The waymarked trekking routes described in this book have all been devised so as to make the most of the outstanding landscapes they pass through. Each has its own distinct character, attributes and challenges. To find out which one is most likely to suit you, first browse the table opposite and the map on the inside back cover. Then flick through the chapter introductions where you’ll find a concise overview of the route: what it’s like, how long it takes to complete and the reasons why you might want to choose it.
Routes At A Glance (see maps inside back cover)
GR20
•Duration 10–12 days (see pp108-203)
•Pros – Magnificent high mountain scenery from start to finish; immaculate waymarking; well set-up refuges at convenient intervals
•Cons – Many steep, long and strenuous gradients; you have to carry supplies and water; less dependable weather than at lower altitudes; frequent storms in August; congestion from mid-June to mid-September
Mare a Mare Nord
•Duration 4–5 days (see pp204-34)
•Pros – Rugged valleys and great views of Corsica’s highest peaks; crosses the island’s most spectacular pine forest and the beautiful Niolu Valley; can be combined with a section of GR20 via Lac de Nino; descends the awesome Tavignano Gorge along an ancient paved mule path; ends at Corte, the island’s only mountain town
•Cons – None
Mare a Mare Nord Variant
•Duration 3–5 days (see pp234-46)
•Pros – Can be combined with Mare a Mare Nord to create a superb 7 to 10-day round route, with fine views throughout; crosses the island’s most extensive wilderness area and some impressive chestnut woods; dotted with villages
•Cons – Food can be difficult to obtain along some sections and there’s a shortage of accommodation; you have to plan well ahead and be relatively self-sufficient but the route is well worth the effort
Tra Mare e Monti
•Duration 7–10 days (see pp247-71)
•Pros – Dramatically contrasting scenery, with some of the island’s highest mountains and most impressive marine landscapes juxtaposed; passes through the Scandola nature reserve and remote, roadless fishing village of Girolata - two of Corsica’s ‘must sees’; good choice of accommodation and places to eat along most of the route so you don’t have to carry much
•Cons – Heat in summer; the route’s popularity, which ensures busy trails and full gîtes in May, June and Sept; the last couple of stages are comparatively dull
Mare a Mare Sud
•Duration 4–5 days (see pp272-99)
•Pros – Diverse scenery and lots of historic monuments, from Megalithic sites to Pisan chapels and Baroque churches; picturesque villages; miles of pristine deciduous forest, including stretches of rare ancient oak woodland; regular gîtes d’étape of a high-standard; plenty of places to swim from river banks; restaurants and cafés along most stretches of the route; starts and ends at impressive sea gulfs
•Cons – Gîtes often booked up well in advance; last half of last stage is a dull plod
Littoral Sartènais
•Duration 2 days (see pp300-10)
•Pros – Unspoilt coastal scenery, with turquoise bays, weird rock formations and gorgeous white-sand beaches punctuating the whole route; intense feeling of remoteness
•Cons – Shortage of food, water and human settlement: you have to remain entirely self-sufficient on this route
Other options
Most trekkers follow a route from start to finish but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t cover only part, or else combine sections of routes to tailor-make your own itinerary. This can be a particularly worthwhile approach to the GR20 which, for all its spectacular scenery, keeps well away from the coast and mountain villages. The orange-waymarked trails that intersect it at various points – notably at Col de Verghio and Onda – allow you to explore lower, more populated valleys and coastal landscapes that are a world away from the high-mountain terrain of the watershed. Three suggestions are listed below. Splicing together some of Corsica’s finest trekking étapes, they progress in the same direction as the route outlines in this guide.
•Round trip from Calenzana via the GR20, Col de Verghio, Girolata and Galéria in 9–12 days – This route cherry-picks the most dramatic stretches of the GR20 and Tra Mare e Monti. Having followed the GR for six étapes, you swing west at Col de Verghio, descending through the magnificent Forêt d’Aïtone and Spelunca Gorge to Ota, and from there follow the coast northwards past Scandola and Girolata to Galéria. The final three stages follow the Tra Mare e Monti through Tuarelli and over the Bocca di Bonassa pass to Bonifatu. This combines Corsica’s most acclaimed landscape with what must be the island’s ultimate round-trip walk.
•Calenzana to Corte, via the Tavignano Valley in 7–8 days – Instead of turning right at Col de Verghio after the first six étapes of the GR20, you can turn left and descend the Niolu Valley to Albertacce. From there another two unforgettable days take you over the Col de l’Arinella and down the awesome Tavignano Gorge via an ancient paved Genoan mule track to Corte, Corsica’s old capital. A superb six-day extension to this route would be to follow the Mare a Mare Nord Variant from Vivario to Onda, drop west down the wild Cruzini Valley and then cross the mountains to Cargèse on the coast.
•Round-trip from Marignana in 6–7 days – Marignana, at the head of the Spelunca Valley, is perhaps the most remote village in Corsica accessible by bus from Ajaccio. Leaving its welcoming gîte d’étape, you can walk over to Evisa and thence up the valley through the Forêt d’Aïtone to Col de Verghio. From there the easiest leg of the GR20 leads along the ridge-tops to serene Lac de Nino, the island’s most picturesque high-altitude lake, beyond which you can follow the GR20 over the watershed to Petra Piana and Onda and pick up the Mare a Mare Nord Variant for the remaining three days back to Marignana. The area around Lac de Nino sees a fair amount of snow so this option is feasible between June and October only.
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