Tim Lewis' Expeditions: September 2013

The toughest trek in Europe. Yes, this is how many describe the gruelling GR20. Spanning the length of Corsica, this monster of a route covers over 190km, rises in total to the tune of 13,000m, and contains a huge range of landscapes, terrains, vegetation and geology. This was our challenge, and to say that we underestimated it would be an understatement!

The 10 of us arrived in Bastia in the northern half of the country, and after checking into our beachside campsite we cooled off in the fabulously warm Mediterranean, contemplating our fate. The next day we took some time out to grab some last minute supplies (including gas which was very expensive!) and made our way south to our start point. We met two lads at the start and they proudly told us that they completed the route north to south in 7 days, we had 14: piece of cake we thought!

The first day of the trek proper really demonstrated the difficulty of the challenge. A gruelling 20 km of ascending to the first refuge in sweltering heat took its toll but we were rewarded along the way with stunning views of the sub 2000m rough landscape which make up the southern half of the country. Day 2 saw half of us tackle the Alpine variant of the route to the second hut, with the others opting for the lower, more forestry route. We cooled of and washed in a lovely river before embarking on the last climb to ‘camp 2’. The next morning, Jane and Michelle decided, due to injuries and the temptation of city hopping around Western Europe, to depart and therefore headed off to the East back down what was increasingly becoming the beautifully rugged central spine of the island.

Over the next two days we walked along many ridges, camped high up on stony hillsides and witnessed some very spectacular dawn cloud inversions. At one point a donkey ate my spork! The heavens opened on the afternoon of day 4 and if it wasn’t for Laurence deciding to put up the tent for shelter, we’d all have soaked to the bone! (Steve, Lauren and Feo weren’t so lucky). Feo and Lauren decided on the evening of day five to do just the southern half on the trek, and so took two leisurely days to hike to Vizzavona. Steve joined them for company. The five of us (Myself, Dom, Laurence, Tom and Ben) decided we wanted to press on and make up as much time as possible, so we doubled up the next two long but reasonably flat days, ending up at the half way point, the small village of Vizzavona, in good time for a beer, and a proper sit down meal.

With food stocks replenished, a sense of encouraging optimism was in the air as we ascended the seemingly never-ending southern valley of Punta Muratello leading up to a high col of 2100m. After another large ascent and ridge walk that day, we arrived in camp suitably knackered to a superb view back to the col. Our introduction to the Northern half was a good taste of things to come. Over the next 5 days we made good progress over rugged terrain, overcoming certain issues such as a fox trying to eat all the food and peeing all over my bag in the night (long story). Before we knew it and after yet more perfect blue sky days we stood over the part of the route that walkers fear the most: the Cirque de la Solitude. This steep descent and ascent (parts are diff climbs) barely sees the sun and is littered with chains. We didn’t find it that bad in all honesty and were at the next campsite in no time. At the end of the next day’s scrambley ridge, moral was lowish due to increasing tiredness, when an amazingly upbeat and cheery Steve Gibbs marched into the campsite having run the last 6 stages of the trek in 3 days! This amazing feat did have an adverse effect on his lightweight boots though, and he had many a story to tell about his epic journey.

We were on the home straight now and soon enough, we descended to Calenzana, the finishing point, and stuffed out famished and alcohol deprived faces with everything from fruit to crisps to camembert. Anything other than smash, cup-o-soup and dried bread did the trick! The final three days of the holiday were spent sightseeing and swimming in northern Corsican cities and Nice, where we had a fabulous time on the beach cooking a huge spag meal costing just over a euro each, and drinking cheap red wine. This, combined with our attire of sweat stained shorts and base layers, (yes we did wash our clothes en route) must have been quite a sight for the normal city goers, visiting one of the most expensive and prestigious places on the French Riviera, a stone’s throw from Monaco!

Many thanks to Steve for organising such a great trip! The squat toilets, freezing showers, gruelling descents and burning quads were definitely worth the sense of achievement felt on completing 190km, and a Scafell pike a day thirteen days on the trot.