The GR20 Corsica from Calenzana to Conca

Above Lac de Melu on the GR20

Anne and Terry walked the GR20 in June 2015 -    read on for Anne’s account packed with useful info on the planning, accommodation and route …… not forgetting the highs and lows

The idea of walking the GR20 was kindled some years ago by an article in Trail Magazine and later crystallised by the gift of a Cicerone guide.  June was identified as the best month from our point of view and June 2015 set as our target – and so the planning began!

Online information we researched about the route was difficult to assess without knowing the writer’s background, so it might be useful to give a snapshot of ourselves and our relevant experience.  We are in our early sixties, retired, walking fit but not super fit and I am not fast!  We spend a lot of time walking and scrambling Scottish mountains, particularly Munros  (over 3000ft), this includes some wild camping.  We also do some climbing at lower grades, have summited a few 4000m alpine peaks and walked and climbed in Tanzania, Morocco and Tenerife

Planning

The Cicerone guide by Paddy Dillon: GR20 – Corsica   The High-Level Route was invaluable and remarkably accurate.  (Ours was the 2012 update so by 2015 a few things had changed.)  The guide, supplemented by web articles, informed our plan.

We began by identifying each day’s stage, mountains to be climbed, trips off route and rest days.  It seemed important to build in rest days as refuge accommodation has to be booked in advance (well in advance if you want a bed), so any problem will create a knock on effect that is almost impossible to overcome.  We also wanted to see a bit more than just the GR20 during our first visit to Corsica so chose to drop down to a mountain village for 2 nights and to climb some additional mountains.

The Plan

 

Having got this far we were able to book our Easy Jet flights from Gatwick to Ajaccio as soon as they became available online, therefore getting them very cheaply; also all our hotels in Ajaccio and Calvi at the beginning and end of the trip.

Further accommodation booking had to wait as the Parc Naturel Regional de Corse booking site on parc-corse.org did not become available for booking refuges until late March.  Initial contact details for non-refuge accommodation along the way were taken from the Cicerone guide and followed up on line (mostly in French). We did not do this until we had booked refuges because it all needed to hang together. In one case a euro cheque in the post was required to reserve accommodation.

An attempt was made to pin down internal travel.  Train timetables Ajaccio to Calvi proved useful and accurate.  The train is cheap and a very effective and spectacular way to see the island.  A taxi from Calvi to Calenzana was necessary for our timetable to work; the only alternative does seem to be the school bus in the afternoon.  The navette from Conca to Porto-Vecchio was hard to pin down but having given ourselves a night in Conca, we had time to visit the Gite d’Etape La Tonnelle and find out accurate times.  The bus we planned to take onwards to Ajaccio had ceased to run so we had several hours to enjoy the town and a nice lunch but still managed to get to Ajaccio that day with an alternative bus company!

We checked our annual travel insurance, cover to 2500m is sufficient for the trail but Monte Cinto, the highest mountain, is 2706m; higher than many insurance policies cover.

The amount of cash needed was estimated.  ATMs are available in Ajaccio and Calvi but nowhere on the GR20 including Vizzavona and we understood almost nowhere took cards.  Refuge accommodation, but not food, could be pre-paid online and hotels in Haut Asco, Castel di Vergio and Soccia (not Vizzavona) did actually take cards, as did the Auberge du Col de Bavella and, surprisingly, the Bergeries de l’Onda.  We successfully worked on 40 euros per person per day for supper, drinks, mountain food and the occasional breakfast (we don’t really do breakfasts). Adding cash for unpaid accommodation, travel and unforeseen circumstances becomes quite a lot of money, more than can be withdrawn from an ATM in one or two days, so pre-planning is essential.  It is possible to take the train from Vizzavona to Corte (worth a trip) to visit an ATM there.

As we find it unnerving to walk without a map, we ordered:

Editions Didier Richard – Haute Corse and Corse du Sud 1/60000, available from www.themapshop.co.uk  . Not detailed enough to enjoy much off route but adequate for a diversion in emergency.

What to pack ? You don’t want to be carrying anything you don’t need.

Clothing and Equipment

With 4 weeks in Corsica carrying everything on our backs, we had to think very carefully about what we actually needed and which rucksacks to pack it in.  In the end we chose a 40L day sack and  a 65L exped sack, neither of them very full.  With the intent to stay in refuges or similar and eat a prepared evening meal, we were able to be quite minimal.  I washed our clothes with soap and cold water about every other day. Refuges had washing lines strung so drying was easy as long as the weather was good.

 

With water and a small amount of food for snacks, we carried about 10Kg and 15Kg each.  This allowed us to enjoy the walking and scrambling and not to feel exhausted at the end of the day.  We met several people, mostly young men, who had found it necessary to abandon equipment and food to reduce pack weight. Obviously to be self-sufficient, camping and cooking gear are essential but think minimal and lightweight, it is possible to buy basic food to prepare at most refuges.

Our GR20 Walk

To sum it up ….. fantastic scenery, wonderful variety, interesting company, very satisfying to complete, but also hard work.  As we expected, each day’s walk was quite manageable, the scrambly bits were fun, easy with very little exposure but the terrain was tough and the living was hard.

