Walking in Corsica. Gillian Price

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      This ancient Corsican proverb may come in handy:

      Arcu da sera, tempu si spera.

      Arcu da mane, acqua à funtane

      which translates roughly as ‘Rainbow in the evening, hope for good weather. Rainbow in the morning, fountains of water’ (rain!).

Getting to Corsica

      Air

      Most flights to Corsica entail a stopover in France before flying into either Bastia or Ajaccio. Some charter companies also fly into Figari near Bonifacio in the south, or Calvi on the west coast (perfect for the start of the Mare e Monti trail).

      Sea

      Ferries ranging from gigantic container-like vessels through to sleek, fast catamarans link the French mainland ports of Marseille and Nice all year round with Bastia and Ajaccio. These are supplemented by summer services to resort towns l’Île Rousse and Propriano on the west coast, along with Porto-Vecchio in the east. The majority carry vehicles as well as passengers. From Italy the main ports of departure are Genoa and Livorno, with ferries bound for Bastia and Porto-Vecchio. The main shipping lines are Corsica Ferries (www.corsicaferries.com), the Societé Nationale Corse–Méditerranée (www.sncm.fr) and Moby Lines (www.mobylines.it). Advance booking for vehicles is essential in summer.

Local Transport

      Corsica is fairly easy to get around by public transport if you’re not in a great hurry and don’t mind the odd delay. A long list of private companies run mini-buses and long-distance coaches (referred to as autocars or simply cars) all over the island. Tourist offices in key tourist centres such as Bastia and Ajaccio distribute exhaustive sheets summarising all the lines relevant to their region. In minor towns the companies are usually based at travel agencies, where destinations and departure times will hopefully be on display. Otherwise try the local café – people are invariably helpful. Fares tend to be pretty steep and tickets are generally sold on board. Punctuality is another story, so don’t plan a tight schedule if you have a plane or ferry to catch. The helpful website www.corsicabus.org has many bus routes and timetables.

      Hitch-hiking is a piece of cake; depending on traffic flow, you rarely have to wait long for a lift from benevolent tourists or locals, particularly if you look like a hiker and are carrying a rucksack. However, as is the rule the world over, it is inadvisable for women to hitchhike on their own.

      Most villages have a taxi service, but drivers seem to require lengthy advance warning and do not come cheap.

      The following glossary will help in deciphering timetables:

quotidien, tous les jours	daily
sauf	except
seulement	only
jours fériés	Sunday and public holidays
lundi	Monday
mardi	Tuesday
mercredi	Wednesday
jeudi	Thursday
vendredi	Friday
samedi	Saturday
dimanche	Sunday

      Train

      The Chemins de Fer de la Corse, alias U Trinighellu or the micheline, is a marvellous narrow-gauge railway line that runs through the mountainous centre of Corsica connecting Bastia and Ajaccio with a branch line to Calvi on the west coast. It originally extended down the eastern seaboard to Porto-Vecchio, but the track was damaged by bombing in the Second World War and unfortunately never rebuilt. The train is handy for walkers heading for Calvi and the Mare e Monti trail, and is the perfect leisurely means of transport to reach Corte, strategically located for many mountain routes. A must for train buffs and others alike, it makes for a memorable rattling trip and is irreverently referred to as the island’s TGV – Train Grande Vibration! Pocket timetables are widely available, otherwise call 0800 000080 or visit www.ter-sncf.com. Remember that this service is not renowned for its punctuality either.

      The most thrilling stretch of track negotiates the narrow valley between the stations of Corte and Vizzavona, with a spectacular succession of viaducts, switchbacks and tunnels, looping back on itself for the climb to the 1000m mark. Renowned French civil engineer Gustave Eiffel was responsible for the 1888 design of the noteworthy steel girder bridge in the proximity of Vivario station.

      Car

      Car rental agencies are plentiful in the main towns and ports, though of course you can bring your own car on the spacious ferries (with the appropriate paperwork and insurance). The French road identification system uses the letter N for the more important nationale routes and D for relatively minor départmentale roads, plus a distinguishing number. There are few straight routes on the island, so getting from A to B will take longer than you’d think. Visitors will find they spend a lot of time on twisting narrow roads, not often equipped with a guard rail and frankly hair-raising at times. Don’t hesitate to sound your horn at blind corners in the interests of safety. The locals tend to ignore bends in the road so their vehicles often need dodging too. A further potential hazard for drivers is posed by wandering livestock, who deposit skid traps on the tarmac for unwary motorists.

Walking

      This guide is intended to give a taste of the paradise Corsica offers walkers with its wonderful network of pathways. Three time-tested long-distance routes are described in detail, as is a selection of shorter walks designed as day-trips. However, it will quickly become clear to enterprising visitors that anyone suitably equipped and armed with a good measure of common sense, together with the appropriate detailed map, can ‘do their own thing’ and explore the multitudinous well-marked paths independently.

      Walking in Corsica covers a vast range of the terrain – rough stony mountainsides and exposed airy ridges, slippery rock slabs, easy earth-based paths in wood and grassy pasture, sandy beaches and multitudinous river crossings – fords more often than not. A bit of everything!

      How to Use this Guide

      Most paths have clear waymarking, though numbering is rare. This is generally a regular succession of painted stripes on trees or prominent rocks, occasionally accompanied by an arrow and name of a landmark ahead. During the walk descriptions in this guide, ‘track’ is used to refer to an unsealed vehicle-width lane, while a ‘path’ is narrow and for pedestrians only. A ‘road’ is sealed, and traffic can be expected.

      The individual route descriptions include the altitude (metres above sea level) of useful landmarks along the way (altitude is abbreviated as ‘m’ and given in brackets; minutes is abbreviated as ‘min’). Compass directions as well as directional instructions ‘right’ and ‘left’ are supplied as an extra aid.

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