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STAGE 1A

Calenzana to Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu (high-level)

Start	Calenzana
Finish	Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu
Distance	12km (7½ miles)
Total ascent	1550m (5085ft)
Total descent	235m (770ft)
Time	7hrs
Terrain	Mixed, including steep slopes of maquis, forest and rocky mountainsides. This is a tough day’s trek because of the relentless ascent, and scrambling is required at times. Take it slow and steady, as some trekkers overtax themselves and finish the day exhausted and dehydrated.
Maps	IGN 4149 OT and 4250 OT
Food and drink	All necessary last-minute food supplies are available in Calenzana. There are a couple of streams on the ascent, but they dry up in the summer. The Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu serves meals and sells provisions.
Shelter	Shade is available in isolated stands of forest along the way. There is a drystone windbreak shelter on Bocca a u Salto. The higher parts are exposed in wind and rain.

The first day on the GR20 is a shock to the system. Trekkers leave Calenzana with everything on their back, probably in hot weather, with a question mark over the availability of water along the way. Learn which plants in the maquis are the thorniest! Lizards scuttle for cover with every few footfalls. The ascent is unremitting – uphill all the way, climbing higher than anywhere in Britain, then climbing further, scrambling across a rocky mountainside. Carefully ration your water and hope that it will last. When the refuge is finally reached, take the accommodation and services as you find them, knowing that there is nowhere else within reach. This day is a fine introduction to the rigours and the delights of the GR20 – it’s your baptism of fire!

CALENZANA

Calenzana is often overlooked by those who are in a hurry to start the GR20. Try and spend at least a night there, if not a whole day, before starting the trek. Just outside the village is the Romanesque Chapelle di Santa Restituda, burial place of a revered Corsican martyr. Santa Restituda was beheaded for her Christian faith in the year 303AD, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Her marble sarcophagus is in the crypt of the chapel and was restored in 1951. The site has long been a place of pilgrimage, and although the chapel has been rebuilt and renovated many times, it contains some 11th-century stonework and 13th-century frescoes. The Festa di Santa Restituda takes place late in May alongside the old chapel, featuring a fairground with all the usual stalls and amusements, as well as food and drink.

The Baroque Église St Blaise stands in the middle of Calenzana, dating from 1691, although it took several years to complete. In 1732 the village rose up against the Genoese rulers of Corsica, who retaliated by sending in a force largely comprising Austrian soldiery. The villagers fought with whatever they could lay their hands on, from agricultural implements to beehives, killing some 500 troops. The soldiers were buried beside the church in a plot that became known as the Cimetière des Allemands. The church bell tower was planted there in 1862. There are other little chapels in the village, including an ancient brotherhood chapel at A Casazza, while U Pala was the ancient palace of the Bishops of Sagone.

Calenzana has a fairly small range of services, yet manages to cope admirably with large numbers of visitors and GR20 trekkers. There are a few accommodation options, a selection of bars and restaurants, shops selling food, drink and fuel, as well as a post office. A larger range of services, including banks with ATMs, is available in nearby Calvi.

Calenzana is well worth exploring before starting a trek along the GR20

Accommodation There is only a small range of accommodation in Calenzana. At the budget end, and the first place on the left at the entrance to the village, is the Gîte d’Étape Communal, tel 04 95 62 77 13 or 04 95 62 70 08. It has 8 small dormitories offering 30 beds, with space for camping alongside. The 13-room Hôtel Bel Horizon is in the middle of the village, opposite the church, tel 04 95 62 71 72. The Chambres d’Hôte L’ Ombre du Clocher is located nearby on Chemin U Terraghiu, tel 04 95 31 17 12 or 06 20 18 80 08. Anyone looking for a wider range of accommodation could spend their first night at Calvi, which is a busy and attractive little port.

Food and drink There is a well-stocked Spar shop at the bottom end of Calenzana. Further up through the village is the little restaurant A Stazzona, closely followed by Le GR20 bar restaurant, which has obviously been named to catch the attention of trekkers! The Bar Picciu Glacier and Restaurant Pizzeria Prince Pierre are found before the church. L’ Alivu and the Bar Restaurant Le Calenzana lie along a road to the left of the church, while Le Royal and L’ Ecclesia are to the right of the church, opposite the bell tower. To sample local meat, cakes, honey or wine, simply follow little signs to the appropriate outlets. A Proxi grocery stands beside the post office, behind the town hall, or Hôtel de Ville. L’ Atelier du Village stocks local produce further uphill. Eat a hearty meal and enjoy as much fresh produce as possible before leaving Calenzana.

