To St Florent and the Agriates desert (23rd May)

After our ascent of Mt Occi to visit the deserted village, we set off again for our next planned stop-over en route to Cap Corse; St Florent, using our Campercontact app to find a couple of likely camp sites near-by.

We could see on the map that we could go across le dèsert Agriates, an area described as once being the breadbasket of northern Corsica but now reduced to a barren, treeless and denuded landscape (according to our 10 year old Rough Guide). Always up for a driving challenge, we made sure we had plenty of fresh water, that the van’s vitals were in good order, and we had enough daylight to do the drive safely.

The coastal road to get to the desert was the by now customary Corsican caper, with lots of bends, narrow roads (especially on blind corners) and stunning views across the many bays and coves that dot the coastline, with what we took to be the start of the desert and barren hillsides away in the distance.

As we turned off the ‘main’ road to the white, wiggly, switch-back route across the desert, we were beginning to wonder whether we’d taken a wrong turn, as one green valley followed by green hill-side, was replaced with another…

And so, with our emergency water rations untouched and our kepis stowed for another day, we found ourselves on the edge of St Florent having barely broken a sweat. Clearly much has improved for the Agriates desert since our Rough Guide was penned!

Camping Kallisté was the first of the sites from our app to greet us and, if the app was to be believed, offered an ACSI discount even though we couldn’t find it on our ACSI app or in the ACSI booklet. And sure enough, it did, and so we were soon tucked away on a very pleasant pitch and able to get our mat out to dry off after its drenching in Calvi! The site was set back from the beach west of St Florent and separated from it by a large meadow, full of flowers and the buzzing of insects.

With time on our side, we decided to have a stroll into St Florent, a 15 minute walk along the beach according to reception, but with what looked like a harbour entrance on our Google map to swim across, so we took a 30 minute walk along the road instead. And as we arrived into the outskirts of the town, we noticed a footbridge across to the beach that Google had yet to find…

The town itself is a pleasant mix of bars, cafés, restaurants and boat hire firms, not yet busy enough to become the touristic maelstrom it would no doubt be in high season. For now though, it allowed us a relaxed stroll past one menu board after another, with hastily adjusted prices being stuck up on paper across the blackboards as restaurants jockeyed with each other to tempt the passing trade!

A stroll along the harbour arm past the small working fishing boat section and with views back to the Genoese tower (renovated after being reduced to rubble by Nelson in 1794), allowed us to look back to the beach that our campsite was on and we determined to check out the bridge and use it on our way back – a much prettier and direct route for sure!

The beach was interesting in that it was no more than a spur of sand that had been thrown up over the years, allowing it to form a bar across what would have once been a wider estuary, and on this occasion (as with many of the other Corsican beaches on this trip) covered in banks of drying Posidonia Oceanica weed (or sea grass) – and lest we were minded to have a bit of a moan ‘a les rosbifs’, the local authorities had helpfully erected a large sign pointing out all the eco benefits of Posidonia to the fish stocks of the region (indeed the Italians call its fruit the ‘olive of the sea’). Notwithstanding its eco credentials, and that it is in decline in the Mediterranean, it has certainly taken the gloss off some of the Corsican beaches we have seen when compared to the pictures without the weed/seagrass!

And although we had braced ourselves for a potentially noisy night having seen a number of ‘disco bars’ along the harbour, we were clearly early enough in the season to have escaped them and awoke after a peaceful night to a sunny day and our next road trip adventure – Cap Corse along the Napoleonic corniche road…

S&J

Occi for goats (23rd May)

Wednesday dawned with clear blue skies and we headed eagerly off along the coast towards the village of Occi. This little gem wasn’t in our (admittedly vintage) Rough Guide but we’d seen mention of it on Trip Advisor, as well as some amazing photos. Occi is just beyond Lumio, only a few kms from Calvi, and the directions we’d read detailed the perfect spot to park the camper, opposite Camping Panoramic, and within a few minutes we were heading up a small track to this deserted village with stupendous views along the coast.

Occi was inhabited from the 1500s to the mid 1800s, when the wells ran dry, although the last inhabitant is said to have died in the 1920s. Since then the little village, originally built by villagers fleeing invading forces, has been left to crumble away. It’s hard to imagine how life must have been in such a remote spot, with just a narrow track as access, and the only sound the gentle chime of bells on the herds of goats. The buildings are still there; dry stone houses, stores, and an old chapel, the only building that’s been restored. It’s a wonderful spot to soak up the atmosphere and admire the scenery.

All across the site were flowers and herbs, including a huge patch of the bright blue stars of the borage flower, and we wondered if the mediaeval villagers had produced their own herbal remedies and oils that Corsica is now well known for, including both the locally produced cistus or rock rose and also the green myrtle essential oil Mrs B had been keen to find in Calvi, but found no sign of the company that we’d seen advertised. We’d been fascinated after reading that some essential oils used to be harvested by combing the oil from goats’ beards – not sure we believed it, although it could have made for a soothing pastime up in the hills on a quiet evening with a cooperative

goat . . .(!) and we had read that some of the oil varieties are unique to the island.

