A remote Wester Ross peninsula reached by the single most dramatic stretch of tarmac in Britain: the Bealach na Bà, a hairpin-switchback mountain pass with the greatest ascent of any road in the UK. Close enough to Skye to combine into one longer Highlands trip, wild enough to feel like a genuine expedition on its own.
The Applecross Peninsula sits across the water from Skye, in Wester Ross, and for most of its history was reachable only by sea or by the old drovers' track over the mountains. That track is now the Bealach na Bà — "Pass of the Cattle" — a single-track road built in 1822, engineered like an Alpine pass, with gradients approaching 20% and genuinely tight hairpin bends switching back up the hillside. Wikipedia and Ordnance Survey both confirm it has the greatest ascent of any road climb in the UK: sea level to 630 m in about 6 km, making it the third-highest mountain pass in Scotland. It's part of the famous North Coast 500 route and, per a 2025 Telegraph feature, has become a genuine "worldwide motoring phenomenon" — busy with tourists in summer, but still slightly hair-raising even in an EV with modern brakes. Once over the top, Applecross village itself is a tiny, end-of-the-road community with a beach, a scattering of wild campsites, and one of the best-known seafood pubs in the Highlands.
Sources: leshuttle.com, dfds.com, directferries.com (fares genuinely dynamic — re-check before booking).
Applecross sits just south of Skye across the Inner Sound, so the route north is nearly identical to the Skye run established in that trip file: Calais to the Applecross area is roughly 1,190 km, on top of the ~290 km from Meudon-la-Forêt to Calais — call it ~1,480 km one-way, spread over 3 days each way rather than attempted in one push.
The same England Supercharger chain applies: Maidstone/Ashford (Kent), Rugby or Corley Services (M6), and Southwaite Services (M6, south of Carlisle). Into Scotland: Ecclefechan near the border, Glasgow-area sites, then Fort William and Inverness (Rose Street) — both real, usable last-full-charge stops.
Sources: Tesla Supercharger map, joinbonnet.com Scotland Supercharger list.
There's also a longer, gentler, tarmac-all-the-way coastal alternative via Shieldaig and Kenmore if weather or nerves rule out the pass on a given day — opened in 1975, it's the easier way in and out, though it misses the whole point of the trip.
Source: Wikipedia (Bealach na Bà), citing Ordnance Survey "Highest and lowest roads revealed" (2024) and The Telegraph (May 2025).
Real, well-known free spots reported on park4night and among the NC500 community: the machair and dunes around Sand Bay / Camusterrach just north of Applecross village (a genuine white-sand beach with informal pull-ins popular with campervans), the coastal pull-offs around Fearnmore and Cuaig further round the peninsula's northern tip (quieter, more exposed, stunning sunset views over Raasay and Skye), and small laybys along the coastal road toward Shieldaig. As always: arrive late, leave early, park considerately on hard ground, and take everything with you.
Early start, motorway run to Calais-Coquelles, load onto the Shuttle. Keep left from the moment you land in Kent. Charge at Maidstone/Ashford, push toward the Midlands, charge again near Rugby or Corley. Overnight at a quiet layby or Park4Night-listed spot near the M6.
Long motorway day crossing England north-south, into Scotland at Gretna. Overnight near Glasgow's edge to break up the drive.
The A82 through Glencoe is one of the great driving roads in Britain. Top up at Fort William, then decide: either overnight near Inverness (topping up fully there too) or push on toward Lochcarron if daylight allows — either way, arrive at the Bealach na Bà with a full charge and, ideally, good weather.
Drive to Tornapress at the eastern foot of the pass, then take a breath and start the climb. Stop at the viewpoint car park near the top — genuinely one of the best views in Scotland, Skye and Raasay laid out across the Inner Sound. Descend into Applecross village on regen braking, set up camp at Sand Bay or the campsite, and let the adrenaline wear off.
A slow day: walk or cycle the quiet coastal lane toward Camusterrach and Fearnmore, swim if you're brave (the water is genuinely cold even in summer), and spend the evening at the Applecross Inn — a real, well-known seafood pub right on the shore, famous across the Highlands for langoustines landed a few hours earlier. Expect mains around £15–22 and a full seafood platter or whole langoustines running higher, roughly £25–35 depending on the catch and season — this is the trip's one proper splurge meal.
Source: general Highland-pub pricing reports and applecross.uk — confirm the current menu on arrival, as a working fishing-village pub's board changes with the catch.
Drive the single-track coastal road north past Camusterrach to Fearnmore and Cuaig — the road eventually just stops, which is rather the point. Views across to Skye and Raasay are constant, and this stretch is far quieter than the Bealach itself. A good day for the bike on the flatter sections near the village.
Applecross weather is as unreliable as Skye's — keep a spare day for whichever plan got rained out. Given the short hop across to Skye via Kyle of Lochalsh, this is also the natural point to extend into the Isle of Skye trip (Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing, the Fairy Pools) if you want to combine both into one longer Highlands expedition rather than two separate trips.
Retrace the pass (or take the gentler Shieldaig coast road if you'd rather not repeat the hairpins), then head south through Glencoe.
The long haul home, charging at the same Supercharger chain in reverse. Most people will want to split this into two days rather than one very long one.
Applecross itself has limited off-road riding, but the flat coastal lane through the village out to Camusterrach and Fearnmore is a genuinely pleasant, quiet ride with constant sea views — a nice way to spend an easy afternoon without using the car. Loaded inside per the Car Camping & Bike Guide, front wheel off, no range penalty on the long motorway legs. Do not attempt the Bealach na Bà itself by bike unless you're training for the Bealach Mòr cyclosportive (a real 144 km event held each September that includes the pass) — it's a serious climb even for strong cyclists.
| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Fuel-equivalent charging (France + England + Scotland, ~2,960 km round trip) | ≈ €155–200 |
| French tolls (Meudon–Calais return) | ≈ €55–70 |
| Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, return, booked ahead off-peak | ≈ £150–220 (≈ €175–260) |
| Lodging (free wild camping most nights; 1–2 nights at Applecross Campsite, ≈£15–22/night) | ≈ €20–55 |
| Applecross Inn splurge dinner | ≈ £20–35 (≈ €23–41) |
| Food (self-cooked, ~9 days) | ≈ €90–120 |
| Midge repellent / head net (one-off gear if you don't have it) | ≈ €15 |
| Total | €620–800 |
Ferry/tunnel and charging costs are genuinely dynamic — re-check nearer your travel dates. Rate used: £1 ≈ €1.17 (July 2026, approximate).