European Highways Inside Out: Roads That Went Underground to Survive (10 photos)

Imagine a road that doesn't rise above the hills, but dives into the very depths of the earth, like a frightened mole.





These are ancient trails, called "holloways" in the Anglo-Saxon world, and in our country, by analogy, we might call them "trench roads" or "sunken highways."



Hollow road in La Moffe, Manche, France

They appeared as ordinary dirt roads at ground level. But centuries passed. Millions of hooves tramped along them, thousands of carts creaked, and the shoes of countless travelers squelched.





Mill Lane, Halnaker, UK

And the earth gave way. The tracks deepened, rains turned them into raging riverbeds, and the next generation of travelers went even deeper. As a result, in England, France, or Holland, you can stumble upon a trail that drops 6-9 meters. This is no longer a road, but a veritable canyon, carefully carved into the chalk and sandstone.



Congostra da Carbalha, Ribeira, Galicia, Spain

You walk, and green walls of moss, roots, and centuries-old beech trees rise up on either side. The treetops close in above, turning the path into a green tunnel. At moments like these, you cease to be surprised that bandits, smugglers, and guerrillas once hid in these living convolutions.



Hell Lane, Dorset, UK

During the World Wars, these natural trenches served as machine-gun shelters or defensive lines. The most famous of these is Sunken Lane in Beaumont-Hamel, France, from where British soldiers launched their attack on the Somme on July 1, 1916.



Hollow Lane in Canterbury, UK

This unique map of Europe, carved by time and erosion. Roads that lead nowhere, but tell everything.



Church Lane, a road in Whitley, Surrey.

These roads are currently undergoing two opposing processes:



Normandy, 1944

Disappearance (concreting). The main threat is modern civilization. For example, in the Netherlands, in the Limburg region, many hollows have been paved or filled with concrete. As soon as erosion is stopped by the pavement, the ecosystem dies, and the road stops deepening and begins to become submerged.

Salvation through tourism. In the Netherlands, Belgium, and England, entire programs are currently underway to save hollows. They are being mapped and converted into hiking trails and bike paths. The only way to preserve this ancient beauty is to walk along it. If the road becomes overgrown with grass and no one walks on it, it simply disappears.



Exposed roots on the bank of Church Lane, in a back alley, Witley, Surrey



Hell Lane, Dorset, UK