GR20 Corsica

Last September Ali and I, together with friends Cat and Alan, tackled the northern half of the GR20 long distance path in Corsica.

I am in the process of retrospectively posting our account to the blog (see GR20 category opposite) especially for Sally (http://www.sallyinnorfolk.com/) who is planning to walk the route in June - Good luck Sally!

For anyone else contemplating the route I can thoroughly recommend Paddy Dillon's guidebook: http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/477/title/gr20---corsica

You can hear Paddy discussing the book with Andy Howell as part of the Outdoors Station's book club podcast by clicking the link below: http://www.theoutdoorsstation.co.uk/Paddy_Dillon_BC8.htm

Ajaccio for some R&R

I awake, open the curtains on the tall windows of our north facing room and watch the sun light up our descent route from yesterday. I am feeling relaxed and all is well.

Alas the train through the mountains is not running today so we will be catching the bus to the busy port of Ajaccio for a couple of days rest and relaxation on the beach.

We head for a fish restaurant for a slap up celebration (see photo)

Refuge de l'Onda to Vizzavona

Day eleven marks our final day on the GR20 today – by the time we reach the village of Vizzavona tonight we will have completed the northern section of this long distance path. We all agree that we would like to come back again to walk the entire route and maybe have a crack at Monte Cinto.

An ascent of Monte d’Oru (2,389m) today will be the highest point for us so far and a fitting climax to our journey through these beautiful mountains.

We start with a steep and sustained climb upwards from the refuge to gain a ridge. After a couple of hours we start the ascent of Monte d’Oru and nearing the summit we drop our sacks for the final short scramble to the top (see photo).

From here the views back over the GR20 give us pause for contemplation – its been a fantastic trip.

To the south we can see the village of Vizzavonna in the distance – it is mainly downhill all the way now with an initial gully decent down La Scala. The stony and rocky path eventually gives way to a forest track but it’s a long, long descent.

My brain has told my body that this is the final hurdle and my knees begin to ache for the first time on the trip – perhaps its suspecting the end of the journey and wants to shut down.

Eventually we arrive in town and immediately head for some beers at the station restaurant. We check into rooms at the Hotel Laricci and spend an excessive amount of time in the shower.

Refuge de Petra Piana to Refuge de l'Onda

Today we choose a high level option as an alternative to the main GR20 route. Ali and I are first to break camp. It is good to be walking once again in the early morning sunshine. We can look back and see that the refuge at Petra Piana is indeed situated on the only level ground within its surroundings.

The initial sharp arêtes soon give way to gentle, undulating grass slopes (see photo) and progress is relatively easy. As we ascend the twin summits of Punta di l Pinzi Corbini we can see Cat and Alan gaining on us. We climb above the way marked path to the second summit (2,021m) to wait for them.

As we wait the British Army arrive from the South – well a group of about eight lads from the Cheshire Regiment and their Sergeant. Given the look of them we suspect they are recent recruits and are being “beasted” to improve their fitness. They stop for a cigarette break! One lad is so amazed at the lightness of my pack that he hands it around to his mates in disbelief – I am soon encouraged to try on an army Bergen – it must weigh in excess of 25kg and I guess that is the point of the exercise.

The views are spectacular today and we are somewhat reluctant to descend to the refuge below. It has been a short day today – around 4 hours but we are happy enough to pitch camp and watch a shepherd drive his flock up onto a craggy outcrop. We said goodbye to the Belgian lads this morning as they were doing a double day to reach Vizzavona tonight via the low level route.

Ascent of Monte Ritondu

This morning we awake to a clear sky for the first time in four days. The mood around camp is noticeable higher given the improvement in weather.

Today the four of us plan an excursion off the GR20 and to make an ascent of Monte Ritondu (2,622m), the second highest mountain on Corsica to make up for not scaling Monte Cinto on Day 4.

