Day Eight on the GR20 - Bergerie de L'Onda to Vizzavona

A Short Hill, a Long Slabby Descent and a Glorious Forest

We awoke on the 10th of September to a bright but cool and windy morning with the threat of rain in the air. We were a little tired from doubling up the day before but buoyed with the knowledge that we'd completed 8 of 15 stages of the GR20. However, completing today's stage would mark the notional "halfway point" of the route as, with the crossing of a major road splitting the island of Corsica, one enters a new region. Also, although there are only six stages left after Vizzavona more than half of the total distance remains to be covered.

As with a number of stages of the GR there are two options for stage nine: either the standard route or the high level route which traverses over the summit of Monte d'Oro. We had toyed with the idea of doing the high level route but a number of factors put us off. Before we even left Tasmania Di pointed out that the high level route took us down into the town of Vizzavona itself and that if we went that way we'd have to climb the 3 kilometres and three hundred and twenty metres back up to the Col de Vizzavona where we'd already booked our hotel. Added to the additional three hundred metres of ascent to climb Monte d'Oro and six hundred to descend to Vizzavona rather than traversing to the col, there was a powerful argument for taking the low level route. 

Taking the high level route and climbing back up to Hôtel Monte d'Oro would also add about five kilometres distance and an extra 2 and a half hours or so to our day. When we added to that the soreness Di had been experiencing with her hip and the cool windy day we were presented with that morning it was a no-brainer to go the easier way.

So, here are the statistics for this day's stage if you take the regular route but then traverse across to Hôtel Monte d'Oro as we did (these are approximations as exact figures are not given for the traverse across to the col from La Cascade Bar, and the traverse involves a gradual rise towards the col):

• Total distance: ~ 11 km
• Total ascent: ~700 m
• Total descent: ~ 85o m
• Time: ~ 6 hours

I've drawn the traverse across to the col and the Hôtel Monte d'Oro in red on the map:

Bergeries de l'Onda to Vizzavona

As I mentioned above, the day started bright, but cool and windy. Most days in the mountains the light in the early part of the morning is the most beautiful and this day was no exception. Here is the view we encountered as we headed up the main hill for the day ...

A Glowing Hillside with Dark Clouds Behind

You can see how cool it is because, despite the fact that it is sunny and we are heading uphill, Di is wearing her warm hat, long pants and rain jacket. 

We could hear the soft clinking of bells from below and as we climbed higher could then see a mob of sheep grazing around the first little bump on the ridge.  They came more clearly into view as we climbed further up the hill ...

Sheep Graze the Hillside above the Bergerie de L'Onda

Continuing up the ridge gave us a good view back over towards the descent from the high level route from the day before. It looked like it would have been a terrific variation had the wind not been so strong. However, we were very pleased to have covered the extra distance - and added descent and ascent - via the low level route because of the variation it added to the day. (If you are contemplating doing the GR20, you should bear this in mind as the way to go, even if it is a hot day. There are a number of glorious pools along the river that flows down the valley that would make for a wonderful cool interlude.)

In the next photo the early morning light has lost much of its lustre as cloud is starting to build up. However, you can still clearly see the track coming down the ridge from the high level variation ...

Clouds Obscure the High-Level Variant

Slightly higher on the ridge, as it curls around slightly another look back reveals the bergerie. The tent compound is clearly delineated as are the outbuildings ...

Bergerie de l'Onda

For pretty much the rest of the day the sun hid itself behind the growing cloud cover. Here is a panorama looking back as we neared the top of the day's ascent ...

Nearly finished climbing for the day ...

Before we knew it really we were at the top of the climb for the day looking down into the valley leading to Vizzavona, although with the clouds massing there wasn't much to see at first ...

The start of the descent into Vizzavona

For the first part of the descent the valley drops in a series of shelves, interspersed with rocky slabs ...

Rocky slabs and a shelf high in the valley

Although autumn is advancing, there are still splashed of colour to be seen in sheltered spots ...

Trumpet Gentian

As you descend further the valley narrows into a rocky gorge with lots of beautiful slabs - which do get a bit tiring on the knees and thighs - and the river cascades through many narrow slots, dropping into crystalline pools. They have the delightful name Cascades des Anglais, apparently as this was a popular holiday destination for early English tourists. 

With the cloud building up we were becoming pretty focussed on getting to Vizzavona and to my regret I didn't stop for photos much for the rest of the morning. However, this Youtube video will give you some idea of what the cascades are like ...

You can follow this link if you want to see another - this time with a 360 degree view.

Although I neglected to make any photos of the cascades, I couldn't resist this Laricio Pine that had taken root just on the edge of a rocky shelf. Sculpted by the wind that must regularly roar down the gorge, it clung tenaciously to the granite. Notice the root snaking towards the camera that seems to anchor it in place ...

