Europe 2006 - Corsica - the GR20
All photos © David Noble. No image can be used for any purpose without permission.
The GR20 is a classic walk along the spine of the mountains of Corsica.
Corsica is only a small island but is very rugged. Compared to the Alps
the mountains are not too high - and it is possible to do a walk from
one side of the island to the other very close to the crest of the main
mountain chain. The mountains are granite - and reminded me of parts of
the (granite) Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. At other times on
the walk I was reminded of some of my favorite mountains in South West
Tasmania - where you can also traverse the range very close to the
skyline.
The GR20 is about 190 km long. I spent 11 very enjoyable days on
this walk. In the time I completed the whole walk from Calanzana in the
north to Conca in the south. I mainly walked by myself - but I met a
lot of friendly fellow hikers along the way - nearly all Europeans
- but I did also meet one couple from Australia. The walk starts
with an ascent as you climb up onto the mountain chain. After this
there are plenty of smaller ups and downs. Some of the traverse
involves scrambling. One section has a ladder and some fixed chains and
is a quite exposed. I did not find this difficult. I found a lot of the
walking quite exhilerating - being dramatically poised above large drop
offs. The route the GR20 follows is quite intricate in order to get
through the rugged terrain. I found all parts of the walk spectacular
and equally rewarding. If you are thinking of doing it - then do all of
it - not just the more popular northern section.
Most nights I camped out - near the huts (the only places that you can camp).
I first heard about this walk when my friends Ashley and Kendy Burke, and Rob Hynes completed it 2002. Ashley has a webpage here on their trip. Later another friend, John McGrath also strongly recommended the walk. He had spent a lot of time on the island.
I have divided the photos up into the following pages -
Day 0 and Day 1 and 2 - Calvi - Calenzana - Refuge d'Ortu di u Piobbu
- Refuge de Carrozzu
Day 3 - Refuge de Carrozzu to Asco Stagnu and ascent of Monte Cinto
Day 4 - Asco Stagnu to Ciottulo a i Mori
Day 5 and 6 - Ascent of Paglia Orba, Ciottulo a i Mori to Refuge de Manganu to Refuge de Petra Piana
Day 7 and 8 - Refuge de Petra Piana to Vizzavona
to Bocca Verde
Day 9 - Bocca di Verdi to Refuge d'Usciolu
Day 10 - Refuge d'Usciolu to Col De Bavella
Day 11 - Col De Bavella to Conca
Guidebooks
- Gr 20 Corsica - The High Level Route by Paddy Dillon (Cicerone)
- Trekking in Corsica by David Abram (Trailblazer)
- I also had the Lonley Planet Guide to Corsica
Links
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