We ascend a less used path up onto the hillside above the refuge – looking back we can see clouds racing in from the horizon. We push on climbing more steeply and finally a scramble up a narrow gully to a gap in the rocks. At 2,280m we are the highest point we have been to so far on Corsica. The view across to Monte Ritondu is spectacular with the Lavu Bellebone lake in the foreground.

However, behind and below us the clouds are approaching fast threatening a thunderstorm. We decide to retreat without summiting and retrace our steps to the refuge.

Petra Piana is the nicest and cleanest refuge on the route – the Gardien is a petite lady with a lovely dog called Blanca (the Corsican for white for obvious reasons). The Gardien’s hut is separate from the main refuge and she can be found baking the most delicious cakes as her dog warms himself by the open fire.

In the evening the Belgian boys arrive in camp – they have finally caught us up after an epic crossing of the Cirque in damp conditions.

Refuge Manganu to Refuge de Petra Piana

With another tough seven hour day ahead of us and a steep climb up to Breche de Capitellu (2,225m) the highest point on the main GR20 route I express my doubts to Ali about our fitness given the events of the previous night and suggest an enforced rest day.

She is having none of that and wants to get away from Manganu as soon as possible – she can be very determined when she has her mind set. With the knowledge that we have a tent in case we are forced to stop and a full load of water I reluctantly agree to the plan.

Cat and Alan soon pull ahead and we agree to meet them at the refuge at the end of this stage. The highlight of the day is reaching the Breche but alas the view is hidden in clouds. We pass Laurent who is sitting at the top determined to wait it out for the view to clear.

We continue onwards scrambling on a ridge and crossing large boulder fields. Time drags on and we are feeling tired, unable to really enjoy the views. Eventually we start to descend and hope that it is not far to the refuge – alas imagine our disappointment as the way-marks again point upwards and we have another mountain shoulder to climb before the end of the day.

We are slow on the ascent. I begin to think that as long as Ali can make it up to the col I could shuttle run our packs down to the refuge. But Ali won’t be beaten and we make the crest. There our spirits are lifted as Cat and Alan have left us a timely message written in the sand between some rocks.

Its downhill all the way from here and we are exhausted – Ali checks her altimeter to mark the passing of every 10m of descent. Finally through the hill fog we literally stumble into the camp site. Tired but relieved.

Hotel Castel di Vergio to Refuge Manganu

Feeling fully refreshed Ali and I set a blistering pace today along this ten mile easy walking section. In all we shaved an hour off the guidebook time for this section.

We stop for something to eat at the mid-point of the day overlooking the Lac du Ninu. This is the spot where we took the photo of ourselves that appears at the top of our blog page.

On the way down from the lake we came across a lone Frenchman and his dog. His name was Laurent and no, it wasn’t his dog – he had made the mistake of giving the stray a warm welcome and the dog had immediately adopted him.

We continued past him and soon reached the refuge. It felt nice to be back in the mountains and to meet up with Cat and Alan. We had a rather frugal meal of butter beans provided for us by the Gardien but the freshly baked bread more than made up for the meal.

Ali was ill that night – neither of us slept much as she repeatedly had to visit the toilet block. By the morning she was feeling weak – what a contrast to the day before. Poor Ali.

Hotel Castel di Vergio - Rest Day

We wake to find that over at Max and Saskia’s tent a furry animal has made off with their food bag that was stored outside during the night. Fortunately a wire fence prevented the interloper from making off with a boot.

In keeping with the camaraderie of those doing the GR20 we offer them some of our food supplies.

It is raining again today and Ali and I decide to take a rest day here – the lure of a real bed, unlimited hot water and a washing machine at the hotel is too strong to resist.

The view is not up to much (see photo) and Cat and Alan decide to head on today and take their rest day tomorrow at Manganu which offers more in the way of excursions. We will catch up with them there.

We pass the day washing, eating and playing “backpacker” card game that was one of the group treats unveiled the night before.

