The GR20 Corsica. Paddy Dillon

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      Tents for hire, dotted around the Bergeries de Vaccaghja (Stage 6)

      There is no doubt that the GR20, traversing the rugged mountains of Corsica, is one of the top trails of the world. Its reputation precedes it, and most who trek the route describe it afterwards as one of the toughest they have ever completed. Others find they are unable to complete it, having seriously underestimated its nature. The GR20 climbs high into the mountains and stays there for days on end, leading ordinary trekkers deep into the sort of terrain usually visited only by mountaineers. The scenery is awe-inspiring, with bare rock and sheer cliffs in some parts, contrasting with forests, lakes and alpine pastures in other places. Those who walk the route are only too eager to share their experiences with those who haven’t, so that everyone who completes the GR20 is probably responsible for two or three more people trekking it. It has been estimated that as many as 30,000 people trek the route each year!

      Most people would relish the opportunity to trek through wild mountains, feeling the roughness of the rocks with their fingers, enjoying the clarity of the views under a blazing Mediterranean sun, maybe enlivened with streaks of snow on the higher slopes. There is the perfumed scent of the maquis, and the chance to spot eagles in flight. You can do all this, provided you keep an eye on the weather, since Corsica is noted for severe summer thunderstorms, while in winter the mountains are truly alpine. There is the prospect of sleeping in rustic refuges, or even better, sleeping under canvas, peeping out to discover the mountains bathed in moonlight. On moonless nights, you can gaze awe-struck at the firmament speckled with millions of pinprick stars. You can enjoy all this and more provided you make careful plans and walk within your limits.

      The GR20 is an experience, more than simply a trek, and those who try and rush the route may find they finish with certain regrets. While the ‘classic’ route can be covered in a fortnight, discerning trekkers will be happy to include variations – maybe climbing some of the nearby mountains, or visiting nearby villages. The main route allows little opportunity to meet ordinary Corsicans, but a detour into a village, or better still, a night or two spent with a Corsican family, will enhance the quality of the trek. Take the time to sample local foodstuffs, including the meat and cheese produced in the mountains, maybe washed down with a homemade wine, but always be aware of where your next fill up of water is available. Corsican food is generally simple and wholesome – ideal for a trek through the mountains, and all part of the joy of travel!

Geology

      Corsica is often referred to as ‘the Granite Isle’, and it is easy to dismiss the whole island simply as one enormous granite massif, but this would be wrong. Corsica is geologically divided into two parts by a line running very roughly from Île Rousse on the north coast, through Corte in the middle of the island, to Favone on the east coast.

      Everything west of this line is referred to as ‘Hercynian Corsica’, named after a mountain-building era that occurred between 345 and 225 million years ago. The bedrock in this, the greater part of Corsica, is essentially a massive granite intrusion. It was pushed into the Earth’s crust under immense pressure and temperature, so that the rock was in a molten state. As it cooled over a long period of time, coarse crystals formed, chiefly of quartz, feldspar and mica. Geologists sub-divide the granite according to its mineral composition, which varies from place to place, especially around the northwest of the island. Granophyres and quartz porphyries are common, and conspicuous linear dykes have been intruded into some rocks. The mountains that were raised during the Hercynian era are long gone, and the granite mountains of Corsica are merely their deepest roots.

      Everything east of the dividing line is referred to as ‘Alpine Corsica’, simply because the rock types were pushed up during the later era of mountain building that was associated with the creation of the Alps. There are several rock types, including schists of uncertain age that have been folded and metamorphosed time and again. There are also layers of limestone and sedimentary rocks that were formed on the seabed, before buckling under immense pressure to form mountains. Fossils contained in these rocks reveal that they were formed in the Upper Carboniferous, Liassic and Eocene periods – with respective ages from around 300, 150 and 50 million years ago.

      The Ice Age, which ended only around 10,000 years ago, had a profound effect on the mountains of Corsica. The mountains were high enough to ensure that snow never melted from year to year, but increased in depth so that glaciers could form, grinding out deep corries and carving steep-sided valleys into the mountainsides. During a much wetter period than at present, powerful rivers scoured the valleys deeper, and spread fans of alluvial rubble further downstream, and around the coast. During harsh winters in the mountains, conditions are again reminiscent of the Ice Age, when the high corrie lakes freeze completely and deep snowdrifts are heaped up against the cliffs. By the time Man discovered Corsica, the island valleys were well wooded, although parts of the coast and the high mountains were bare rock, much as they are today.

Brief history

      Those who trek the GR20 may feel that they are completely bypassing anything of historical interest on Corsica. Transhumance, the seasonal movement of livestock to summer pastures in the mountains, followed by a retreat to the low ground before the onset of winter, has been practised in Corsica for thousands of years. The island has been invaded dozens of times by all kinds of armies, and native Corsicans have often fought to resist each successive attempt at colonisation. However, high in the mountains, there are few ancient monuments or proud fortifications, nor are there any museums to visit. The GR20 is essentially a tough mountain trek almost completely divorced from the history and culture of the island. History, by and large, was wrought elsewhere on the island, and the best you can do is at least be aware of some of the key events and turbulent times that Corsica has experienced.