UKC

Have booked a weeks holiday in Corsica in September and realise there is some climbing to be had there. Not planning to climb every day but may venture out a few of times so if anyone has any advice on best places to go then much appreciated. I'm not the best climber so crags with a some easy grade routes as well as harder ones would be good.

In reply to KathE:

Col de Bavella is a lovely spot with a good selection of quality low-grade sport climbs.

Whereabouts in Corsica are you staying? Driving around is pretty slow going once you are off the main roads.

In reply to KathE:

+1 for the Col de Bavella whether you go there to climb or not. It's the highlight of the South. The North is more beautiful overall.

In reply to KathE:

Thanks for the replies. Not booked accommodation yet - was waiting to see what recommendations were made and then book somewhere to stay accordingly. Flying into Bastia and going to hire a car but obviously don;t want to spend the whole time driving to/from places.

In reply to KathE:
If you don't mind being away from the coast (not sure what you want to do rest of the week), then Zonza would be a good base for the Bavella area. You can also hire mountain bikes in Zonza.

Some photos from our time in Bavella area last summer. We climbed with our young boys (not public photos).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/105343926@N08/sets/72157656221656730

In reply to KathE:

If you do end up in the south then Chisa is also worth a visit. I was pretty underwhelmed by Sari Monte Santu, though, it's limestone and the easy routes are quite short, a bit scruffy and polished. September could indeed still be rather hot: climbing in the morning only might be a good strategy.

In reply to KathE:

We went last September for the 1st time and were very impressed:

http://chriscraggs.blogspot.se/2014/09/corsica-tasty-treat.html

Generally the roads are tortuously slow, once off the coastal road you are lucky to average 25mph so short distance take a long time!

Chris

In reply to KathE:

It's a beautiful island. If you are not climbing every day, the walking is outstanding. Try some sections of the GR20.

Although in the North and requiring a long twisty drive through mountain roads to reach the base, Paglia Orba above the Viro Valley is a real mountain expedition, and the Cirque de la Solitude (GR20) is stunning.

In reply to Trangia:

The arete climb up Pic van Cube (about VS) overlooks the Cirque du Solitude and the exposure is massive!!!

In reply to KathE:

Half a dozen crags within reasonable driving from Bastia,suggest you get the Falaises de Corse guide book,its in French and English .Further south you could try the Restonica Valley or Calacuccia ,roadside crags handy if you dont want long walkins and are driving .While the roads are gradually improving it is pretty tortuous driving much of the time.Its a wonderful island with good food and wine as well as fantastic walking and climbing,spent about three months there and would jump at the chance to get back.Enjoy.

In reply to Chris Craggs & PATTISON Bill :


We didn't find the roads that bad (and we did a lot of driving in 3 weeks in our VW van across the mountains north to south and east to west, and around a lot of the coast.

... Madeira - now that has some really crazy roads (for Europe anyway).

In reply to ChrisJD:

Lots of newish tunnels in Madeira ahave made getting around easier than it used to be .Thats where our EEC contributions go.What about upgrading the A66 with some?

Thanks all - some really useful advice.

In reply to KathE:

If you are after beach & hill then try looking around Solenzara for accomodation. That way you are on the coast but can get up to bavella easily. Probably more variety there than anywhere else - length, difficulty & info. If the beach aint a need then stop up at Quenza or Zonza & swim in the river + go walking.
Auberge de Bavella is the climbers meeting point (they do dorm accom).
Ttry this web site for more info (they do a couple of guides -
http://escalade.corse.topo.free.fr/index.php?menu=gdv_gb&page=Climbing%...

If you want a guide contact Carlos - http://www.corse-montagne.com/contact.php

Bavella - Solenzara is probably the easiest drive on the island, slow down for the rest!

Porto area is great if you want a holiday with just a bit of climbing (or necky multi pitch routes with adventurous approaches)

Whatever enjoy yourself but watch out for storms in the big mountains up north round Paglia Orba - horrible weather caused accidents on the GR20 back in June.

In reply to ChrisJD:

Lovely photos onthe blog Chris. Never had photogrphic conditions like that in 7 visits. The mist really makes it work!
Sean