Which index.html? If you can read the test page for apache, which is probably /srv/www/htdocs/index.html, I'm assuming you mean the index.html in your ~/public_html? If so, make sure your toplevel home directory , like /home/Angharad is at least mode 711, so the server can descend into your home dir. Remember, that apache will run as (nobody,nogroup) or some other lowest possible permissions, unless suexec is enabled, then it will run as (user,group) in the public_html directories.