Walking in Corsica

Corsica, 7th edition (2019), updated 17/10/2019

Updates for walks and car tours (drives) on Corsica given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book you can “upgrade” to the latest edition at half price.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably by e-mail, to info@sunflowerbooks.co.uk.

Car tour Bastia 1: The Tour de Nonza has been rebuilt into a posh, uniquely placed bar/restaurant. (Sunflower, 7/16)

Walk 4: Track and start very clear and leads all the way to the Cascades. The path is challenging at times and we witnessed a number of walkers inadequately equipped to attempt this walk who were really struggling to scramble across some of the rocky route. We did the long walk to the former CAF refuge but found the return via the short walk route to be not well marked and we found ourselves by default following a local route that took us back to the T20 exactly where we had parked our car on the roadside. What a result! (User, 10/19)

Walk 5: There was no sign of any donkeys to bite you at the Bergeries de Tolla! Indeed any livestock appeared to be well fenced in. It was certainly a welcome stop for a cold drink in the shade on a very hot September day (28C) with many walkers traversing the GR20 and joining us in the shade. (User, 10/19)

Walk 6: I found the start very difficult. I eventually found the cross 2 at the 15 min-point and proceeded along the track to the right as instructed. Then spent ONE hour descending along a narrow winding track full of brambles ( very bloody arms)  towards Ponte di Noceta. I dont know where YOUR One hour track was. (User, 8/19) [Sunflower comments: It is possible that the orange way marks have disappeared at the start of this walk. To clarify, after taking the first left turn for Place Ste-Catherine, follow the charming alley for 170m; then, by a small car park on the left, turn left down concrete. When you come to the cross at the 15min-point, it appears that the Mare a Mare Nord has been rerouted! You now take the path at the left of the cross. This is the route shown on new IGN maps, but we have not checked it ourselves. Sunflower wrote to this user, mentioning that the Mare a Mare must have been rerouted and asking him if the way got easier once the two paths rejoined. He answered: “I obviously was following the old more southerly path having stayed right of the cross. I think there were some orange waymarks too. Through the brambles and then, as you say, it got easier at sport height 344. I do remember at the cross, to the left there was a large flat area – with some builders rubbish. That must have been where to go.”]

Walk 30: Aug 24/25th I walked No. 30 up to Refugio Sega and returned  to Corti. The descent via Bocca a l’Arinella took me 8.5 hrs from Sega to Corti..and I am quitte good at downhill… The “track” from Bergerie de Boniacce was an unmade road traversed by 4×4 vehicles ( mind you i only saw one parked at the Bergerie). Your Numbers in the text are out of sync with map. On the map the very Sharp right hander should be 8 not 7… and maison forestiere should be 9 not 8… At waypoint 8 (2h55min), the very sharp right-hander, there is a 2-roomed plus outhouse one-storey stone Bergerie on the inside of the right-hander. Before this point I saw no hut at 2h15  nor a rough track to the right nor an orange waymarked forking left marked Corte. The way from 1h25 to 2h55 was all on unmade wide road/track… “Home is not ALL downhill” from l’Arinella to Corte… After waypoint 8 you leave the Bergerie to your right, leaving the unmade road for track after a very sharp right-hand turn. You then head due south and pick up orange markers. Your description before waypoint 8 and around 8 is wrong — it is not a ‘sealed reservoir’ but a bunkhouse Bergerie with sink and mattresses… “In a few minutes … 2 streams”: both streams were dry and spread out over at least 40 mins… At the forestry house one hits the “unmade road” again. There was no sign of fountain stream. Heading up road just past the entrance to the barbed-wire enclosure of the forestry house, you should turn off the road to continue on a waymarked track heading south. This track is pine needles and cones – not overgrown as you reported. Then there is a long, well-marked trail to Corte. (User, 8/19) [Sunflower comments: this is the first report we’ve had on this 2-day walk. It is not at all surprising that it took this user 8.5 hours from Sega to Corte; Noel made it 7.5 hours, and he walked in November, not the 90° heat of August! In future editions we will use the term “unmade road” or “motor track”. The hut at 2h15 is visible on Google Earth, but we suspect that the “rough track” and “path to Corte” have become overgrown and no longer used. In this hot, hot August, it is not surprising that the streams were dry, and one of them could not even be seen. In case any of our users do this 2-day walk, the comments above should be very helpful. When Sunflower wrote back to this users, he clarified a couple of points: “Descent from the Bocca a l’Arinella – basically it is a long unmade road all the way to the sharp right hand bend at 2h55 (which should be waypoint 9). There is a stone built bergerie in the crook of the sharp bend to the south. I did pass a concrete reservoir building on the left – in fact altogether I think there were 2 such structures, spaced out, on the left, during descent between l’Arinella and waypoint 9 at 2h55. At the forestry house you hit the unmade road again after a pleasant descent on pine needles and cone track from waypoint 9. This forestry house is surrounded by a perimeter fence of barbed wire and there is no sign of a spring. Just beyond what should be waypoint 10 (the forestry house) there is a nice track off to right – as described in guide.”]

