This is the second post covering my 10 days hike through Corsica with my dad. This article will go over the last four days of the trek, in the southern section of the trail. This part is renowned for being the flatter and easier segment.
It's also the part where I almost broke my ankle...so it was a mixed bag for me.
Let's dive in!
Day 7: First day on the southern GR20 trail
27.3km, 9h10
The Vizzavone campground is fantastic. The town is very small, maybe six buildings in all, most of them hotels. The campground has a decent sized gorcery store, the biggest one on the whole GR20 by far.
You can take the train from Vizzavone to Ajaccio or Bastia, making it a good place to take a day off and a natural halfway point. There are no banks or ATMs on the GR20 and the train can also take you to nearby villages where you can withdraw cash.
We left our campsite at 7 am, eager to hike at a higher pace and to enjoy a more even terrain. We were going to double up the stage again today and cover over 25km.
These two stages were indeed much flatter than the Northern part, but it would not stay this way very long.
We stopped at the E Capanelle refuge just long enough to refill our water bottles, and contently continued our hike.
This is the day I rolled my ankle, badly. On an inconspicuously flat part of the trail, my ankle suddenly bent 90 degrees sideways and two CLACK CLACK sounds made me shiver.
Sharp shooting pains shot up my leg. Weren’t high top hiking shoes supposed to prevent this?
After a five minutes pause I tested out the ankle and was able to walk on it. I was thankfully able to hike pain free, but even as I write this article almost two months after the event I still feel some pain from time to time.
We saw our first wild pig just before reaching the Petru Di Verde refuge. This place was very nice. We pitched our tent and headed to the restaurant where we relaxed by the fireplace sipping our beer and journaling. A great way to finish a beautiful hiking day.
Day 8: The southern GR20 still has mountains
26.6km, 10h35
This day had a total of 1600m of ascent. So much for the famed flatness of this part. In fact, the day started with a steep 500 meters ascension towards the Prati refuge.
The fog rolled in as soon as we reached the top of the mountain but we were able to see a helicopter dropping off some food at the refuge as we passed on.
I feel like this would have been a gorgeous day had the visibility been better. We walked on a ridge for hours and luckily saw some glimpses of our surroundings whenever the clouds briefly dissipated.
We encountered our only "grumpy” hikers who would not let us pass them. We maneuvered a surgical line to pass them in a tight turn, only to stray off the trail 100 meters later and end up behind them again. Ugh!
It was all downhill after the Uscoliu refuge and we hiked out of the fog. The remainder of the day was beautiful. It reminded me of the movie “Gladiator”. We saw more wild pigs as we walked through the tall ferns.
We arrived at the Bassetta farms just before nightfall and had dinner looking at the sunset.
Day 9: The beautiful Bavedda mountains on the GR20
23,3 km, 11h10
This one was brutal but so rewarding.
The hike starts by going through the Cosconiu plateau, a unique natural reserve. The wind picked up as we approached the Asinau pass and we were briefly engulfed in fog at the top.
On the other side, saw the famous Bavella mountains in the distance. There was an option to go straight through them, but we opted for the longer, and flatter option of going around them.
From here until Conca, the trail has minimal elevation gain.
This would be an amazing place to come back to and do day hikes.
After reaching the Bavella pass, the trail became super easy but our legs were very tired. We reached the Paliri refuge exhausted.
This was going to be our last night on the GR20, giving us mixed feelings.
On the one hand, we were very happy to finish it. It’s a huge physical challenge and the sense of accomplishment at the end feels amazing.
On the other hand, it was the end of a beautiful adventure. These hiking adventures seem so surreal when we look back on them. I always try to enjoy every moment, good and bad, when I’m on them, but the finality of the last day always leaves a nostalgic feeling.
We were having dinner outside when it started to pour rain. A bunch of us gathered in the small dorm kitchen. It was crammed, everyone was wet, everyone was happy and we talked long after our meal was done. It was a good way to spend our last evening.
The best was yet to come in the morning.
Final day on the GR20
13km, 4h15
The rain fell relentlessly well after we dosed off to sleep. Thankfully it had stopped when we woke up and we saw one of the best sunrises I’ve ever seen. The colours of the sun, shining through the clouds on the mountains were surreal.
We left camp relaxed and happy. We knew we had less than five hours of hiking ahead of us and were determined to enjoy every minute of it.
I found the landscape to be beautiful. The mountains and trees seemed a little different than the last few days. Maybe it was just the euphoria of finishing this hiking adventure, but I felt a deep, radiant happiness within me.
It poured hard for a little while, but I had the right rain gear on.
My dad and I had a solemn moment when we ate our last Vector bar. This has been our go to hiking and workout snack for ever, and Kellogs stopped making them two years ago. I found this one at the back of my pantry when I moved out of my place last year and had been saving it for a special occasion.
We saw Conca 4 hours after leaving the campground. The last 500 meters of the GR20 are on a regular road, and it felt amazing. The official end point is at the Soleil Levant bar, right in the village.
The sun was out and it was hot when we finished. We had drinks at the bar and waited for the shuttle.
It was a bit of a mess to get in the shuttle, you buy your ticket with the driver, which is a bit odd and created somewhat of a free for all when the shuttle came. I can't imagine how big of a mess this must create during high season.
Everyone was able to get on and within 30 minutes we arrived at Potro Vechio, where we would take the ferry back to Marseille the following day.
We stayed at the Tilbury Hotel. It was nice, and clean, had a pool and a great breakfast option.
GR20 final thoughts
This was my second thru hike of the year, I crossed the Pyrenees on the GR10 earlier that summer. Here are my final thoughts on the GR20.
It is indeed very tough. I haven't hiked a ton of other trails in France or in Europe, but this one was very hard. The sheer steepness of the Northern part is enough to make anyone think twice about attempting this hike. On the third day, we averaged a measly 1 km/h pace. I never thought I would hike so slowly but I truly could not have gone any faster
You can do this trail over 15-20 days at a much more leisurely pace. The hike is absolutely stunning and deserves to be appreciated. I was tight on time and chose to finish it as fast as possible, but I would recommend taking your time when doing it.
It's busy. Even doing it in the off season in September there were lot's a hikers. It must be packed during the regular season.
Showing up at the refuges without reservation will cost you 18 euros per person for a camping spot. Reservations make the price drop to 9 euros per person but robs you of any flexibility on the hike.
You can't grocery shop as often as on the GR10. Sure, the refuges have some food you can get, but it's not very varied. We had brought 14 camping dried dinners which were decently tasty.
You must prepare physically and have a good fitness level. Whereas the GR10 started off very gradually, the GR20 is tough from the get go. The first day will give your legs a tough workout and days two and three only get harder.
The next hiking adventure will either be in the Alpes or in Greenland!
Clem
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