 Accommodation and Food Along the GR20

Top left – Refuge d’Usciola, Bottom left – View from tent Refuge d’Asinau,  Middle – Relais San Petru, Top Right – Luggage awaiting pick up outside Gite d’Etape U Fugone, Bottom right – Tents at Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu

 

Refuges were very variable, some more rigidly run than others; these were more like Alpine huts and made for easier living as rules were clear and people tended to adhere to them.  But unlike Alpine huts, the concept of leaving quickly and quietly if departing very early – from 4am – seemed to be unknown to many.  All had potable(drinking) water but not always internally.  Toilet/s (often squat) and a cold shower were located away from the main building.  The pressure on these was huge as total numbers could be up to 100 or more. Many refuges had very little internal sitting space, which became a problem in wet weather, although it was lovely to sit outside much of the time.

All the refuges we used supplied an evening meal, generally of 3 courses: soup or cheese/meats to start, a pasta or lentil based dish then cake, tinned fruit salad or (more commonly) cheese to finish.  Each menu appeared to remain the same from day to day so a 2 night stop could be boring, but most refuges also provided plates of cheese or meats and sometimes omelettes, so a bit more variety was possible.  Bergeries were definitely a good opportunity to sample alternative menus.

Diane and Ian, who joined us from Vizzavona, opted for a refuge supplied tent and mat, rather than bed space inside.  Like us they ate prepared suppers and did not carry cooking gear.  This could have been a problem, as where refuges provide outside cooking facilities (many do), campers are banned from the internal kitchen; so making a cup of tea or coffee, as we tended to do for breakfast, would not have been possible for them on their own.  This bit of information had escaped us before we reached the GR20.

GR20 Accommodation Day by Day with the Low-Down

The route is generally well marked with  white and red horizontal striped markers and cairns. Variant routes are marked with yellow stripes.

The Route

Obviously this is written from our perspective.  There are many ways to tackle the GR20, time/money constraints, experience and fitness, will dictate what works best for any individual or group.  Many double staged (really hard work!), others planned to cover a stage each day.  Choices were made between high and low level routes (where available), guided groups, independent groups but with kit transported to many overnight stops (much less washing!).  Obviously it is possible to break the route into north and south but there are lots of other possibilities; in some places very short expeditions could be achieved.  I have tried not to duplicate the excellent guide descriptions too much but show variations (in bold) where we found them. Some alterations just have to be taken into one’s stride, for example closure of Cirque de la Solitude and alternate navette transfer.  This was something of a problem for those on a tight budget as the fare was an unexpected 35 euro additional expense.

As far as we understand it the Cirque de la Solitude is closed at least for the rest of this season and another route has been marked and opened.  This is much higher and more technical than other parts of the GR20 and should be looked at carefully.  I suspect the navette to Calasima will continue to run as an alternative.

1. Day 1: taking a break at  Boccu U Saltu    2. Day 12: Descent North from Breche de Capitellu 3.  Day 15: Stream on descent to Vizzavona  4. Day 12: Contemplating our next ridge South  5. Day 2: More rocky bits   6. Day 5: Monte Cinto summit             7. Day 8: Paglia Orba after the rain  8. Day 14: ‘Scottish’ ridge  9. Day 11: Lavu a Crena  10. Day 9 Lac du Ninu

 

1. Day 20: Route onwards to Refuge d’Usciolu  2. Day 22: Arete a Monda  3. Day 23: Aiguilles de Bavella   4. Day 22: Crossing Plateau du Coscione towards Monte Incudine  5. Day 24: The final notch Bocca d’ Usciolu  6. Day 18: Bergeries d’Alzeta 

7. Day 22: Tomorrow’s Towers!  8. Day 22: Ruisseau de Furcinchesu

 

GR20 High (and Low) Lights

 

Wonderful scents in the air as we climbed out of Calenzana

Stretches of little scrambles on day 2

Being soaked and somewhat anxious about the lightning and amount of water pouring off the mountain as we descended.  We had joked that at least we would not encounter the problems we had had the month before in Scotland, when crossing streams in spate became a bit of an epic.

Reaching the stream shortly before the refuge and finding it in spate!

Successfully crossing the stream and reaching the refuge to be greeted enthusiastically by others who had done it.

Descending to Haut Asco and watching the sobering arrival and departure of the police helicopter, as it ferried harnessed gendarmes and pompiers into the Cirque de la Solitude to continue the search.

Hot showers.

A beautiful night sky above our tent after a good supper and interesting talk with two other English walkers.

Sunbathing and picnicking on slabs by the Golo.

Water lilies on the lake.

An evening exchanging exploits with the Mad Russian and lots of red wine!

More fun scrambling.

A high level, almost Scottish, ridge with a bit of rock interest.

Watching the sheep streaming in for milking time at the bergeries.

Eating the resulting cheese.

Walking into Vizzavona battered, bruised and bitten and wondering if I had it in me to continue.

Watching confidence and sure-footedness grow as the 4 of us walked the southern half.

Good, clean accommodation with ‘normal’ toilets.

Fantastic scenery.

A huge sense of achievement!

At the end in Conca

Words By: Anne Sheldrake    Photos: Terry Sheldrake and Ian Dalgleish

Any GR20 questions or tips – do let us know

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