The former Celtic Church monastery of Applecross was established by Saint Máel Ruba, a missionary from Bangor Abbey in Gaelic Ireland, during the 7th century; a sculptured stone is all that remains.

[3] Extremely isolated, Applecross was accessible only by boat until the early 19th century, and for many years after that the only road access was over one of Scotland's most notoriously treacherous roads, the Bealach na Ba ('Pass of the Cattle'), which crosses the peninsula and reaches a maximum height of 626 m (2,054 ft), below the 792 m (2,598 ft) high Sgùrr a' Chaorachain.

[5] Applecross is linked with Saint Máel Ruba, who came to Scotland in 671 from the major Celtic Church monastery of Bangor Abbey in Gaelic Ireland.

A large, unfinished cross-slab standing in the churchyard and three extremely finely carved fragments of another preserved within the church are evidence of the early monastery.

With a brief interruption between 1715 and 1724 (a period of forfeiture caused by the Laird of Applecross' role in the 1715 Uprising), the estate remained in the ownership of Alexander Mackenzie's heirs until the mid-19th century, when the lands were sold to the Duke of Leeds.

[10] Many native Scottish animals can be found in Applecross, including mammals such as red deer, pine martens, otters, water voles, blue hare, foxes, a rare wildcat, and pipistrelle and Daubenton's bats as well as birds such as tawny and barn owls, white tailed and golden eagles, great skua, arctic tern, great spotted woodpeckers, song thrush, bullfinches, golden plover, skylark, merlin, greenshank, dunlin, red and, occasionally, the rarer black grouse, dotterel, and rock ptarmigan.

In terms of marine life there are common seals near the shore, as well as basking sharks, minke whales, porpoises, and bottlenose dolphins.

The North Coast 500 tourist route crosses the Bealach na Bà pass and goes through Applecross along the coastal road.

It later featured in Monty Halls' Great Escape (2009) and an edition of Channel 4's Time Team (series 13, episode 13) when a broch (hollow-walled structure) was excavated.