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Travel
Information
Season: May to October. Any day except Monday.
This
trip is offered on a land only basis because low cost airline routes
give the best options for getting to Corsica. Unfortunately
we are unable to book these low cost airline flights on your
behalf. If you wish, we can book scheduled flight for you with Air
France (see below).
Low
Cost Flights.
Direct
scheduled flights from London are limited to Easyjet flights from Gatwick
to Ajaccio and Bastia. Either airport is convenient for the start of the
trip but Ajaccio is by far preferable for the return journey. These
flights operate on Sundays.
There
are many options from British regional airports if you fly with Easyjet
via Paris. There
are daily Easyjet flights between Paris and Ajaccio.
To
get to Paris there are daily Easyjet flights from Luton, Bristol,
Liverpool and Belfast and flights on Monday, Wednesday,
Friday and at the weekends from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Not all of the schedules connect but many do, you will need to check
carefully for the dates you wish to travel. If you have to spend a night
in Paris in one direction why not just think of it as an added highlight
of the trip!
Air
France fly to Ajaccio from Paris, Lyon, Nice and Marseille. You can fly
to these destinations on Air France/KLM flights or BA flights from
London.
There
is also the option of flying on an Air France scheduled service from
London or Manchester via Paris or Lyon on any day of the week, but you
may well need to add a night in Ajaccio or Paris/Lyon at the start of your
trip.
Another
alternative is to use Easyjet or Air France flights between London and
Nice and take the ferry across to Bastia or Ajaccio. Ferries are
operated by Southern Ferries, web site www.southernferries.co.uk (tel.
0844 815 7785). Nice flights can be cheaper. The ferry cost varies from
25 to about 60 Euros per person depending on route, day, time of
crossing and seats/cabins booked. If you plan to use the ferry then it
may be necessary to get an early flight of have an overnight stay in
Nice
If
you travel via Nice you could extend your holiday with a few nights in
this chic resort.
Start
of Tour: The
cost of a taxi or airport bus from the airport to Ajaccio railway
station and train to Corte are not included in the tour price. Taxi and
train fares about 22 Euros per person. NB
: usually the last train to Corte departs Ajaccio at 16.20.
If
you arrive in Bastia you also need to take a taxi to the station and the
train to Corte.
End of Tour:
The cost of the bus transfer to Ajaccio from Porto on the penultimate
day of the tour is not included (26 Euros approx) nor is the transfer
from Ajaccio to the Airport for return flight, by bus this takes
approximately 20 minutes and costs approx 12 Euros. A
taxi costs about 30 Euros.
Ferries
depart from Ajaccio to Nice and other destinations on the south coast of
France.
Level of Difficulty
Grade: The tour is graded Moderate. This self-guided tour is not
available for those who wish to travel alone.
Fitness: The trek is within the capabilities of any normally healthy
and active individual who takes part in regular hill walking. The route
itself is not difficult, although it is more than just a ramble - there
are some fairly rough ascents, with maquis scrub to negotiate and
sometimes on loose, stoney ground.
Day stages: range
in length from 9.5km to 26.5km. The long day of 26.5km can be shortened
to 18 km. The other days are all considerably shorter.
Waymarks: the
trail is generally well marked mostly with red and white GR markings or
orange waymarks.
General information
Hotels:
The
hotels described are our usual choice of accommodation, however if these
are not available then alternatives are used and if these are of a
different standard you will be informed at the time of booking.
Baths/showers:
Many rooms with ensuite/private facilities have a shower rather than a
bath, usually because of limited space. Some hotels/guesthouses may
however have a separate room in the house where a bath is available to
guests.
Breakfast:
In countries such as France are usually coffee and
toast/bread/croissant, if you want more for breakfast then we would
suggest you purchase some food the night before.
Special
Dietary Requirements: It is important for
you to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when you book your
holiday so that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Single
Supplements: are
payable on most of our tours. The
single supplement guarantees the privacy of your own room, however,
rooms can at times be small and in some places may not enjoy the same
facilities as double/twin rooms.
Solo
Traveller Supplements:
are payable when the cost per bag of moving luggage increases.
Language:
When travelling in less frequented
areas you will not necessarily come across people speaking English.
Remember you are experiencing a different culture, buy a phrase book and
try to learn a little of the local language!
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes your
luggage will have been taken to your room awaiting your arrival. However
don’t be surprised if your luggage is waiting for you to take it up to
your room. Please politely ask someone if you need assistance.
Route
Notes: Please note that one set of route
notes per room booked is included in the cost of the holiday. If you
require more sets of notes then there is a charge of £25 per set
ordered.
Route notes are not issued to clients booking escorted departures.
Insurance:
All
clients must have appropriate cover for the activities included for the
duration of our trip.
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Accommodation & Meals
6
nights are spent in 2 star hotels and 1 night in a 3 star hotel all with
private facilities as standard.
On 3 nights (The first night in Corte, Evisa and on one of the two
nights at Calacuccia) evening meals are included in the tour price. On
other evenings (Corte, Calacuccia, Porto and Ajaccio) there are local
restaurants nearby. Picnic lunches can also be obtained from the
hoteliers or purchased in local shops.
You will need to take about £85 per person for 4 dinners and
about £55 for 7 picnic lunches, with an additional allowance for
daytime refreshments. (Drinks are rather expensive: a small beer or
black coffee costs €1.75; a large white coffee can be
€2.50).
Most
frequented hotels are described below but alternatives are used on
occasion, when room availability is limited.
q
Night 1.
Corte. A comfortable 2 star hotel in the centre of Corte, all rooms
have their own en suite facilities, telephone and television. Dinner is
included.
q
Night 2. Corte.
Same hotel as night 1 but dinner is not included. There are numerous
good restaurants in the Citadelle end of town.
q
Night 3.