Over much of Corsica, but in this area in particular, are the scents of the maquis, the scrubland that covers this rocky island. Wild flowers and herbs are everywhere and the scents can be quite intoxicating on a sunny day, with wild thyme, fennel, lavender and rosemary growing in abundance and rock rose bushes everywhere, with their beautiful white and pink flowers.

Of historical note (cue Mr B) the fighters of the French Resistance in WW2 were named after the maquis of Corsica, where they successfully kept hidden in the maquis/scrub and were re-supplied by submarine, the outcome of which gave rise to the name for French resistance more generally.

Reluctantly, we scrambled back down the rocky path, sharing the walk with dozens of darting green lizards, and back to the camper to head off towards Cap Corse - in a clockwise direction!

J&S

Calvi, charcuterie and cheese (18th – 23rd May)

The old Genoese fortress town of Calvi juts out across a bay, bordered by a semicircle of fine white sand. Walking here on our first evening, along the boardwalk that runs the length of the beach, it became clear why this is such a popular tourist destination, with its fine sand and gently shelving water.

As we walked we passed by groups of young men in the bars alongside the marina, hair close cropped; legionnaires off duty maybe. We wandered up through the cobbled streets of the old town, soaking up the atmosphere and taking in the views across the bay, with snow capped mountains in the distance.

We stopped on the way down at Annie Traiteur, an Aladdin’s cave of cured meats and cheeses, to buy locally produced coppa (cured pork), mature sheep’s cheese and peaches for supper, complemented by a half bottle of pink Muscat. We also bought brocciu, a soft sheep’s cheese commonly used in omelettes and cannelloni, both flavoured with fresh mint.

And if we’d wanted to explore a little further, running parallel, between the walkway and sand is a narrow gauge railway, which goes to the exclusive resort of Ile de la Rousse one way, and into Calvi the other, where one can connect to trains for Ajaccio and Corte, Corse’s old capital in the centre of the island.

In the morning we decided to rest by the pool and swim and then walk again into the old town, this time climbing to the top of the citadel to enjoy the views. The bay is visited by cruise ships on a regular basis, including one you can see in the following picture that was also equipped with masts and sails!

Alas, our sunny idyll wasn’t to last and on day three the heavens opened and we were deluged with two days of rain. We opted to sit it out until the skies cleared as we had plans for a walk up to Occi, an abandoned village northeast of here, with stupendous views across to the coast.

A special mention before we sign off from Calvi to our lovely camping neighbours at La Pinède, Nils, Ilka, toddler Lisa and baby Julie. It was a pleasure to meet you!

J&S

The Spelunca Gorge and north to Calvi (18th May)

Heading into the gorge by mid morning, and determined to make more use of our campercontact app in the future given how much we’d enjoyed the municipal site, we were glad that we were ahead of the coaches that ply this road, as although it was easier going than the Calanches, it was twisty enough as we climbed towards the top of what is essentially a 1km deep valley.

The views were as good as promised in the Rough Guide, and the driving fun, with added livestock wandering around to keep us on our toes.

Thwarted by a ‘no campervan’ sign, we were unable to make our planned transit of the gorge and return via the northern side, so we had to make a u-turn and meander back, enjoying the views this time from the other side of the road!

The coast road north to Calvi was every bit as exciting and spectacular as the previous day’s drive, with so many ‘wow’ moments that we soon became pretty blasé to the views over the coast from precipitous pull-ins and the rocks overhanging the road!

Although the drive is only 80km between Porto and Calvi, by the time we’d completed our Spelunca gorge diversion and enjoyed a leisurely drive via the coast road, it was late afternoon when pulled into La Pinède, another ACSI site with good facilities and a beach across the road should the sun continue to shine. Situated between the old town with its citadelle, and the barracks for the elite 2^nd parachute regiment of the French Foreign Legion, Calvi had plenty of interest and we were both looking forward to a few days of staying put!

S&J

Propriano to Porto and ‘les Calanches’ of Piana (17th May)

Our site for the night after our visit to the menhirs of Filitosa was only a few kilometres away on the coast, not far outside Propriano. We’d chosen camping Ras I’Bol on Olmeto plage partly for its close proximity to Filitosa, but also as it was just over the road from a spectacular beach and had a large pool, just perfect for a couple of days rest before tackling a longer coastal drive north to see the spectacular rock formations at Piana.

The weather stayed dull as we picked our pitch to get maximum light amongst the very tall pines, with rain forecast for the night, so we quickly ruled out the beach but were looking forward to a swim in the pool the next day, when the weather was set to improve, as indeed it did.

Except the pool was at best murky and we weren’t sure it had even been prepared for the season! And although this didn’t deter one resolute northern European camper from swimming, we decided to head off north to explore the coast en route to Calvi in the north west.

