Day three and the GR20 shows it’s true colours. It was only just over six and a half kilometres long and had only one ascent and one descent, how difficult can that be…extremely, as it happens. Six and a half kilometres took us nearly six hours. I’ve walked slower, but let’s face it a two year old could walk faster! The walk up, though, was exhilarating as the path wound its way up the valley, contouring high under rock pinnacles before zig zagging up a gully onto Bocca Muvrella at 1,920m. The path then criss crosses the summit ridge and then the tortuous descent begins, one that is repeated many times in the following days.
Stephen, though, is on fine form he managed to book two of the ski chalets for us, instead of camping. I have to say a brilliant manoeuvre and one that I was very grateful for. And on reaching our goal, as became the habit, a can of Coke and a large Pietra Ambre was rapidly consumed before anything else was done. A night in a bed, wonderful. For those that shout ‘cheat’, I don’t care, it was worth any amount of abuse that the ‘purest’ camper could throw at us.
Day four, started with a call from Stephen, saying that after sitting on the loo, pondering the guide book, certain words jumped out at him. Stephen, has a fear of exposure and heights and the guide book clearly stated that anyone with either of those fears should think twice about doing the next section. He decided to take the guide books advice and bypassed day four. We met for breakfast and he had a plan to rejoin me at the end of day five at the Hotel Castile de Vergio. All was good
So I started day 4 walking through the forest, on my own, a gentle start, lulling me into a false sense of security. I emerged from the forest to be confronted with a fortress of, what looked like impenetrable pinnacles and sheer rock, that is the valley head and the now closed Cirque de Solitude and the main route now takes the old variant over Pointe des Éboulis. Somehow the initiators of the GR20 had found a route up through the cliffs to the Pointe des Éboulis at 2,607m the highest point of the GR20. I met a Belgian on the way up, we passed each other many times during the day. It appears that his wife bought him this holiday for his 50th birthday,…he thought he probably had grounds for divorce!!! On reaching the Bocca (Col) there is a choice, to divert and summit Monte Cinto, the highest mountain in Corsica. For the first time on the walk the cloud was building and the rain coming in, Corsican thunderstorm. So I decided against the diversion and started my descent to the Refuge.
It’s a long descent over some steeply exposed slabs that Stephen would probably have done his silly walk on, brought on by vertigo! So I think he made the right choice to bypass this day. The descent finished at Refuge de Tighjettu and a welcome smile from Quintin and Blanche. I’ve never set my tent up on a pallet before, but the ground was rocky, uneven and not over suitable for finding a stone free level pitch, so the pallet was very welcome! It had been another long day time wise, but short in distance, with an average speed of 1.4kmph! It was strange not walking with Stephen, I know we walk at different paces, but knowing we wouldn’t meet up for lunch etc. was a little disconcerting.
Quentin asked me if I wanted to walk with them today, which I readily agreed to. As we walked down, within 30 minutes, we passed the Beregeries de Ballone, although very basic looked it was a far better place to camp than the Refuge higher up. Day five of the GR20 was a bit of a stroll in the park compared to the previous days. It was a fairly steep walk up to the Bocca di Foggiale, but easy enough, then a further slight climb up to the Refuge de Ciottulu dib I Mori a very basic and exposed Refuge. The three of us stopped for lunch but were glad that we were moving on to the Hotel Castel Di Vergio.
The descent was one watching and hearing the little waterfalls that plunge into deep turquoise pools. We stopped often and Quentin and Blanche basked on the rocks whilst I took some photographs of the beautiful waterfalls. Blanche was feeling a little under the weather and I think the last couple of kilometres, she would have liked to have wished away.
We arrived at the Hotel Castel Di Vergio looking forward to that Beer and Coke. Quentin and Blanche had also booked a room, to give Blanche a good nights sleep and time to recover from the dodgy water she had drunk a couple of days ago. Blanche is strong, both physically and mentally and like most women didn’t moan, which I’m sure I would have done, I think! The best thing though was that Stephen walked in to the hotel just fifteen minutes after us.
Day six was a joy, the landscape changed to a more walker friendly terrain, the steep unrelenting rocks had gone and the mountains became friendlier, welcoming the walker and not fighting them every inch of the way! Again we walked a foursome for much of the day. Listening to the younger couple’s aspirations and to Stephens stories, which are always a joy to listen to.
Lunch was a leisurely affair in fact nearly two hours of basking in the sunshine, boots off and eyes closed.
We separated from Quentin and Blanche after lunch as they were going a little further as Stephen was leaving the GR20 main path in the morning to bypass day seven. The Refuge that Quentin and Blanche were staying at was only 45 minutes further but Stephens exit route was easier to get to from a Bergeries de Vaccaghja, that was situated just before the main Refuge. We got to the Bergeries only to find that the Guardian (the Manager) was the most miserable old git ever to have walked this earth, christened Chucky by Stephen…So we walked that extra 45 minutes to the Refuge de Manganu.
