diff --git a/mercurial/subrepo.py b/mercurial/subrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/subrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/subrepo.py
@@ -467,7 +467,7 @@ class hgsubrepo(abstractsubrepo):
                 self._repo.ui.status(_('cloning subrepo %s from %s\n')
                                      % (subrelpath(self), srcurl))
                 parentrepo = self._repo._subparent
-                shutil.rmtree(self._repo.root)
+                shutil.rmtree(self._repo.path)
                 other, self._repo = hg.clone(self._repo._subparent.ui, {}, other,
                                          self._repo.root, update=False)
                 self._initrepo(parentrepo, source, create=True)
diff --git a/tests/test-subrepo-recursion.t b/tests/test-subrepo-recursion.t
--- a/tests/test-subrepo-recursion.t
+++ b/tests/test-subrepo-recursion.t
@@ -349,6 +349,18 @@ Disable progress extension and cleanup:
 
   $ mv $HGRCPATH.no-progress $HGRCPATH
 
+Test archiving when there is a directory in the way for a subrepo
+created by archive:
+
+  $ hg clone -U . ../almost-empty
+  $ cd ../almost-empty
+  $ mkdir foo
+  $ echo f > foo/f
+  $ hg archive --subrepos -r tip archive
+  cloning subrepo foo from $TESTTMP/empty/foo
+  abort: destination '$TESTTMP/almost-empty/foo' is not empty
+  [255]
+
 Clone and test outgoing:
 
   $ cd ..