Corsican High Level Route

by Paddy Dillon

Published 31 March 2001
Corsica's GR 20 remains one of Europe's greatest treks. Here Paddy Dillon has gathered together in a totally new guide the critical information for a successful trek. This includes: how to get started and what to take, the best time to go, sketch maps for each stage, details of facilities on and off the route, peaks that can readily be incorporated into a full exploration of the island, as well as a crystal clear route description. He has brought this tough and marvellous route to life in a book that will inspire as well as inform. Corsica is not so much an island in the Mediterranean as a half-submerged mountain range. Its coast is amazingly rocky and barren, and there are few places where there is enough flat and fertile land for extensive cultivation. For centuries Corsicans have herded sheep, goats, cattle and pigs; driving them into the mountains for summer grazing, then retreating to the lower ground at the onset of winter. They created a comprehensive network of mountain paths, and built hundreds of bergeries, or summer mountain farms, in the most incredible surroundings.
To this day some families maintain the tradition of 'transhumance' - the seasonal movement between the mountains and lowlands. The GR20 is more than just a walk: it's an experience to be savoured to the full - an experience that will provide excitement, wonder, awe and treasured memories. You shouldn't simply walk the GR20; you should live it and make it part of you life.