Cherry Picking in Corsica

My friend Steve W. and I had only a week to spare for a trip, so we decided to "cherry-pick' the five most dramatic days (as we were told) of this famous route in between the Easyjet Tuesday flight to Nice, and it's return.

The mountains of Corsica form a tangle of craggy gnarly ridges, weirdly eroded granite. From peaks around 2200 to 2700 metres, vast cliffs and slabs sweep down 800 metre drops into the high upper valleys.

The going is almost always rocky:- steeply up and steeply down. Sometimes its walking, often using hands, and with occasional little pitches or chimneys calling briefly for proper scrambling. To make a comparison:- going up Ben Nevis via the Ledge Route scramble, and with a sac including a sleeping bag, mat, spare clothes and hill food for 5 days would give a fair approximation to the bigger days on GR20.

We were unsure how the Guide Book times would work out for us till we tried. However, with our rucksack weight contained to about 8.5 KG plus snacks and water (11.5 KG all up) we were pleased to find our times were about 20% less. Ie the 5.5 hour to 7 hour days 1+2 we did in a shade under 5 hours, and the 5 hour to 5.5 hour day 3 took just 3hr 40 min. Having said that, we had perfect weather, just lightly overcast, and carried no tent or stove. Quite a few folk had lots more weight.....took much more time.

At the end of the second stage, the route drops very steeply to Carozzu refuge. The refuges are definitely the Achilles' Heel of the GR 22..... at Carozzu the building had been closed down for disinfestation of bed bugs. They provided a poor meal and our booking had been transferred to a provided tent. Generally, these Corsica refuges are very basic:- imagine a Scottish bothy where the Scouts are making you some pasta on a camping gas stove. Evening meals were 20 Eu and petits dejeuners 6 Eu. Pretty strong prices even allowing for transport up the mountain, I thought. And not too much reinvested !!

We slept at Haut Asco (an old ski station) on our third night.
Because of the closure of the Cirque de la Solitude, after the fatal accident and avalanche in June, our fourth day began at the road-head village of Calasima. From here, we made a beeline to the pass Bocca di Foggiale -- a 900 metre ascent which becomes steeper and rockier at the top.

 

 
Swinging upwards from the col, brought us to the Refuge Ciottulu di i Mori "The Hole of the Moors". This is the highest refuge on GR 20, just below 2000 metres and beneath the summit of Paglia Orba.
Ciottulu is smallish (sleeps 26) but as usual there are plenty of tents dotted about. It has the benefit of a single WC for the 50 or so people, and the water supply froze overnight. (The Refuge is just off the middle of the picture)

We could forgive Ciottulu its limited comforts, when our fifth day dawned sunny and clear with stupendous views southwards down the great Cirque.

Now an easy 3 hours in the morning sunshine took us down, down, down to Castel de Vergio. Here a tiny road crosses the watershed, whilst a small wayside hotel remembers the snows of years in the past. We had to turn off GR20 here, because we didn't have another 3 days to reach the next road at Vizzavona.
Our trip was not quite over, as the "daily" bus service wasn't running on a Sunday. We had 3 hours hitching to get into the valley, 3 hours waiting for the next train, and 2.5 hours drinking beers on the train to Bastia and the airport. Bit of a road trip as well, then !

So overall, we had a great 5 days; passing strenuously - but without any real difficulty - through stupendous scenery. With its very clear waymarking GR20 has no navigational issues and the frequent refuges (despite their shortcomings) make it a lot easier than (say) a comparable journey in the West Highlands. Well recommended !
ANDREW

PS - A NOTE ON THE CIRQUE DE LA SOLITUDE
This section which included chains and a ladder up slabs which steepen to "Mod", was swept away on 10th June by an avalanche/ mud slide which killed 7 trekkers. It may not re-open because the geological stability is apparently suspect. Our short trip involved some tight logistics, so soon after the accident we committed to taking a bus service from Haut Asco to Calasima. The direct line back to GR20 is not clear where it leaves the forestry road, but once we located the Foggiale stream with the compass,
we found a clear cairned path on its north side.
Since July, a high level route has been opened passing near the summit of Monte Cinto. A number of people were taking this, and as time goes by, the way marking will be clear and a route time generally established for it.
The BMC didn't pick up news of the accident or the closure, and even when it was pointed out to them, they couldn't be bothered to carry news of it to benefit any Members who might be going. Too busy looking at glossy photos of climbers I suspect. We are not amused.