Actually the Bealach na Ba is the seventh highest road climb in Britain. The two highest are service roads for air traffic control facilities and can be cycled but not driven up. Great Dun Fell in Cumbria is the highest road climb at 848M, and is quite similar in profile and feel to Bealach na Ba, although I reckon Bealach na Ba has better views. Bealach na Ba also has a lot more traffic, being on the NC500 route, and can be a bit vexing if there are too many motorhomes and other vehicles. Because Bealach na Ba starts at sea level I think it has the highest elevation gain of any road climb in Britain. It is also a tougher challenge heading to Applecross than coming from Applecross.

As to your question, Bealach na Ba does have some pretty steep sections, much more than a typical alpine climb. If you are in good shape and have no luggage then your 36:28 should be fine, but a 36:32 or 36:36 would be better. More so if you have a lot of luggage.

Finally, you say that Scotland appears to be pretty flat. Well, it is not mountainous like the Alps or Rockies, but there are a lot of ups and downs. For instance, cycling from Applecross around the coast to Shieldag might look fairly easy, but there is a lot of climbing involved.

+1

It’s hard to answer your question without knowing how strong a rider you are. But because you are not sure I’d say likely you’re not going to regret having an extra gear or two for the hills just in case you need it.

Have a great trip and let us know if you have any other questions or need translations from Scottish!

Thanks guys. I'm not sure how to answer how strong of cyclists we are ... we are both always on the podium in short course triathlons. We just have no experience with hills. We live on a coastal plain so we are very experienced in grinding straight into a strong wind for an hour. We won't have any luggage other than maybe a daypack containing a rain jacket and snacks.

My only experience with cassettes is wishing they made a straight 11-21 compatible with Di-2!

But they do even better than that! I have an 11-26 straight block 12 speed cassette on my triathlon race wheels... You are just missing the 20 but gain a 23 and 26.

Monoblock cassette 12 spd - Shimano HG | SRAM XDR | Campagnolo – E.Dubied+Co (edubied.com)