A quick visit to a supermarket in Propriano before we turned north, confirmed that although prices were higher than on the mainland for some items, many were the same or not much more – except for fuel which we’d seen varying from €1.58 to the low €1.60s so we were glad we’d filled up in Toulon on the mainland!

The drive north was spectacular if slow, and we were treated to patches of sunshine and cloud as we followed the coast road north. Stopping for lunch near Calgone, we were treated to blue skies and sun as we admired the view from our roadside stop.

As we neared the Calanches at Piana the sky filled in again, but that couldn’t detract from the amazing colours of the rock formations that even without the sun were truly spectacular.

The driving was also dramatic, and although there were alternate flow traffic signals in place to allow one way traffic (there are very few passing places) it soon became clear that the system was as good as useless as everyone, including us, was pulling over in the passing places to take photos and buggering up the flow! Still, in spite of a few hairy moments (and some new battle scars for the van from low hanging branches – one of the down sides of being on the inside track going clockwise!) the drive was well worth it, with one breathtaking view after another.

When we set off from Propriano we weren’t sure how far we’d get, but imagined we may have got as far as Calvi (only 218km and, according to madame at reception in camping Ras I’Bol, four hours en camping-car on the coast road) we soon realised that a) she must have been a biker as there was no way anything on four wheels could go that fast, and b) we’d better start looking on our campercontact app for somewhere closer to stay overnight!

And so we chanced upon the municipal site at Porto, en route to Calvi and right by the route into the Spelunca gorge, one of our ‘might do if time’ places on our list. The campsite had only opened for the season the day before, so everywhere was neat and tidy, and although basic compared to some of the ACSI sites we use, in an absolutely breathtaking location at the head of the Spelunca gorge.

And as if to welcome us on our unplanned stop, the sun came out as we walked to have a look at the port and its crumbling Genoese lookout tower. The village of Porto was only created in the 1950s as a tourist resort and our guide had warned us of crowded streets in high season and general mediocrity… However, we enjoyed a quiet stroll and the last knockings of the sun setting to the west and casting a rosy glow over the village and we returned to the van looking forward to a proper dark sky of stars and a good night’s sleep.

Waking the next day (after a beautiful starlit and very quiet night) to a blue sky and sunny day, we set off for an adventure up the Spelunca Gorge before heading north again to Calvi, pausing only to admire the fire fighting equipment near our van!

S&J

To Filitosa and the menhirs – and our first taste of Corsican driving! (16th May)

As we’d agreed to tackle our journey round the coast of Corsica clockwise to benefit from the alleged ‘safer’ inside track, our first drive threw caution to the wind as it was south from Ajaccio and therefore on the outside! As we’d planned to spend only about two weeks in Corsica, we’d reached the conclusion that we couldn’t see everything, so we each opted for a few ‘must do’s’ to get a plan together.

Visiting the 6000 year old Filitosa menhirs was Mr B’s idea, so he took the wheel for the coastal drive. It wasn’t long before it was obvious why we’d read clockwise was safer, as once we reached the twisty and switchback-rich mountain roads, the reason for the multiple roadside shrines we passed became clear – what would usually be a definite no-no overtake on an uphill blind bend, was more of a leap of blind faith by the locals that surely nothing could be coming round the bend…could it? Glad that our brakes were recently serviced and that there were plenty of pull-ins to let the convoys building up behind us pass, the short drive to Filitosa was a good foretaste of driving a la Corse!

Described in our Rough guide as ‘extraordinary’ and as ‘distinct from nearly all other Neolithic menhirs of the megalithic period’ our expectations were high as we pulled into the nearby free carpark under low cloud (some of our route had actually been through the cloud as we climbed into the interior!). Not to be put off by the weather and reconciled to not taking any photos quite as dramatic as the guide book, we treated ourselves to an English translation booklet so as to better understand and enjoy the visit.

Having seen menhirs at Stonehenge and in Scotland, we probably had some clear expectations given how they had been described. So, as we walked past the most famous one not far from the entrance, not much taller than us (and actually a reproduction), it soon became apparent that we needed to readjust our sense of scale! The site itself is a private enterprise and run by the family of the farmer who found the stones (and, as our English booklet informed us, had erected some of the stones near an ancient olive tree to evoke the atmosphere of the original site). The small loudspeakers dotted about the site, playing ambient, new-age tunes were also no doubt designed to add to the atmosphere – until a visitor pressed one of the help-point style buttons and the music was replaced by an audio explanation of that part of the site in one of four languages!

In spite of all of the above, the site did have a very real sense of history and a presence that was hard to describe – it was certainly easy to imagine it as a logical and special place for Neolithic people to congregate, whatever rituals may or may not have been attached to the menhirs.

Our photos don’t do the site justice – but they do capture what it was like to wander round on a cloudy day – and hopefully some of the atmosphere!

S&J