Applecross (A’ Chomraich): the Sanctuary Peninsula & the Bealach na Bà

Overview

Applecross — in Gaelic A’ Chomraich, “the Sanctuary” — is a remote, beautiful peninsula on Scotland’s west coast (NC500), facing Raasay and Skye across the Inner Sound. It has two claims on the traveller: one of the oldest Christian sites in the Highlands, founded in the 7th century, and one of the most dramatic roads in Britain, the Bealach na Bà. It sits just south-west of Shieldaig and Loch Torridon, wrapped in mountains and open to enormous sea-and-island sunsets.

Where it is — and the two ways in

The Applecross peninsula sits between Loch Torridon to the north and Loch Kishorn and Loch Carron to the south. For centuries it could only be reached by sea or over the mountain, which is exactly why it stayed so remote. Today there are two roads:

• The Bealach na Bà — the direct, spectacular, and demanding mountain pass from Tornapress on Loch Kishorn.
• The coast road — a longer but far gentler single-track road that loops round the north of the peninsula from Shieldaig, added in the 1970s. This is the sensible way for a motorhome, caravan, or a nervous driver, and it’s a glorious drive in its own right.

The Applecross circular route

The classic way to take Applecross in is as a loop: up and over the Bealach na Bà from Tornapress on Loch Kishorn, down into Applecross village, then back on the gentler coast road that winds north round the peninsula and rejoins the A896 at Shieldaig — about 86 km (54 miles) in all. The map below shows the full circuit: the Bealach na Bà forms the southern, mountainous side and the coast road the northern, gentler side. In anything big, our advice is to take the coast road there and back and skip the pass altogether.

The Bealach na Bà — the Pass of the Cattle

The Bealach na Bà (“Pass of the Cattle”) is an old drovers’ route, once used to walk cattle to market, engineered into a road in 1822. It climbs from near sea level to 626 metres (2,053 ft) — one of the highest roads in the United Kingdom — in a series of tight, Alpine-style hairpin switchbacks, with gradients reaching 20% (1 in 5). It is single-track with passing places, and the summit stretch has the greatest ascent of any road climb in the country.

It is a rightly famous drive and, for many, the highlight of a west-coast tour — but the warning signs at the bottom are there for good reason. It is not recommended for learner drivers, very large vehicles, or caravans, and in poor weather — low cloud, ice, or high wind — it can be genuinely dangerous. If in any doubt, take the coast road round; there is no shame in it, and you’ll still reach the same wonderful village.

A’ Chomraich — the Sanctuary

Applecross’s Gaelic name, A’ Chomraich, means “the sanctuary” or “the girth” — and it earned that name early. In AD 673 the Irish monk St Maelrubha (Maïlrubha), from Bangor, founded a monastery here. For the next couple of centuries it was one of the most influential early Christian centres in the northern Highlands, its reach across the west second only to Iona. The whole surrounding district was held as a place of sanctuary, marked out by boundary crosses, where a fugitive could claim protection.

Maelrubha died in 722 and is traditionally buried in the old Applecross churchyard, where fragments of early carved cross-slabs still survive — a tangible link back over thirteen hundred years. The name “Applecross” itself is thought to come from an older form, Aporcrosan, meaning the mouth of the Crossan burn, rather than anything to do with apples.

The village & the Applecross Inn

The main settlement strings along the shore at Milton and Shore Street, looking west to Raasay and Skye. Its heart is the celebrated Applecross Inn, right on the waterfront and famous the length of the coast for its seafood — landed-that-day langoustine, crab, and fish — and for one of the best pub views in Scotland. Nearby, the restored Applecross Walled Garden and its Potting Shed café make another lovely stop. It remains a small, working crofting community that has weathered remoteness, the Clearances, and depopulation, and still holds on.

Views & wildlife

The peninsula’s west-facing shore is one of the great sunset spots on the coast, with the Cuillin of Skye on the skyline across the water. The waters and cliffs are rich in wildlife — otters, seals, red deer on the hills, and eagles overhead — and the summit of the Bealach na Bà is a superb, if exposed, viewpoint on a clear day.

Nearby

• Shieldaig — the white-cottage village on Loch Torridon; the coast road to Applecross runs from here.
• Lochcarron & Strathcarron — the stunning loch-side village on the road in, just to the south-east.
• Torridon — the mighty mountains (Liathach, Beinn Eighe, Beinn Alligin) rise across the loch to the north; a companion guide is coming.

Sources

• Wikishire on the peninsula, the sanctuary and the Bealach na Bà.
• Applecross Community for the village, garden and history of St Maelrubha.
• First-hand notes and our own photos to follow — we’ve not yet made it over the pass.