map. Out of the hotel, turn left and keep going up hill for 13km until
the road runs out, then turn around and come back down. With no need to
bring along all our kit we should have travelled pretty light, however a
picnic lunch and warm clothing for the descent pretty much filled a
pannier.
The Gorge de la Restonica is one of the most visited gorges in Corsica,
running directly SW out of Corte for 15km and rising 900m in the
process. It's mostly 5 to 7% but has some sections of 14%, one of which
lasts for maybe 1km. The road initially runs to the right of the river
but then switches to the left. Some sections have no barriers and shear
drops, so on the way up the second half of the climb can feel
uncomfortable when cars are squeezing by and coming down it's the second
half that puts you next to the big drops. Sally really didn't like the
vertiginous stuff and nearly bailed out. Much of the climb is through
the forest with only occasional glimpses of the spectacular views,
however the reward on reaching the top is well worth it. A car park
marks the end of the climb shortly after crossing a wooden bridge above
some beautiful mountain stream pools. We went up to the car park for a
couple of photographs and then found a spot by the river for lunch. I
stuck my legs in the water and can confirm that it was freezing.
After an hour lazing around we headed back down, stopping to take photos
along the way. It was far warmer than I expected - probably no need to
have taken all that warm stuff with me.
It's a highly recommended trip but probably a nightmare in high season.
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