Transport A bus service between Calvi and Calenzana is operated by Beaux Voyages, tel 04 95 65 11 35 or 04 95 65 08 26, www.corsicar.com. It runs once a day in July and August, then schooldays only for the rest of the year. There are no buses between Calvi Airport and Calvi, or from the airport to Calenzana, but taxis meet incoming flights. In Calvi, taxis are usually found on the Place de la Porteuse d’Eau, near the railway station. If there are no taxis at the airport or railway station, then phone Radio Taxis Calvais, tel 04 95 65 30 36. Those following the GR20 in reverse, who need to leave Calenzana at the end, should call Calenzana Taxis, tel 04 95 62 77 80 or 06 08 16 53 65. The village taxi stand is beside the Hôtel Bel Horizon, opposite the church.

Walk up through Calenzana from the gîte d’étape and campsite, passing the Spar shop at 255m (835ft). Follow the road up through the village to reach Le GR20 bar restaurant. It’s possible to turn right and short-cut up the backstreet of A Torra to reach the Place Saint Antoine. However, stay on the main road to continue past the Bar Picciu Glacier and Pizzeria Prince Pierre to reach the Hôtel Bel Horizon and the Église St Blaise in the middle of the village, to follow the ‘official’ route.

Turn right along a narrow street signposted as the GR20, which soon climbs a broad flight of steps into a palm-shaded car park. Turn right beside the town hall, or Hôtel de Ville, down another flight of steps. Pass between the post office and Proxi grocery, climbing another flight of steps, as signposted for the GR20 and L’ Atelier du Village. A narrow, winding path rises to a junction. Turn right at the Place Commune, then turn left to continue through the Place Saint Antoine along paved streets.

Pass the Oratoire St Antoine de Padoue and, as you do, offer a little prayer to the patron saint of lost things that you remembered to pack everything you needed for the trek! Pass a signpost beside a stone-built well and follow a cobbled path up from the village. This runs through a deep groove overhung by trees, passing through a small gate. The path rises from the trees and reaches an area of bare granite at Lavupargu, turning right to follow a low drystone wall further uphill.

Dense growths of sticky leaved cistus press in on both sides as the path climbs up an eroded groove in the bedrock, and there are ruined drystone walls on either side. There is a view back to Calenzana, as well as to the neighbouring village of Moncale, while Calvi and Lumio are seen near the coast as the path climbs further. The slope is exposed to the sun and bears the charred remains of trees destroyed by a big fire in 1982. The area has seen smaller blazes in subsequent years.

Pass a stand of tall, charred laricio pines on the broom-covered slope, then later a water source spills on the left, before some charred chestnut trees. The path rises fairly gently, passing a couple more chestnut trees and a few pines, zigzagging up to a signpost at a junction of paths at 550m (1805ft). (There is a worn patch on the hillside, about an hour from Calenzana, where trekkers can’t resist dropping their packs and taking a break.) The GR20 heads up to the left, marked by red and white paint flashes. The Tra Mare e Monti heads off to the right, marked by orange paint flashes.

At this point a choice must be made between the high-level route and the low-level variant. See the next section, Stage 1B, for a description of the low-level variant.

An hour after leaving Calenzana, the GR20 and the Tra Mare e Monti part company at a junction on the hillside

Go left to follow the GR20 and zigzag up past a couple of monstrous boulders beneath the rocky peaks of Capu di u Ravalente. The path crosses a rocky gap at 625m (2050ft) where small boulders make good seats. If you haven’t already learnt from painful experience, don’t sit down on the maquis, which here is a mixture of cistus and spiny broom. Take a last look back to Calenzana before it passes from view.

