Outdoor Video Magazine

Corsica is a small French island in the Mediterranean Sea located south of France and West of Italy. For the hiker, it is a jewel of destination. An extensive network of long-distance trails lead through the rugged, mountainous interior, while many other trails line the glorious coastline. Warm, blue seas and sandy beaches combined with picturesque mountain villages make your down-time from hiking equally enjoyable. I made my first, and unfortunately my only (so far!) visit to Corsica in the summer of 2003. If I didn’t now live in Canada I would undoubtedly already have gone back there.

Trails
The most famous trail on the island is the GR20 (GR standing for Grande Randonee, or literally Big Walk!). This beast of a hike traverses most of the north-south distance of the island, winding it’s way through (or more accurately up and down) the central mountains. It is truly an awesome hike and I would throughly recommended finding time to fit as much of this hike in your itinerary as you can. However, be warned, it is not easy! For more information see our GR20 post or check out this site.

Other trails to consider are the Mare a Mare (coast to coast) Centre, and Mare a Mare Sud. These trails take in a wider variety of scenery than the GR20, having a combination of lower level/flatter hiking, but also some considerable elevation gain as they traverse the mountains. Because both these trails link with the GR20, one option is to hike part of the GR20, and then use one of these trails as an exit route to take you to the coast. This has the advantage in that it’s (obviously) downhill most of the way once you leave the GR20, giving you time for a well earned rest. Extensive details on both of these trails as well as the Mare e Monti Sud can be found on www.corsica-hiking.com which is an excellent resource.

A purely coastal trail is the Littoral Sartenais, leading south for 2/3 days from Propriano. Although the hiking itself is not spectacular, the superb beaches are well worth it. The few visitors you will find on these beaches will most likely have got there in their big private yacht, the trail itself is very quiet. Be warned, this can be EXTREMELY hot in summer and there is virtually no water on the way. I hiked this trail during a heatwave in 2003 and the temperature stayed around 45C throughout the day. Ouch.

What to bring
Water containers. Lots. Although there are many streams running through the mountains, many of the hikes leave all this behind as the climb over a pass during the day. The steepness of climbs, particularly on the GR20, combined with the scorching heat can mean you have to carry large amounts of water with you. I did the GR20 with my girlfriend and we BOTH carried 3 litres each day. And drank it.

Also obvious things like beach towels, suncream etc. For the mountains you will need some warm clothes and a sleeping bag rated to around 0-3C even in summer, temperatures do drop at night especially as huts/campground tend to be in the valleys which trap the colder air (yes, interestingly it is often warmer to be higher up!). For camping elsewhere I would recommend a silk liner, it can remain extremely warm all through the night and I find silk the best thing to sleep in in the heat. This worked in the rainforest of Peru too, where it was very hot and humid. I didn’t find bugs were an issue, but you may want to bring some spray in case.

When to go
August tends to be the hottest, driest and busiest month. July is similar. Going during French holiday time often means it is much busier as many French people take holidays within their own country. The GR20 can be VERY busy during these times. September is a good time for hiking, with slightly cooler temperatures and less tourists. March/April/May provides some interesting hiking conditions with lingering snow up high, cold nights but a possibility of warm sunny days.

How to get there
Nice (yes that’s a place) on the south-coast of France has a large international airport that often has some cheap flights. Especially from England. From Nice simply take the ferry to Calvi (shortest route) or Bastia (a nicer town). This is generally cheaper than trying to fly direct to the island. Ferries also go from Italy, on a longer crossing. Genoa is the nearest international airport. Check out Corsica Ferries for details.

Have fun!