The Coffin Route

About

The crossing of South Harris is a walk of extremes; from the wild barren rock of the east to the fertile machair and white sands of the west; from acid to alkaline; from the hard life endured of those displaced during the clearances of the 19th century to the easy living of the holiday homes and luxury hotels of today. This route also marks the transition from life to death as this is the path once used by funeral parties to carry their dead to be interred in the deep soils of the west coast.

[This walk is described in detail and illustrated with Ordnance Survey map extracts in 'Walking on Harris and Lewis' by Richard Barrett, published by Cicerone Press 2010. Unless otherwise indicated, all images used here are copyright of the author.]