross. Road normally impassable in wintry conditions.
Road to Applecross (Bealach Na Ba). This road rises to a height of 2,053 feet with gradients of 1 in 5 and hairpin bends. Not advised for learner drivers, very large vehicles or caravans after first mile.'

Funnily enough, the road actually starts climbing quite gently, lulling you into thinking, 'This is easy'. Then it gets steeper. Then it gets relentless. Then the road surface deteriorates so you begin to wonder if it was last tarred by John McAdam (1756 - 1836). When you think you must be near the top, you round another hairpin. Then it really climbs. That's when even very fit folk might decide to get off and walk.

Eventually, you do reach the top, and you are rewarded with a rare sense of achievement and, if you are lucky, the most stunning views of the isles of Raasay & Skye. However, I've known the top of the climb to be above cloud level in midsummer so do bring appropriate clothing. Even if you are blessed with fine weather, you can expect to chill on the 5-mile downhill to sea level, so remember to zip up the windproof top, pull longs over the shorts, and swap the track mitts for full finger gloves for the descent.

Near the bottom of the hill, at the final hairpin, you'll see a sign for the Flower Tunnel teashop. Alternatively, ride to the bottom and turn left into Applecross where you can get food at the village shop and/or lunch at the Inn. This is such a cosy hostelry, there's a lot to be said for staying the night and making it a 2-day ride.

Suitably replenished, ride north round Applecross Bay, where you might see dolphins at play, then up the coast by the Inner Sound of Raasay. On a fine day with the wind on your back, you will enjoy one of those traffic-lite roller-coaster rides that you bless the day you bought a bike.

The road turns south-east at Fearnmore 14 miles north of Applecross. The road gets harder and hillier up this top corner of the Applecross Peninsula so you might want to stop at the teashop at Tigh a Chracaich - look out for the 'Shellfish' sign at Kenmore. Then continue until you hit the A896 junction where you turn left. One mile on, you pass Shieldaig again on your way back to Torridon Hostel. You're ready for that shower now.

Alternative: If there's a strong Westerly blowing off the Sound, it makes sense to do the same route counterclockwise so you end up tackling the Bealach Na Ba from the Applecross side. On a hill climb like the Bealach, a little wind assistance can make the difference between riding to the top or being obliged to take a hike. Also the climb from the west is slightly less steep.