Calacuccia. A comfortable modern hotel outside the village. This is a
small family run establishment of twelve rooms, each with its own
bathroom. There are splendid views over to Monte Cinto and Paglia Orba
from the terrace bar. The hotel has a bar but no restaurant, however a set-menu dinner is included
normally at the restaurant U. Valdoniellu, 10 mins walk from the hotel.
q
Night 4.
Calacuccia. Same hotel as night 3 but dinner is not included.
q
Night 5. Evisa.
This 2-star hotel is set in
spectacular surroundings. From
the terrace restaurant there is an incredible view west across the
Spelunca Gorge and forest, to the sea, and the peak of Capu D'Orto
(1294m). Dinner is
included in the tour price. Picnic
lunches can be obtained from shops in the village. There is a swimming
pool (open in Summer season).
q
Night 6. Porto.
Back down at sea level; we stay in this typically Mediterranean
small resort. Our hotel is just by the harbour front. (If it is full, a
suitable alternative is only a couple of minutes further along).
q
Night 7. Ajaccio.
We stay in a comfortable 3 star hotel in the old centre of Ajaccio,
located near the bustling harbour of the town, the train and bus
stations and a beach. The rooms are air conditioned, with en suite
bathroom, television and telephone.
Outline
Itinerary
q
Day 1: Arrive
Ajaccio. On arrival transfer by taxi or
airport bus to the railway station for a scenic journey through the
mountains on the old rack railway to Corte.
If
you arrive in Bastia you also need to take a taxi to the station and the
train to Corte.
q
Day 2: Clients
are transferred by taxi to Sermano to start this day’s walk back to
Corte. 18km/6 hours. A good warm-up day as we traverse the hills and
valleys from Sermano through maquis and chestnut, past a couple of
sleepy villages with interesting churches and then descend from a high
grassy pass, past cork oak and beeches to Corte, the ancient capital of
the island.
q
Day 3: Corte
to Calacuccia. 26.5km/9-10 hours. We pass through the densley-forested
Tavignano Valley and over the Col de la Croix before descending to the
barraged Lac de Croix, and our hotel in the village of Calacuccia. At
850m. This is a long day but we hope you will agree that the spectacular
scenery provides adequate compensation. It is possible to opt for a
shorter day by walking part of the Tavignano valley, then back to Corte
(18km/5-6 hours) and then travel by taxi with your baggage to Calacuccia.
q
Day 4: Calacuccia
to Castel di Vergio. 14.5km/5 hours.
Via the “chemin de ronde” to the Col de Vergio
(1,477m/4,845ft). Today we ascend to the watershed, past shepherds' huts
and with views of Monte Cinto (2,706m/8,875ft) the highest peak in
Corsica. Transfer back to your hotel in Calacuccia. This trip can be
done in reverse if preferred, making it largely a descent.
q
Day 5: Transfer
from Calacuccia to Col di Vergio (or just below) to start walk (cost
included). Col di Vergio to Evisa. 9.5km/3 to 4 hours. In the morning we
walk down through a forest of Lariccio pine, passing waterfalls and
magnificent chestnut trees, to reach the attractive village of Evisa
(850m/2,788ft) with its fine views of the valley.
In the afternoon we can explore the village, which is famed
historically for chestnut production.
q
Day 6:
Evisa to Porto. 13km/4 to 5 hours.
In the morning we continue our descent of the Spelunca Gorge, to
Ota, another picturesque mountain village where we take lunch.
Continuing on we arrive at the scenically located beach resort of Porto
where there will be time for a swim, a walk up to the old Geonese fort,
maybe a boat ride and always time for a great evening meal at one of the
seaside restaurants, perhaps enjoying a great seafood dish.
q
Day 7:
Porto to Ajaccio. Morning at leisure in Porto, then
you need to walk up to the bus stop, which is 1.5 km away from the port,
so bring portable bags and not too much weight to make it easier for
you.
Take a coach at
approx 14.00 hours along the corniche road which winds into and around
the Calanches National Park (consisting of impressive coastal cliff
formations) to Ajaccio. This is a direct service, which takes approx 2.5
hours. (This is not included in tour price, and does not run on Sundays.
This is why we do not start the trip on a Monday as to do would make day
7 a Sunday. If you do opt to make day 7 a Sunday you will need to take
an expensive taxi transfer.) In Ajaccio, welcome back
to a busy cosmopolitan Mediterranean town with an impressive harbour and
old winding streets crammed with little restaurants and boutique shops.
q
Day 8: Departure from Ajaccio. Local bus or taxi to airport.
What's Included
Transfer
from Corte to Sermano on Day 2. Baggage transfers between each overnight
destination days 2 to 6. Your transfers from Col di Vergio to Calacuccia
on Day 4 and from Calacuccia to Col di Vergio on Day 5. 7 nights Bed and
Breakfast. Dinners on Nights 1, 3 and 5 are also included.
Note
that your movements between Ajaccio and Corte, and Porto and Ajaccio are
not included.
On the Self Guided Tour we provide . . .
1:50,000
scale maps with the whole route marked; these are used in conjunction with our detailed
Route Notes.
Books & Maps
Walks in Corsica, part of
the Footpaths of Europe series (Robertson McCarta, 1990). This includes
some 1:50,000 maps, which cover part of the route of this trek.
Carrington,
D. Granite Island (Penguin)
1984 Erudite portrait of the island as shaped by its tumultuous past.
For
general reference; The Rough Guide
to France, Harrap Columbus. Lonely Planet: Corsica.
Travel
books and larger scale (1:25,000) maps can be obtained from
Stanford’s, London Tel: 0207 836 1321 (or fax 0207 236 0189) to check
availability or to place a mail order or
web:
www.stanfords.co.uk.
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