Road trips

The “scariest” road in Britain can be a nightmare to drive up in winter, as it has steep hairpin bends, minimal barriers, and it climbs from sea level to 2,053 feet very quickly

Britain boasts some of the world’s most spectacular countryside, but reaching its more isolated spots often means braving some genuinely hair-raising roads. The Bealach na Bà pass, nestled in the Applecross peninsula of the Scottish Highlands, is widely regarded as the most terrifying road in the entire country.

The route is renowned for its absolutely stunning vistas, where mountains, glens and sea converge in a single panorama, with mist drifting across the peaks. Yet motorists are cautioned against being distracted by the scenery – the narrow single-track road features minimal safety barriers and climbs from sea level to 2,053 feet over a remarkably short stretch.

The route includes several extremely steep hairpin turns demanding exceptionally careful driving, whilst Scotland’s notoriously wet weather only heightens the peril.

During the winter months, the road regularly closes due to snow and ice. Even when conditions are milder, it’s best left to experienced and confident motorists only.

As you initially approach the road after departing Applecross village, a prominent sign warns learner drivers, large vehicles and caravans against attempting the crossing, directing them towards a safer alternative route, reports the Express.

The road appears straightforward for the opening mile before beginning to wind as you ascend the mountainside. Sheep are frequently spotted grazing alongside certain stretches of the route.

Motorists are warned of a perilous drop just off the edge, and the wind, which reportedly becomes increasingly unsettling as you ascend, only adds to the trepidation.

The challenge of manoeuvring around tight bends, avoiding wildlife, and dealing with foggy conditions makes this journey a truly daunting one – made all the more so by the fact that turning back is virtually impossible due to the numerous twists in the road.

However, upon reaching the summit, the road levels out slightly, revealing a stunning vista of the Isle of Skye, one of the most breathtaking sights the Highlands have to offer.

On Tripadriver, Bealach na Ba Road generally receives positive reviews for its scenic beauty, but almost every review cautions that it’s a terrifying drive not suited for the faint-hearted.

One reviewer, Lesley, commented: “Scariest drive in Scotland but the most scenic. This is a wonderful drive, but one which will tax even experienced drivers.”

Another woman advised: “Road probably stunning in fine weather, but my advice is that you need to be able to see the top, and it’s not likely to be covered in cloud or mist, as this was one of the scariest drives I have ever done and it was not something I will be doing again anytime soon.”

A different user added: “Should be avoided if narrow passing places, hairpin bends and steep drops worry you. However, for those who stick with it, the view from the top is absolutely breathtaking.”

Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Belarus have some seriously interesting bus stops

Find yourself at a bus stop in the UK, and there’s a decent chance you’ll share it with some wads of chewing gum and a bit of scrawled graffiti, sat on an uncomfortable bench designed to stop unhoused people from lying down.

In terms of artistic flair, the most creativity you’re likely to see is a traffic cone balanced on the roof.

The same cannot be said for former Soviet Union countries, where the world’s most striking and strange bus stops are scattered across the rural landscape. From Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, to Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Belarus, the Eastern Bloc nations are adorned with a reminder of the Empire in the form of public transport infrastructure, 30 years after it collapsed.

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The Mirror’s Jonathan Reynolds found himself enchanted by the unusual shelters during a recent trip to Moldova, a country of 2.2 million that is the poorest in Europe. What it is rich in, Jonathan discovered, is bus stops.

“For Christmas a couple of years ago, my brother had bought me the book Soviet Bus Stops volume 1, and in it was a section of Moldova and pictures of these amazing bus stops that had been designed and built with such creativity and care. Often, it includes intricate mosaic designs in a structure created to provide shelter and comfort for the local commuters,” he explained.

“So, I woke up early, before the sun came up, picked up my hire car at 6am and headed out into the Moldovan countryside to find as many bus stops I could. I wasn’t disappointed.”

One particularly striking bus stop has large, intricately designed mosaic stars running along the wall, beneath a ski-chalet style roof. Another is a long, dry-stone wall with a corrugated roof lolling over the top of a small bench, providing protection from the elements, while echoing the style of contemporary British artist Andy Goldsworthy.

The creator of Soviet Bus Stops volume 1 is Canadian photographer Christopher Herwig, who has spent years travelling more than 30,000 km by car, bike, bus and taxi across 14 former Soviet countries to document the unexpected treasures of modern art.

He started the project in 2002 during a trip from St Petersburg to Sweden, on which he pledged to take a photo of something every hour. “I was trying to get out of that mindset that I needed to find a stunning National Geographic monument. I wanted to make ordinary things look cool or interesting. Bus stops, clothes lines, power lines, whatever you’d find on these farm roads.”

When he got to the Baltic countries, he started coming across the bus stops. “They were much more individualist, unique, minimalistic. They were beautiful pieces of architecture and design.”

In the two decades since, Christopher has returned to the Bloc multiple times, to take more photos and to unravel the history of the bus stops.

“I spoke to architects and designers to find why these curious things are on the side of the road. They’re quite unexpected, in that it’s a bus stop, on a rural road, but also, in that it was the Soviet Union. I had a different impression, growing up in Canada, of what the Soviet Union was like in terms of creativity and art. I thought a lot of things were standardised and controlled, without a great scope for freedom of expression, but these bus stops went against that,” he said.

“I could not find any evidence that it was a centralised plan from Moscow. But it was not something that was discouraged either. Bus stops were classified as something called a small architectural form, which didn’t have the same stringent rules and necessity to be approved or ideologically controlled as other monuments or bigger buildings.”

One of the key architects behind the bus stops was George Chakhava, whose unusual work decorates Georgia’s Black Sea coast.

“He created some of the wildest bus stops I could find. He was working in concrete and mosaics. George had a lot that went over different animal themes. An octopus, an elephant, a fish, a wave. One of his has a big concrete crown with a large gap in the roof. It gives no protection from the elements.”

This intriguing tension between form and function is replicated in Kyrgyzstan, where a plump bird forms the main structure of the bus stop. Its wings are too small to offer any protection to passengers from the wind or rain. Another is, simply, a large hat.

“The bus stop showed a lot of regional and national pride, more so than communist ideals. The Kyrgyzstan hat is a traditional hat, for example. There are some, however, that are blatantly propaganda and have hammers and sickles.”

While Christopher did meet people who loved their bus stops, such as a group of Estonian factory workers who took great pride in designing their very own, others saw them as eyesores.

“They are not something that’s treasured. They are seen by a lot of people as something that should be taken down. People tend to go to the bathroom there or throw their rubbish there. I’ve had people approach me asking why I’m taking photos of this yucky scene,” the photographer explained.

Copes of Christopher’s book are available online. His Instagram page is herwig_photo.