Over crests, past lochs and between rocks winds the Golden Road on the Isle of Harris. But driving through this landscape takes strong nerves.
A single lane. Sea to the left, a loch to the right, rock ahead of us. In the distance the tarmac strip winds off towards the horizon, before vanishing behind one of countless rises and dips. We’re on the east coast of the Isle of Harris. We’re on one of the toughest roads in the Outer Hebrides. We’re on the Golden Road.
And Katrin puts her foot down.
As across the whole chain of the Outer Hebrides, the east coast of Harris also differs sharply from the west coast. While the west is dominated by wonderful sandy beaches where the azure Atlantic rolls in, the east shows a much darker face: dark lochs, equally dark sea inlets, and in between them plenty of cold rock that leaves the sparse greenery little room.
Right through this rugged landscape winds the Golden Road, which today is used mainly as a scenic route by tourists. Thanks to it you can even do a full loop of Harris: down the east coast and up the west – or the other way round.
Just below the island’s main town of Tarbert, we take the turn-off onto the Golden Road, away from the wide, comfortable main road. We pass the little settlements of Miabhaig and Drinisiadar. Only then does the view of the sea on our right open up for longer stretches. The settlements themselves often consist of just one or two houses, tucked into the hills for shelter. We feel a certain admiration for the people who live here.
We treat ourselves to a first stop in the village of Greosabhagh (English: Grosebay). There we step into the shop of the Harris Tweed Company, which sells coats, jackets and jumpers here. I fall spontaneously in love with a coat. Unfortunately its price converts to well over 400 euros.
Anyone whose nerves can’t take the road also has the option here of heading back to the main A859. We, however, stay on the Golden Road – the biggest stretch still lies ahead of us, and my driver is handling the bends, passing places and blind crests brilliantly.
While Katrin shows off her driving skills at the wheel, I get to enjoy the scenery … and discover a delicate poetry among the cold rocks: the lochs are speckled with white water-lily blooms. Some already open, others still buds, they float on the icy, dark water.
We pass Geocrab, Fleoideabhagh and Fionnsabhagh – after that, it’s just us and the road. After more than an hour of driving we finally see the end of the Golden Road, the church at Rodel. From here the roads become easier going again.
What remains are the impressions of a bleak but fascinating landscape on the east coast of the Isle of Harris. And the realisation that the Golden Road is not for the faint of heart.
Good to know: Golden Road – why the name?
Sources don’t entirely agree on this. On one hand, “Golden Road” is said to come from the fact that the road cost a fortune to build – no wonder, given the impassable terrain. The locals are said to have shown a certain amount of cynicism about that. But the residents of the east-coast settlements would have only limited sympathy for that cynicism. For them, the road was such a relief and improvement that they genuinely regarded it as golden.
The Golden Road was completed in 1897. Today it appears on maps under the number C79.
Tip: North to south, or the other way round?
We’ve driven the road twice in total, each time in the opposite direction. Personally, I’d recommend driving the east-coast route from Tarbert to Rodel as part of a round trip of the island. That way the demanding stretch comes first, and you have plenty of time left to unwind on the beaches of the west coast. Others point out, though, that during the day you’ll have the sun at your back if you drive from south to north. That has its merits too – though for us it wasn’t particularly sunny anyway.
Personal note: On the way to the ferry
There isn’t much I’m afraid of, but my nervousness before a ferry crossing is already notorious among fellow travellers. It’s not that I’m afraid of the crossing itself – I’m perfectly relaxed about that. No, I’m afraid of being late for departure.
That fear combined with the Golden Road is a tricky mix. Because you make slower progress on it than the sheer distance would suggest – precisely because it winds so much. Driving to the ferry in Leverburgh via the Golden Road was, for me, not a very pleasant experience.
Getting there:
Coming from Tarbert, the C79 turns left off the main A859 towards Miabhagh. It’s also signposted “Golden Road”. After that, follow the road to Stocinis and later to Roghadal, i.e. Rodel.
Coming from the ferry at Leverburgh or from the west-coast road, follow the signs to Roghadal, pass the church, and follow the signs to Fionnsbagh. Then Stocinis and Miabhagh.
