Fly to Ajaccio, arriving in the late morning, giving you time to settle into your hotel. Ajaccio is the capital of Southern Corsica, the ambience is very vibrant and Mediterranean. It is the perfect place to relax in one of the cafes opposite the harbour and soak up the atmosphere. The old streets and houses are often dwarfed by the ferries that arrive from Italy or mainland France. You can visit the shops, museums, cathedral and Napoleons house or go for a swim in the sea. You also have the opportunity to visit the Iles Sanguinaires by boat – please ask for more details.

For those of you who wish to have an afternoon walk there are two different options along the mountain ridge of Les Cretes, that dominates the city and the gulf of Ajaccio. The views of the sea and the mountains are stunning.

2 to 4 hours walking, 140 to 340m altitude gain, 140 to 340m altitude loss.

Calvi option
Flights from Manchester go to Calvi in the north of the island. You can fly here and spend the day enjoying this town which is essentially the start/end of the GR20. You have splendid views of Monte Cinto (Corsica’s highest mtn) as well.

An early morning transfer takes you to Corte (if coming from Ajaccio) or Ponte Leccia (if coming from Calvi) usually by train. This initial transfer will take approx 2-3 hrs. You will arrive in Corte, the island’s old capital, before taking the beautiful road into the Niolu ‘La Scala di Santa Regina’. From here you are picked up by a taxi for the transfer to the start of the walk (whilst your luggage continues to Calacuccia).

The Niolu valley is the widest valley on the island and is the very core of traditional Corsica. Its people have a mountain culture and are very nationalistic. The Scala Santa Regina valley trail is of great historical importance. It was used by the shepherds leading their herds in and out of the Niolu valley. It winds incredibly through a décor of granite cliffs, along a superb balcony path to the Erco genois bridge and the village of Calacuccia. You descend into the village through an old chestnut grove. Calacuccia is one of the small villages that are dotted around the central lake.

Your accommodation is theonly the village hotel, the 2* Casa Balduina. This is a very friendly small hotel which has an excellent restaurant.

10km, walking time 4 hrs, altitude +705m, -345m.

A short morning transfer into the vast Corsican pine tree forest of Valdu-Niellu. You will cross the famous ‘Col de Vergio’ one of the highest mountain road passes. It is marked with a forbidding statue and is the division between the northern and southern Corsica. You can enjoy superb views of the lake and the Niolu area that you have left behind you. Your trail leads down hill into the majestic Aitone pine forest and the outskirts of Evisa village. Paths wind through the maquis past the piscine naturelle, a local swim spot, and into the chestnut woods. The chestnuts mark your approach to the village, they have thick knarled trunks and some are around two thousand years old. You emerge in the centre of Evisa, a picturesque, vibrant village, situated at 830m - it is unusually close to the sea for a village at this height. It is known locally as the ‘pearl of the mountains’.

6 hours effective walking, +600m altitude, -750m, 13km.

Today you have the option of just relaxing, possibly by the pool at the hotel or in the village of Evisa, or taking a walk that follows part of the trail known as the ‘Mare e Monti’. It is a village to village walk and in the old days the path was the only route of communication between the villages. It leads through the surrounding chestnut woods and into a luxuriant maquis, a jumble of vegetation which at this altitude is a mix of oak, cistus flowers, the strawberry tree, the curry plant and tree heather. You will arrive at the abandoned hamlet of Tassu, a small treasure to investigate. You can continue on to the village of Marignana which is situated directly across the valley from Evisa. A return walk via the village of Cristinacce completes today’s insight into rural village life.

5 hours effective walking, +315m altitude, -315m, 10km.

From Evisa you drop down through the Spelunca gorge as the path zigzags back and forth plunging into the depths. You follow the torrent to a Genoese bridge where you start the walk up towards the village of Ota. Situated at 300m Ota is a village that couples mountain architecture with a hot Mediterranean climate and flora. Braying donkeys, hunting dogs, Bougainvillaea, lemon trees and figs all add to the colour. The delicious odours of the Ceccaldi restaurant ‘Chez Felix’ beckons and the rose coloured granite sea cliffs are getting ever closer. Perhaps you will take the time to sit on the café’s terrace to marvel at the succession of high mountains.

This afternoon, your route heads swiftly down to the coast, the view towards the gulf of Porto is a kaleidoscope of colour, red cliffs, shockingly blue sea and the bold silhouette of the Genoese tower. The vegetation is again different from previous walks, you will find all the plants that you associate with the heat and the Mediterranean. Increasing impatience as you draw closer to the enticing gulf.

6 hours effective walking, +320m altitude, - 1170m, 14km.

With just 4 hours 30 mins walking today, you may choose to spend your morning in Porto to enjoy some of the sea activities. When the sea is calm there are regular boat trips towards the natural reserve of Scandola, classed by UNESCO as a site of world beauty. This is the most reputed part of the coastline and the wild natural beauty is spectacular. It is also possible to explore on your own around Porto with snorkel and mask and for the more adventurous there are scuba diving excursions available from the harbour.

Leaving Porto you cross over a bridge to walk along the beach that is bordered by a eucalyptus wood. The path goes up above the sea and gives a balcony view down onto the clear blue waters, as well as splendid views of the gulf with its indented rugged coastline and many creeks. The vegetation is a haze of colour and heady fragrances, depending on the season you will find island lavender, myrtle, delicate pale pink cistus flowers, juniper, foxgloves, the tall white asphodels and cyclamen.

Once in the ‘calanques’ you will be surrounded by an incredible site of granite needles, tortured shapes and rock sculpted formations dotted with maritime pine trees. If you decide to walk directly to Piana in the morning without spending time in Porto, it is possible to walk down to the small sandy cove of Ficcajola mid afternoon from Piana’s village centre.

4 hours 30 mins effective walking, +520m altitude, - 140m, 12kms.

You can choose to take a transfer from Piana by public bus either in the morning or in the afternoon back to Ajaccio. It is possible to do a last short walk in Piana to and from the idyllic small cove of Foccajola before returning to Ajaccio.

The other alternative is to stay this night in Piana again and then take a private transfer through to Ajaccio early in the morning on Day 8.

2 hours 30 mins effective walking, +400m altitude, -400, 6km (optional cove walk in Piana).

Calvi – option
If you are booked on the Calvi to Manchester flight, then you will have to travel back in the morning of day 7 from Piana to Calvi.

Tour ends after breakfast in Ajaccio or Calvi hotel. You will need to find your own way to the airport for the flight home. There are many buses and taxis can be arranged from your hotel and from either town it is a short distance to the airport.