The path is quite rugged as it descends a short way from the gap, passing beneath an overhanging rock with holm oaks growing in crevices. The surface is easier underfoot as the path contours along an old terrace high on the slope. Straggly barbed wire fencing runs alongside to the right, and the maquis is an exotic mix of aromatic species. The path rises to a few chestnut trees that draw moisture from a seasonal stream, the Ruisseau de Sambuccu, and it is clear that they have suffered a severe burning in the past. Bergeries can be seen on the valley sides, and the bongling bells of cattle or goats grazing in the maquis may be heard. The low-level track leading to Bonifatu can also be seen. Hopefully you won’t be wishing you were on it at this late stage!

As it leaves the chestnut trees, the path is in an eroded rocky groove, but it levels out as it runs across the slope. The barbed wire fence is still visible on the right. Another stream called the Ruisseau d’Arghioa is crossed where tall laricio pines grow, and the path on either side of the watercourse is quite rocky. This is a fine place to fill up with water early in the summer, but it quickly dries away, leaving this whole stage waterless. Above the stream there is a pleasant grassy ledge at Arghioa, overlooking the valley from an altitude of 800m (2625ft). Those who reach this point within 1hr 30mins of leaving the GR20/TMM trail junction are doing fairly well.

A zigzag path leads up past young pines and heather scrub on a steep and stony slope. The path is well graded and well marked at all the crucial turnings, although there are a couple of other paths that lead away on either side. Note the clumps of hellebores growing profusely in places. There is a rocky stretch where the path crosses a streambed at a higher level, then it swings right near a rocky pinnacle. There are more zigzags and a few tight squeezes where young pines and tall heather grow thickly between tall laricio pines on the higher slopes. Another series of zigzags leads above young pines and spiny broom scrub to reach a grassy gap, the Bocca a u Saltu, at 1250m (4100ft). Trekkers should reach this point 1hr 30mins after leaving Arghioa. There is a small drystone windbreak shelter to the left and the rocky spires of Capu Ghiovu to the right. Monte Corona is seen rising beyond the next gap.

Watch carefully as the GR20 markers lead away from the gap. The path runs downhill around the base of a cliff, then rises gently between tall laricio pines. A bouldery zigzag path climbs up to a rocky slope, then a series of short scrambles must be completed. Watch carefully for the markers, which always indicate the easiest course. The pitches are very short and there are plenty of holds, but those carrying a full pack on their first full day will find getting their balance right more of a problem. There is very little sense of exposure because of the tall trees alongside, and there is often good shade as the slope faces north. Looking around, it is often possible to spot long-horned mouflon grazing along some of the ledges.

Impressive rock scenery on the slopes of Capu Ghiovu features some short stretches of scrambling

There is another easy stretch of path and another bouldery ascent, then more scrambling on a more open slope of rock. A short cable marks the point where the route straddles a rock ridge and enters a gully, and there may be a drop of water here early in the summer. After more uphill scrambling, the path drops to pass beneath a spire of rock pierced with a hole, then crosses a bouldery slope. There are a couple of rocky notches to cross, with some grotesque outcrops of rock high above, and plenty of prostrate juniper and clumps of hellebore on the ground. An eroded groove leads up to another gap, the Bocca a u Bassiguellu, which has patches of grass and scrub at 1486m (4875ft). The scrambling from one bocca to the next should take 1hr 30mins, depending on how much caution is exercised.

Turn left to follow the path gently uphill past some tall pines. There is a sudden fine view of distant mountains, and their profiles will become familiar over the next few days. An easy, level stretch of path runs below the Crête de Fucu, where the juniper gives way to spiny broom. The refuge is visible across the valley. Young pines press in on either side and there are bouldery areas to cross. The path rises across slopes of broken rock, and is well wooded in places with birch and alder. There is a rugged little climb around the head of the valley, with a turn to the right and left, before the Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu is reached, within 1hr 30mins of leaving the Bocca a u Bassiguellu.

The PNRC Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu is perched at 1570m (5150ft), occupying the site of a former bergerie, on a tongue of sloping, open land surrounded by high mountains, overlooking a forested valley. It has two dormitories offering 32 beds, a kitchen/dining room and the gardien’s quarters. Hot meals, food supplies and drinks are on sale. A toilet and shower stand away from the building. Hire tents and camping spaces are dotted around on the slope below the refuge. Although there is water in the refuge and a water trough near the refuge, the water is not suitable for drinking. Water should be drawn from a source signposted 200m beyond the refuge.