The Zig Zag Road is a steady climb of over and has, although on a much smaller scale, been likened to the Alpe d'Huez in the French Alps. The exact date of construction is uncertain: The road first appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1869, but is not shown in a watercolour painting dated 1861 by William Leighton Leitch, which is owned by the Royal Collection. The Zig Zag Road is not a public right of way and is closed for one day each year by the National Trust, to preserve its private road status.