Auberge U Vallone to Hotel Castel di Vergio

I awake to the sounds of heavy rain on the tent. Glad we did the Cirque yesterday – it will be a whole different ball game today. I feel warm and cosy in my sleeping bag and for once there are no stones under the mat. In fact it feels like I am on a waterbed. Water. The thought stirs me from my slumber – the tent is afloat!

I wake Ali and we quickly dress, collapse the tent and head for shelter in the Auberge. The gentle stream running past the hut has turned into a raging torrent over night. With little soil and vegetation covering the bare rock high in the mountains the water run off is quick.

Today promises to be an easier day than the first four and we leave the hut on a good path up through the pine trees in the rain. As we gingerly cross a stream in full spate we are overtaken by fell runners who just jump in and wade across – they are part of a GR20 race which covers the full 120 mile route in an amazing five days – so they can’t afford to hang around.

As we ascend the pine trees give way to alder scrub and we climb up out of the valley. About three hours from leaving the Auberge we break for lunch at a refuge. At 1991m the hut is the highest point of today’s walk and it is here that the rain finally stops - affording us a view down into the Golo valley.

We descend into the valley and take a dip in the pools below a cascading waterfall . We cross the river Golo here and re-cross it again via a footbridge lower down.

The easy path through a birch wood lulls us into temporarily losing the path – the usual red and white way-makers are painted on the occasional tree and can be hard to spot on the silvery birch bark.

Eventually we begin to see signs of civilisation and can hear a car on a nearby road. We have reached the Hotel and we pitch tents in the grounds

Haut Asco to Auberge U Vallone

After reviewing the weather forecast posted at the Refuge in the morning we have abandoned our attempt on Monte Cinto. It looks like we have only one more day of fine weather and we want to traverse the notorious Cirque de la Solitude before the rain sets in.

After a few hours walking we join a band of trekkers peering down into the impressive Cirque from the Col Perdu (2,183m). The Cirque is the crux of the GR20, the hardest section – even the IGN maps show it as a dotted rather than solid red line to emphasise the difficulty. In reality, however, its no more than a sustained scramble given the chains and ladder placed to aid the walker – to be honest it was technically less demanding than we had feared after all the hype given in our research. Still if you want to make it more fun try to avoid using the chains.

The level of difficulty found on the route is dependent upon the walker’s prior experience – all I can say is that it deserves respect given the exposure but I felt it was no more than a UK grade 1 scramble – if you have done a couple of those with a reasonable pack in both ascent and descent then you’re not going to have a problem with the Cirque.

Two hours after exiting the Cirque we have negotiated the boulder fields and steep downward slopes to arrive at the Auberge U Vallone. When we arrive there are no good camping spots left so Ali and I select one of two remaining that look like they might suffer in the forecast damp conditions.

Surprisingly the Auberge has hot water and at last I can have a hot shower. We enjoy a bottle of wine or two with our evening meal in the refuge before returning to our tents. Perhaps it won’t rain and we will be okay.

Refuge de Carozzu to Haut Asco

Today promises the prospect of a hot shower when we reach the ski resort of Haut Asco. We head down into the Spasimata gorge and we take it in turns to cross the suspension bridge at the bottom (see photo) and up the slabs opposite – easy enough in the dry conditions.

We stop for a spot of lunch at Lac de la Muvrella (1,860m) after a couple of hours. I am feeling particularly strong today and can almost keep pace with Alan. Cat and Ali are employing a more energy conserving pace but soon join us at the lake.

We head upwards on an alternating stony and rocky path and a couple of hours later start the long, one hour, descent to Haut Asco. We decide to book into a dormitory at Refuge Asco-Stagnu here rather than camp – As a true gentleman I let the girls each take their turn in the hot shower before me. However, the water is cold by the time I get in!