The Epitomy of Tenacity?

It has probably become clear to the reader by now - if you've been following this blog from the start - that I have something of a liking for trees in all their shapes and sizes. Thanks to my friend Alan, before heading off to Corsica I'd read a bit about the magnificent forests of Corsica in Edward Lear's Journal of a Landscape Painter in Corsica. I am sure that the forests are much diminished from what they were when Lear visited the island some 150 years ago, but there are still occasional stands, and individual trees, that can't help but impress. The size of some of the deciduous trees amazed us Taswegians as we simply don't have much in the way of indigenous deciduous trees here on our Antipodean island. One of the lovely aspects of the forest in Corsica is the mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees. Here we have entered a patch of beech forest, where one mighty specimen dominated his smaller siblings ...

Early autumn in the beech forest

We had actually traversed a little higher than the route Paddy Dillon describes in his guidebook and emerged near the Col de Vizzavona itself, a few hundred metres up the road from the hotel where we passed by this old ruined chateau ...

Ruined chateau near the Col de Vizzavona

Arriving at our destination in just under five hours after leaving Bergerie de L'Onda, we found the attached gîte first. It was quite cool by this stage so we stopped for a hot drink and some frîtes in the café to warm ourselves up. The café was packed with hikers waiting for the gîte to open, so it was nice and cosy inside.

The hotel itself was quite a curiosity. We wandered over after our snack, hoping that we might be able to check in early. First impressions are not auspicious, as the entrance is pretty much just the opposite of most hotels: dark, cluttered and rather pokey. I have to admit that I was very nonplussed when we first entered. This screenshot of the range of reviews for Hôtel Monte d'Oro in tripadvisor.com might serve as a bit of an introduction to the hotel's quirkiness ...

Pick a rating, any rating ...

We had booked for two nights so we could have a break halfway through the walk and to visit Corté, the old capital of Corsica, the next day. Despite first appearances, and also given the fact that we were there and didn't really want to look for something else I reluctantly agreed with Di that we should stay. We had arrived a night early but the proprietor was able to move our booking forward for us, and we headed up to our room and settled in. 

The hotel was opened in 1904 and retains much of its style and grandeur from those days. Plumbing and electrical fittings have been upgraded, but not much else it seems! My first impressions were allayed somewhat when we went into our room. It was spacious and comfortable, but rather dark. On the other hand the bed was good and firm.

After settling in we wandered out with the intention of heading down towards Vizzavona because we wanted to check out the continuation of the route and find some lunch. We didn't see the link track, but did find an excellent lunch in a restaurant nearby. Continuing down towards the township, which is really just a railway station, a bar and a couple of hotels, we eventually concluded that we must have missed the track. Just before reaching the railway station we came across the remnants of what looked like it must have been a grand hotel ...

Renovator's dream ... or nightmare?

After having a coffee at the café we called for the navette back to the hotel, very glad that we didn't have to walk all the way back up the hill. Carefully looking around where we expected the access to the link track to be we found it hidden up the driveway beside a large, modern but seemingly unoccupied building. 

Happy that we'd be able to make an efficient departure when we left, we went back to the hotel. Shortly thereafter the rain started, and it just poured. We were happy to be snug and cosy in this grand old building - especially as it poured all night. And were delighted with what we found once we started exploring a bit. First of all was this delightful, old-world salon with a piano and at one end and a fireplace at the other ...

The salon

When we were ushered into dinner we were captivated by the dining room, where ivy had been let grow into the room. This picture doesn't do justice to the ambience but will give you some idea of how it has been trained to spread across the ceiling ...

Monte d'Oro dining room

The best part though was the meal: the food was fantastic and a great reward for having completed the first section of the GR20. After our excellent repast we went off to bed, looking forward to a day of R & R in Corté the next day. 

Unfortunately, although it was warmer and sunnier out of the mountains, our visit to Corté was a significant disappointment. We're not great city-goers at the best of times, and after being in the mountains for eight days we found the narrow streets choked with traffic and the footpaths choked with tourists - most of them smoking - an utter assault on our senses. Don't get me wrong: there were a couple of things that we liked about Corté. The small, older part of the city just below the citadel was enchanting. And at the other end of town where the bureau de poste is located, which seems to be the administrative centre there were a couple of lovely wide boulevards. One of them had this sign erected amongst a little garden ...

Are the dogs in Corté literate?

Glad to get on the train back to Vizzavona, we found we had to stand all the way as it was packed with tourists returning to Ajaccio. So, after all that we looked forward to getting out on the trail again the next day ...