Tag Archives: walking

Travel

Corsica: Col di Vergio to Evisa

I “cheat” on the walk from Calalucca, starting a taxi ride away. The basic idea of the tour so far has been to do the Mare a Mare Nord starting from Sermano heading towards to Porto. My walk up to Lac de Nino meant that I skipped one part.

Bikers near Calalucca

As it turns out, I find the walk easy, at least in comparison with the last couple of days. I arrive at the hotel mid-afternoon and just mellow out until dinner. This is easy to do as the location is great, looking down the valley and over the hotel pool.

Evisa

The proprietor is described in the walking notes as “a character” and he proves to be just that. He confuses my by describing the steak as “international” and the chestnut mousse as “Corsican.” But there’s no confusion over the quality of the food once it arrives.

Evisa

It’s a lovely place and I can’t help but look forward to the next day. The guide book describes it as the best walk and the tour notes say that tomorrow is the best hotel.

Travel

Corsica: Lac de Nino

Goat

In a change to our advertised programme — mainly the Mare a Mare Nord — I decide to walk up to the Lac de Nino, as recommended by the lady running the hotel I’m staying in.

The walk starts in a pine forest a ten-minute taxi ride up hill. The path begins fairly gently but soon consists of large rocks. As I ascend the rocks get smaller and loser. Walking gives way to scrambling and a little climbing. I realise that I’m lucky to be heading upwards as the opposite direction looks to be almost impossible for people as dextrous as me.

On the way, the coloured way-marks are accompanied by piles of small stones, some in neat pyramids, others artistically balanced on or inside dead trees. These were often easier to find than the official marks, but it made you feel very guilty when you very nearly accidentally knocked them over when resting!

I pass a farm and then the level where there are trees shading me from the mid-day sun. After a couple of false “I’ll definitely be at the top after this next bit” declarations I really did reach the summit. Looking down the other side I have my first view of Lac de Nino.

Near Lac De Nino

As the guidebook says, it does have a somewhat eerie quality to it, although I’m not sure about looking Tibetan.

After pausing here for a bite to eat I press on. Shortly after the lake I meet with the GR20, a long distance path for hard-core walkers, and continue for a couple of hours.

Near Lac De Nino

At least that was the plan. I see no way-marks and no obvious signs of a path. With clouds descending on the peaks and the number of daylight hours dwindling I decide that getting lost up here would not be a good option and reluctantly start to retrace my steps.

Near Lac De Nino

Despite looking particularly nasty on the way up, my descent is probably my quickest and easiest so far. This could be tested further as the next couple of days are going to be heading west, largely downhill and towards the coast.

Travel

Corsica: Corte to Calacuccia

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Today was a significant tested for me.

Walk from Corte to Calacuccia, Corsica

First there was the endurance. I set off around eight and arrived after six, with lunch the only significant break — and that was less than an hour. The terrain was steep, with both climbs of over a thousand meters and descent of the same, meaning that it wasn’t just the distance that was battering my feet.

Secondly, it was today that my boots decided to bite, digging into my ankles, making almost any progress painful. Worse, there was little opportunity to chicken out. The one point where you could call a taxi was less than two hours from the end. After battling on for nearly eight hours by this point, not completing the walk myself just wasn’t a viable option.

Ultimately it was a day that will be judged as an achievement rather than one that I enjoyed every last minute of. That’s not to say that there was nothing good, quite the contrary. The morning (with my boots being an exception) was great. The incline was gentle, the views down the valley were stunning and I was keeping to very good time.

Walk from Corte to Calacuccia, Corsica

The afternoon was when the fatigue set in, making some of it more of a slog. It barely registered when I passed a farm that made cheese, and on the steep decent to Calacuccia all I could think was “Ouch.”

Walk from Corte to Calacuccia, Corsica

Crossing the dam into town became an anti-climax when I realised that I had to head uphill and then walk all the way through and out the other side to the hotel. I was lucky not to have to head back for something to eat. (Actually I was lucky to have something to eat! Apparently all the restaurants closed for the winter at the end of September.)

