Route plan: Calvi (8 m) → Calenzana (275 m) · Train to U Fiumeseccu Alzeta (GR20) and approx. 8 km by road · no walking on the GR20

The morning was very quiet. I packed the backpack one last time, charged all the electronics and threw out a few things that I finally decided not to take on the trail.

There were still the last purchases at SPAR. I bought, among other things, insect repellent. After thinking about it for a while I decided it was worth taking after all. For the next few days there will be no civilisation, so it is better to have it with me. I have a 100 ml bottle, but I will probably just pour half of it out. That is about 50 grams of difference. I know it sounds a bit funny, but when you add up all these small things, it suddenly turns into quite a lot of extra weight you have to carry on your back. Heavy. And then you still have to add 3 litres of water.

I also bought a ticket for the train to U Fiumeseccu Alzeta (GR20). It is a small railway stop which until 2017 was called Camp Raffalli GR20. It sits right next to the Camp Raffalli military camp and is the closest station for people starting the GR20 in Calenzana.

Camp Raffalli itself is the base of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment of the French Foreign Legion (2e Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes – 2e REP). It is one of the best-known units of the Legion, stationed here since the 1960s. Some of the buildings belonging to this unit are also in Calvi itself, so the military presence in the town is visible almost everywhere.

From there I still have about eight kilometres of uphill walking to Calenzana. For now, though, there is no rush. I decided to use a few more hours for a walk around Calvi.

I sat down in a café for coffee and along the way learned another useful French word. Café allongé is in practice something very close to an americano or a lungo. Good to know for later.

I had breakfast right by the sea — in the port of Calvi. A fresh chicken sandwich, coffee and a view of the harbour. Really not much more is needed for a good morning. You do not need an exclusive restaurant to have a truly pleasant breakfast.

Before leaving I still managed to visit the citadel in Calvi and walk around the town a bit. Of course I chose the middle of the day for that, when the heat was at its strongest. Between noon and three I covered almost all the places I wanted to see. Then I went back to the hotel for the backpack and headed for the train.

The trip to the U Fiumeseccu Alzeta (GR20) stop (the line to L’Île-Rousse) went almost without adventures — except that at the station there were two trains with no destination boards. Of course I got on the wrong one, but I have to give them credit: somewhere on the displays it did say that platform 1 was the train to Ponte-Leccia and platform 2 to L’Île-Rousse, it just somehow escaped my attention. Fortunately a check question to the conductor cleared it up and saved me from a real mistake. Travelling by train anywhere is a pleasure for me, so I treated this short ride in Corsica as a nice extra.

Out of season the buses to Calenzana are not running yet. In practice, if you want to get from Calvi to Calenzana, you are left with a taxi or first the train to U Fiumeseccu Alzeta (GR20), and from there on foot.
When I got off the train I prepared myself for a short walk all the way to Calenzana: 8.5 km, about 2.5 hours of walking — but I treated it as a necessary warm-up before the real route. Even in the late afternoon the heat was serious; here at sea level you feel it especially. So a short stop at SPAR and then walking on, familiar views, roundabouts… — last year I already covered this stretch when I walked the first part of the GR20 to Monte Cinto (the first 3.5 stages — Monte Cinto is not officially on the GR20).

And here luck was on my side again. I did not even try to hitchhike. I only came out of the shop and after a moment a woman stopped and offered a lift. In a convertible, on top of that. A Peugeot, true, but I was not going to complain. Thanks to that I arrived almost at the gîte itself. I think my success rate here is equal to, or even higher than, one hundred percent — I catch a ride without hitchhiking.

At the reception of the Gîte d’étape a small fight with communication started. The woman at the desk did not speak English, but with the help of other hikers, a phone, a few words of French and some gestures we managed to sort everything out. The bed was waiting.

The conditions are typical for a hostel. There is nothing to complain about. There is water, there is a kitchen and there is a place to sleep. The biggest problem seems to be the temperature. It is really hot. I am more and more wondering whether a sleeping bag is needed on this route at all. I have the feeling that a sheet would have been enough.

I got room number 5. I was the first, so I could choose a bed. I took a lower one, right by the window, hoping for a bit more air. Three women, a bit older than me, are staying in the same room. One of them speaks English; with the others we manage a mix of English, French and gestures. All of them are also going on the GR20 and, most importantly, they plan to leave very early in the morning. Alarm at 4:30, departure around five. Exactly the same plan I had from the beginning. The heat is what I am most worried about, so I would like to walk as much of the route as possible before noon.

In the evening I went to the SPAR in Calenzana as well. I bought a baguette, tomatoes, Corsican cheese and three litres of water, because the water at the gîte has a fairly clear metallic taste.

At the end I still took a short walk around Calenzana and sat down with a local beer at the Picciu Calenzana bar. They were just setting up a TV for the evening match and for a moment I had a dilemma whether to stay or go back to the stuffy room and go to sleep earlier. To be honest, I did not really feel like going back.

Today I also made my first small mistake. I went to walk around Calvi without sunscreen. It is not bad, but I am already starting to feel the effects of the Corsican sun. I understood the warning. From tomorrow the cream will be obligatory. I still do not like covering myself from head to toe. I then have the feeling that I am rubbing myself with oil before roasting, or getting ready to be fried under the Corsican sun.

Now it is just a matter of sleeping well. Tomorrow the first day on the GR20 is waiting. According to the plan, about thirteen hours of walking. What I am hoping for most is that I will manage to use the cool morning before the sun shows its full strength.

Overnight stay: gîte d’étape in Calenzana (275 m).