Britain's longest single-track road stretches for several miles Scotland's most beautiful landscape and was probably built on the backs of madmen.
Bealach na Bà occupies a place on Scotland's route map as it is a long, lonely single track etched onto the Applecross Peninsula of Wester Ross.
The road to the Scottish Highlands is relatively small: only 9.2 km long.
But it serves as the key to local views that can be considered among the most impactful in Scotland.
The road consists of a series of hairpin bends high in the Scottish mountains and runs down to the waterfront below.
Bealach na Bà is also known as Pass of the Cattle and was first coined by Scottish MPs in the 19th century.
Mackenzie of Gairloch and Captain Donald Mackenzie of Applecross, two local landowners, proposed the road as an improvement project.
The remains of another 2,000-year-old highway could be seen stretching through the area, and the two men hoped to rejuvenate the stretch of road to create a path through difficult, rugged terrain.
According to Hidden Scotland, the British government covered 75 percent of the road's construction costs and the first construction contract was signed in 1818.
But the project was beset by problems from the start, with companies signing up and dropping out after finding Applecross treacherous and virtually unnavigable.
At the time, rumors suggested that the high contractor turnover was due to the winding open road driving construction crews crazy.
Other, more informed speculators suggested that the road simply proved too difficult.
Since the project was completed in 1822, that reputation has only continued, and today Bealach na Bà is known for its hairpin bends, rapid elevation changes and specific warnings for novice drivers.
The road has the biggest gradient of any climb in Britain, taking motorists from below sea level to 626 meters in just four miles.
Nevertheless, it is loved by visitors and locals alike, who have praised the Applecross's rugged local beauty and driving challenge, although some still recommend the journey “really not for the faint-hearted”.