It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow morning.

Travel

Corsica: Sermano to Corte

The first day of walking was to take me from Sermano to Corte. I was driven to the start by taxi along the scary, narrow lanes that surround Corte.

Walk from Sermano to Corte, Corsica

It doesn’t take long before things start to go wrong. Crossing a stream I manage to put my whole foot in the water, fortunately only fleetingly and so I am not completely waterlogged.

A little while later I take what I think must be a wrong turning. By the time I get to the bottom I try to compensate for the error, but am still not able to see the “path on the left after a bridge.” On returning to the path I exited earlier I quickly cross a small bridge and there on the left is a path. I was right all along!

Walk from Sermano to Corte, Corsica

The karma shortly turned against me, as the path led me to a stream that I crossed and found no more path! There was supposed to be a wide, cobbled path but I never found it, instead falling back on battling my way directly up the forested hill. I have a number of scratches to prove it.

Walk from Sermano to Corte, Corsica

I never found out whether I took the right path at the top of the hill.

Luckily it was only the first couple of hours that I made such mistakes. The nearest I got to making a mistake again was in the afternoon when the guide suggested I walk through a hole in a fence. I found no hole and instead followed the way marked path. I think this path must have been blocked off when the guide had been written.

I stopped briefly in a couple of villages. In the one I stopped for lunch, I compared notes with a French hiker. The path she had taken from Corte was not well sign-posted. Given how easily I had gone wrong with a well waymarked path it’s just as well I took the path I did!

Walk from Sermano to Corte, Corsica

The afternoon was comparatively straight-forward. A lot of lose rocks (no fun to walk on) but few gradients and even they were not steep. Just my tiring feet holding me back!

Tomorrow I leave Corte and head west towards Calacuccia.

Travel

Corsica: Ajaccio to Corte

Train from Ajaccio to Corte, Corsica

The plan today is to get to Corte. There are two trains a day, which effectively means that I have to choose between sightseeing in Ajaccio or Corte — with daylight hours fading fairly early there would be no time to do both. Since I’m back in Ajaccio on Friday evening I decide to take the early train.

A 6.30 alarm call on a Saturday comes as a shock to the system.

The train leaves on schedule and, in its two-hour journey time, takes me through some spectacular scenery. A local who introduced himself as I got on the train, clearly used to the views and the journey, seemed bemused by my constant picture taking. “Did you see an animal?” “No, just the view, the mountains.” “Oh.”

Arriving at Corte station, Corsica

Corte is very hilly as I find when I try to carry my bags to the hotel. The hills give it a dramatic setting. As the day passes I see the clouds descend, obscuring the top of the hills, and rain threatens to fall.

Before this I wander around town. The yellow buildings against the bright blue sky looks like Tuscany or the south of France, the flaking paint, which at home you’d consider bad maintenance, here looks quaint. The main street, Cours Paoli, has the usual selection of shops, including a baker, tobacconist and sellers of tourist merchandise. One unusual piece was the tee shirt with Che Guevara and the word Corsica emblazoned beneath. I wasn’t aware that he’d made it here?

Corte town centre, Corsica

Mingled amongst the souvenirs and pastries were many caf?s, one after the other. They all look pretty much the same! That is to say, pretty good. I stop at one in Place Paoli for a panini and cappuccino.

(A quick aside: Paoli is the father of Corsican independence, having established Corte as its capital city.)

Corte town centre, Corsica

I visit the Citadel, home to the Museum of Corsica. The museum is large and modern, complete with audio tour, replicas of any object they don’t have to hand and videos. The content is less impressive than the execution. Sure, it’s supposed to be more about anthropology than history but still, telling us how people used to live less than a hundred years ago hardly needs much of an imagination.

View of Corte from the Citadel, Corsica

The views from the citadel are worth the entrance fee however. It’s possible to see over the whole town and much of the valley.

View of Corte from the Citadel, Corsica

The stunning views will be paid in sweat rather than Euros for most of the rest of the week as the walking starts tomorrow.