Walk 32: The crossing path at (1h) was not defined as expected but signposted to Plateau d’Elzu & refuge Sega. (User, 10/19)

Walk 34, Short walk: Having landed at Bastia we decided to do this walk before driving on to Venaco where we were staying. The walk started off OK but where the path turned uphill keeping the water tank on your left, the summer overgrowth of briars and brambles made it impossible to follow. I did beat down some of the growth only to find that the wild boar had been there before us and churned the watery path into a mud bath! So we retreated back to our car, whilst noting a local leaving his hunting dogs in a secluded location in this area (Sunday being a hunting day). (User, 10/19) [Sunflower: We are surprised about the ‘watery’ path. When we did this walk several years ago in early October, it was bone-dry. There must have been rain in September 2019.]

Below are some suggestions from users for other walks or variations; these are not corrections to the text.

NEW WALK FROM BONIFATU to the Refuge Ortu di Piobbu 8 miles, 4h30min
Fairly strenuous, with an ascent of approx. 1000m/3300ft lasting 2.5h. Not suitable in cold, wet or changeable weather.
Equipment, Access: as Walk 15
Follow Walk 15 for 15min, but then fork left for the Refuge Ortu di Piobbu. At this point you ford the river, jumping from boulder to boulder. You immediately commence a steady ascent up a rough track which is concreted for a couple of sections. The river is in a deep gorge on your left. After brisk 1h10min you ford a stream with a partially-concreted bed. After 1h30min ford another stream; here a sign tells you that it is another 1h30min to the rufuge. From now on follow yellow pain daubs. The track gets progressively steeper and winds through Corsican pine forest. After 1h55min you ford another stream. Continue up through pines and then a birch forest containing large boulders, before reaching the tree-line of the pine forest. Once above the treeline you ascend through rocks and grass. After 2h05min the refuge is visible up a steep pasture and is reached at 2h15min. The refuge is for the use of overnight visitors only and sits in a natural amphitheatre of pasture and crags, with some birch forest nearby. Return the same way. You can swim in the large pools near the auberge at Bonifatu. (User)

NEW WALK FROM CALENZA
I walked from Calenzana on the GR20 to a ridge about 1000m above Calenzana. Even on a very hot day this took 3h and 2h down the same way. The path continues above this ridge, but the ridge itself is a very rewarding spot. (User)

NEW WALK FROM CALVI
Take the train towards Ile Russe and alight at St Ambroggio or Cocoody Village (Club Med). From there it is possible to follow a coast path back towards Calvi, near the train line. You can stop when you like. From St Ambroggio to St Restitude takes about 3h. Plenty of beaches en route. (User)

NEW WALK FROM CORTE
Info. in Corte have the full details.
Waymarked (orange) circular route from Corte starting just to the right of the start of the Travignano valley path. Steep climb up towards the ridge, firstly up open hillside then up through shady chestnut and pines before very steep final path to the top. Fabulous views into the Travignano gorge. Had no time to complete the circuit which continues anticlockwise along the mountainside before returning downhill, but no doubt the waymarking is more than adequate to return into Corte. (User)

NEW WALK FROM BONIFACIO: A good walk is shown by the red randonnee line on the 1:25000 map Top25 4255OT Bonifacio. The walk starts left up a track some 100m or so up the entrance road to Bonifacio. The walk goes to 3 bays and round the coast. (User, 5/09) [Editor’s comment: This user is referring to the path shown on our map which begins just west of the road to Port Vecchio and runs to the Phare de la Madonetta; it is waymarked.]

