Have you cycled up Bealach-na-ba?

[Paulatic]

Is it cycleable unpowered?

/

Of course it is but it’ll never be as easy as that guy made it look.
Plenty have had a go

[Brucey]

yeah, no worries.

cheers

[Cyril Haearn]

Cycling down it must be awful

[The utility cyclist]

Of course it is but it’ll never be as easy as that guy made it look.
Plenty have had a go
8D4D229A-674B-4E7B-9808-6406E5B94E59.jpeg

average grade 3%, is that right?

[cycleruk]

"Steepest road in the UK." ?

[Cyril Haearn]

No no, that is Penffordlech in Harlech

[rotavator]

I have done it in both directions, on a push bike, in decent weather and not loaded down with touring luggage, and I thought it was relatively easy compared to some hills in Wales that have beaten me.

[Mick F]

Cycling down it must be awful

Yes.
Especially when there's a car in front. I stopped for a minute or two to let him carry on so I could get going again, but I caught him up again and had to stop again. Car drivers are scared of the down hill.


Riding up was brilliant.

I had hair back then.

[horizon]

Shall I merge these topics ??
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=8531

Yes, definitely. I'm very gently querying Volt's claim that you need a motor to get up it but it's a bit of fun and I think all the extra info on it is great.

[Cyril Haearn]

Going up and stopping many times to take pictures is one thing, but I should want to go down again and ride up non-stop

[loafer]

we did it in June 2006 on our west coast trip to Cape Wrath. really enjoyed it ..but it was nice weather ... must get back up and give it an other go

[hercule]

Done it a few times, used to work over there and sometimes arranged an afternoon off just for the purpose. I don’t recall finding it very hard, just long. In those days before the NC500 I only saw one or two cars. I did it on my Moulton AM but it was in a pre-digital age so no photos easily posted.

More recently I did the Bealach Beag sportive, I didn’t like the (cyclist) crowds but it was a amusing twiddling up the hill on my low geared Thorn XTC whilst the ditches were littered with fully kitted out carbon roadies who were overgeared. The ride back to Sheildaig was far worse, with an unrelenting headwind on the northbound stretch and murderous hills (far steeper than the Bealach, IMO) in the final stretch.

[Polisman]

Cycled it from both directions, there are some switchbacks but they aren't anything to worry about, certainly not Alpe d*Huez style. As I remember it was all over fairly quickly. I think it was roughly 20 minutes bottom to top, fully laden with camping gear.

It was August right enough, and I was 21

[rfryer]

That's impressive - the KOM on Strava is 29 minutes! My best is 44 minutes.

[Mick F]

Took me an hour and a half, but I stopped lots. Admired the views, took photos, and generally enjoyed the ride. I wasn't on a mission to do it fast and furious .......... though I could have done. I relaxed and enjoyed the day, though the trip north from Applecross was FAR tougher than the pass.

I was on my Grand Tour in 2008 and stayed overnight in Lochcarron, then from there up over the pass and round Sheildiag and thence back to Lochcarron.

Here's my route and the profile.