We spend the evening in the restaurant at the Hotel le Chalet enjoying the plentiful food and wine and discuss a detour off the GR20 tomorrow – we plan to leave our rucksacks at Haut Asco and make the ascent of Corsica’s highest mountain, Monte Cinto (2,706m).

Refuge d'Ortu di u Piobbu to Refuge de Carozzu

Following a nice cold shower at the refuge we break camp and continue our way following the now familiar red and white way-markers. It’s a great feeling to be in the hills for an extended period and we are excited by the prospects for the days ahead. A long ascent up to the head of a valley to a col named Bocca Piccaia (1,950m) is rewarded by some fine views (see photo) and we break not long after for some lunch.

We catch up with an overtake the Belgian students (Stephen, Ruben, Walter and Gregory) on the afternoon scrambles – it’s all a bit new to them after the flatness of their homeland but they are doing well and are in good spirits although their packs look rather heavy to me.

The afternoon ends with a long descent down to the refuge below. We bag our spot near the refuge and Ali pitches the tent whilst I head for the shower. There appears to be only one shower ‘cubicle’ at Refuge de Carozzu and I get chatting to a German couple, Max and Saskia in the queue – she is a Cultural Studies student and appears to be able to converse fluently in several languages – these continentals really put us Brits to shame in the language department don’t they? Saskia tells me that she is about to start learning Estonian for a future trip there – her English is perfect – I am watching my English grammar in case she corrects me! Max is an interesting character too; he is a craftsman by trade and a boat builder. His next project is another Inuit style kayak.

Eventually it is my turn for the shower and I open the curtain and walk into what must be the best shower on the GR20 – an open air affair with the water piped ice cold directly off the mountain – what a view! (of the mountain I mean not my bare bottom)

Each of us has brought a group treat with us to be shared on the trip - tonight Cat unveils hers. She has brought a pack of balloons. The sound of laughter from our table attracts over the Belgian Boys and we all pass the evening making inflatable animals - my attempts at a giraffe go well at first but he wont stand up. The lads invite us over to their camp for a nightcap.

Calenzana to Refuge D'Ortu di u Piobbu

We are awoken at around 5am by the sounds of fellow hikers packing up their gear and making for an early start on the GR20 trail. It is still dark outside the tent. Places in the mountain refuges along the route cannot be pre-booked so indoor accommodation for the night is allocated on a strictly first come basis. With more hikers than beds this can lead to a daily race along the route.

Safe in the knowledge that our tents exempt us from this fiasco we roll over on our Therm-a-Rests® and go back to sleep.

Our first priority of the day is breakfast and to stock up on provisions. We call in at the local Spar shop in Calenzana and buy as much fresh bread and fruit as we can eat – we have a feeling this will be the last for a while.

The GR20 trail starts at the top of the village and we are keen to get some of the 1500 metres of vertical height gain under our belt before the heat of the day kicks in. We are soon into our rhythm and the route is well marked.

We play walking leapfrog with a group of four Belgian lads throughout the day – we have wisdom, pacing and hill experience - they have speed, youth, enthusiasm and heavier packs.

It’s a long hard day – a definite baptism of fire. There are some short scrambling sections along the way but nothing too taxing despite the pack and its nice to gaze back occasionally and see the town of Calvi and the sea beyond it retreating into the distance.

Eventually we arrive at the refuge. As expected all the beds are taken and the nearest camping spaces to the hut have gone too. That’s okay as we find a secluded spot half way between the hut and the outside water source to pitch our tents. Hopefully our location is far enough off the track so as we won’t be trampled in the morning exodus.

Arrival in Calenzana

We caught an EasyJet flight from Gatwick to Nice and then on to Calvi on the speedy Corsica ferry.

Alas we didn't have time to look around Calvi as we needed to immediately catch a taxi to reach the Gite d'Etape Municipal in Calenzana before it closed at 10 pm.

Cat and Alan won the toss for the last two dormitory places so Ali and I pitched our tent. Tomorrow we start the GR20 Nord!