Corsica GR20 (2 weeks)

August 2000

Introduction

Having done most of my walking in the UK, the GR20 was a bit of a challenge. Reading about it it certainly sounded harder than the typical long distance hike in the UK, and we had just 2 weeks off work, enough to complete the 13 or so stages, but not time for any rest days along the way.

We booked flights and a car for 1 day via the Internet and arrived in Corsica without much hassle. We flew into the southern airport on Saturday, and had a long drive that afternoon up to Calvi, at the northern end, where the GR20 begins.

The walk

To cut a long story short, we managed to do just over half of the walk, in about 10 days, i.e. we had three rest day along the way. The reason for that was that the walking was somewhat harder than what we were used to and our packs were far too heavy for the terrain. The first day was especially tough, as it is a steady, at times steep climb, gaining some 1500 meters. We left around midday on a very hot summers day, JD was soon struggling and over heating, and it took us some 8 hours to complete the section. This was followed by a tough second day, and by the time we arrived at the hut that night JD suggested we have a rest day the next day, meaning that it was clear early on we were not going to complete the walk.

Though somewhat disappointed at the time this was probably a good decision, as we might have been able to finish the walk on time, but it would have been tough and a struggle. So we decided to take it easy, have a few rest days and see how far we could get.

The seven days we walked were fine though, the weather generally good, warm during the day but quiet cold at nights. A lot of the walking is at around 2000 meters, on rocky ground, though every other day the path would drop down valleys and pass through forests. There are some spectacular views along the mountain ranges, and a good day is was possible to see exactly which way we had come along the route over the last few days. We brought two maps, Corse du Sud & Corse du Nord ( Didier Richard 1:50000 ) which show the whole route, as well as the Lonely Planet pages on the walk, but neither were really necessary, as the walk is marked through red paint marks on rocks every 20 meters or so, and it is difficult to get lost. The walking is strenuous, mostly because there is a lot of up and down. One day the distance to cover is only 6km, but it goes over two peaks and took us over 8 hours to complete. There is some scrambling involved, and at one section, high up in the mountains, there is a steep drop, down about 100 meters and then up on the other side, but chains have been bolted in for support.

We were walking towards the end of the high season, and the route was quiet busy. There were probably about 50 or so people walking in the same direction, about half of them staying in huts, the rest camping like us. There seemed to be a lot of Germans in quiet large groups, walking clubs I presume, and obliviously a lot of French, but we only met 2 English groups during the whole trip.

Food was not too much of a problem, although there are sections where about 2/3 days worth of food has to be carried. Two or three times the walk actually drops down to a small village, where one can stock up, but there are also a few huts along the way where cheese, sausage and cheap red wine is for sale.

One of the main differences compared to walking in the UK is that the campsites are generally quiet high up, remote from any villages or towns. This may add to the purity of the outdoor adventure, but it does mean that there is very little to do once it gets dark, unlike the UK where even on longer routes most evenings are spent in a village pub.

Anyway, we took it pretty easy, and reached Vizzavona, the halfway point of the walk after 10 days, and decided to take the train to Ajjacio, on the west of the island, and spend some days on the beach rather than pushing on and trying to come of the walk in some remote location.

Again this was a good idea, and we found a nice enough camp spot close to the bach and spent the last few days chilling out and thinking of what could have been. It was a shame not to finish, but a friend of mine recently came back after completing the walk and reckons that the first section is the more scenic by far, so I not have too many regrets.

Final Reflections

In summary then, I think the GR 20 is a very scenic but tough walk, though with some sensible packing and a fair level of fitness one should be able to complete it within two weeks. There are other areas of Corsica that look very nice, and maybe, on reflection, it would have been better for us to tackle a less challenging walk, (there are a number of walks that go from east to west across the island and take about 7 days), and spend more time exploring other areas, but maybe that is a trip for the future.