NEW WALKS FROM BASTIA: A map giving 17 circular walks, varying in length from 1 to 5 hours, may be obtained free from the Syndicat d’Initiative in Piedicroce (up some steps out of the village square). These walks link ancient villages in the Castagniccia region, NE of Corte. The reverse of the map gives the estimated time of the walk, but no indication of the difficulty. It also gives information about things you will see in this fascinating area. There are no detailed instructions for the walks but they are well marked with wooden signs in the villages giving walking times, and with frequent orange flashes. We used a 1:100 000 map of Northern Corsica, purchased locally, to get an idea of the terrain and to get to the starting points. The D506 road from Folelli on the main N198 takes you up into this region. We did the first walk, Boucle 1: Piedicroce – Pastoreccia – Campodonico – Pie d’Orezza – Piedipartino – Piedicroce (2 hours), setting off from the Syndicat d’Initiative in Piedicroce. The going was moderate with ups and downs through sweet chestnut forests and with one long, very steep descent. If you prefer a long, steep climb, you could do the walk just as well in the other direction, setting off just past the Mairie on the main street. We went wrong at one point where a fence has been built across the original route. We had to go down and round the bottom of the fence and up the other side (clearly waymarked when we looked for it). We found that the orange flashes are so frequent that if you walk for a few minutes without seeing one, you have gone wrong and need to retrace your steps! We also did Boucle 6: La Porta – Ezau – Ficaja – Chapelle Santa Maria – Croce – La Porta (2 hours). Again there were moderate ups and downs, with nothing really difficult. The two walks we did were very interesting and varied, with woodland, streams, villages, churches and sudden wonderful views across valleys. It was great to find so many circular walks! (User, 10/09)

NEW WALKS IN COSTA VERDE: A map giving 20 circular walks, varying in length from 1 to 9.5 hours, may be obtained free from the Tourist Office in Mariana Plage, south of Bastia on the N198. These walks link ancient villages in the Costa Verde region, some starting from the main road itself. The reverse of the map gives the estimated time and distance of the walk, a gradient profile and instructions for getting to the start point. There are no detailed instructions for the walks but they are well marked with wooden signs in the villages giving walking times, and with frequent orange flashes. We used a 1:100 000 map of Northern Corsica, purchased locally, as backup. We did the short Loop 20 which took in the interesting village of San Nicolao with its old black and white photos displayed in front of the buildings they depict. We also did Loop 13 in a clockwise direction. This seemed best as we did the uphill parts first and finished up with a pleasant stroll along the river. (We didn’t park down by the main road as suggested, but drove to where the paths divided at the start of the walk proper, although parking here is very limited.) (User, 9/10)

NEW WALKS IN HAUT ASCO: You mention Haut Asco in your ‘drives’ section, but I would strongly recommend climbing the GR20 to the Bocca di Stagnu: a bit ‘scrambly’ in places but nothing too difficult. The views from the Bocca are fantastic. I believe you could also carry on to the ‘a Murvella’ peak: being on my own I did not do this, it looked like there might be some awkward bits I wouldn’t want to try on my own, but probably it is a straightforward scramble. (User, 5/14)

CAVU VALLEY? I would also recommend the Cavu valley running inland from Ste Lucie de Porto-Vechio. An unmade road (tractable in an ordinary hire car) goes up this valley beyond the ‘Tyrolania’ adventure park with numerous shady parking and picnic spots. Walking along the road is v pleasant, with opportunities to scramble down to the river which has rock pools for bathing. There may be potential to work out a circular walk here. (User, 5/14)