Recently I got to climb the Bealach na Bà in Scotland on my standard C-Line. This is an 8.5k climb that starts at sea level and tops out at 636m in the Scottish Highlands with stunning views of the surrounding peaks and islands.
I went from the Applecross side as gentler gradients averaging around 7% with one section topping out at 15.3%…
The climb is part of a famous tourist driving route the North Coast 500, so the single lane with passing places can get pretty busy.
Started nice and early at 6am to beat the traffic and only met one car, two motorbikes, and loads of deer for the entire up and down. Had to weave side to side to flatten out the gradient on the steeper sections, but standard gearing in 1 low worked for me.
It took just under an hour to reach the viewpoint at the top, and I had 1.5 litres of tailwind endurance fuel which was more than enough to keep me going. A celebratory banana and some pics at the summit, then added gloves and a buff for the chilly and bumpy descent back down to Applecross.
I recommend it if you're in the area, nice little adventure and the Applecross side is stunning (albeit without the iconic switchbacks).
by Leather_Bison2459