Corsica
by Mike Jones
Corsica is a small island, which
lies off the coasts of France and Italy and is likened to
a section of the Alps that has broken off and drifted out
to sea...
The island is governed by France and initially appears to
be a happy, friendly place. The people however in general
are not happy to be governed by the French and there is
a constant struggle for independence and from what we saw
and heard the resistance movement is strong and active.
Politics
aside you are left with a 50-mile wide island that rises
to nearly 3000m. This is a recipe for some very steep and
very remote mountain valleys. The rivers here are committing
to a level far beyond most alpine runs, there are few tracks
and the valleys are full of dense forest. There are plenty
of stories of epic portages so good shoulders and footwear
are essential.
We travelled there in early April 2004 and although this
is normally the peak paddling season we had in fact arrived
early and an especially cold winter had stretched so the
melt had not gotten into full flow. The cold cloudy weather
we experienced kept the levels low for much of our stay
but we did manage some good runs at medium/low levels.
The cheapest way to get there at the time was to fly to
Sardinia and hire cars. We then drove to the northern tip
of Sardinia to a town called St. Theresa; we arrived late
at night and decided to camp in the centre of town, not
a very good idea. Shortly after we set up camp the local
constabulary moved us along, we would have been arrested,
thank god for Guinness! After a short drive we found a smelly
beach and set up camp again. The next morning we made our
way to the ferry, which took us to the picturesque town
of Bonifacio in the southern part of Corsica, this journey
takes around 1 hour.
Once off the ferry we headed to the town of Corte, which
is situated in the centre of the island. We camped in the
town for the first few days in a campsite called “Camping
Alivetu” this was reasonably priced. After establishing
camp we travelled just outside the town and ran two sections
of a class III/IV run that turned out to be a perfect warm
up run. The two sections totalled 10km and took 4-5 hours,
the egress though took a little longer and involved a steep
climb. The name of this river however escapes me, sorry!
The following day we took on one of the classic runs, the
“Middle Vecchio”. This is a 7.5km section of
committing class IV – V. We ran it at 1.5 on the gauge
and although bony in some of the wider stretches it gave
good entertainment in the steeper tighter sections. The
run took us 6hrs in total and was worth every minute. It
could be paddled a little quicker but expect to spend most
of the day on it. We portaged one drop due to a nasty undercut
and tree; at higher water this would probably go.
The upper section of this run has also been paddled but
is harder and more committing than the middle. I have heard
of two groups hiking off the upper, it took them 6 hours
to walk off.
The following day we scouted out the “Restonica”.
This is another classic and it runs parallel to the road
so scouting is easy. We looked at some upper sections but
they all involved portages at some stage due to narrow slots
and siphons, so we decided to put in as per the guidebook.
The run is 3.5km of steep class V and it took us over 4
hours to paddle. Due to the low water it was a scrape in
many sections and many of the slots were tight and boofs
were difficult off shallow lips. We portaged two rapids,
a siphon which can probably be run over a ledge on the left
in higher water and a tight slot drop, the portage around
this involves a tedious seal launch on river right. Overall
this is a great run and would be spectacular at the right
level, well worth checking out.
The following day we decided to go waterfall hunting. After
seeing a picture of a 60 footer on a post card the crew
were determined to seek out and huck this monster. After
some bush whacking and hiking we eventually found the fall,
it was a beautiful 60-70 foot clean fall landing into 10
foot of water which was hard as concrete. Needless to say
we took some photos and hiked back to the cars.
That night we drove to the put in for the “Fium Orbo”,
there is an excellent campsite in the forest and the put
in. When we arrived however the fire trucks were just departing
after putting out some fires deeper in the forest. Fortunately
however it rained that night so the risk of us being cooked
in our tents was quenched.
The next morning we had a 30-minute hike to the river. The
“Fium Orbo” is 8km of IV with one section of
VI. After the initial 2km of grade III we arrived at the
class VI section. The river drops over a big drop into a
box canyon for 500m and falls in total over 4 massive drops.
The 2nd and 3rd drops look awesome but the only way in is
to run the horribly undercut 1st and last drop. So it was
time to shoulder the boats and walk the treacherous path,
which takes you across step ground above the gorge.
To get back to river level the boats have to be lowered
over a 100’ cliff and then the paddlers can climb
down over broken ledges. The middle section of the run was
not up to much as the river was low but there was an excellent
gorge again near the end, which gave an excellent finish
to a mediocre run.
The following day we found ourselves at the take out to
the “Taravo” a 9km IV/V beauty. From the take
out it is wise to look up stream at the impressive gorge,
which provides a great thrill as the last rapid. We made
good time on the upper section through boulder garden rapids.
There are also some nice drops that provide good video opportunity.
The final stretch comprises of 2 gorges that are very committing.
The first is straightforward with a hard to scout final
drop. The second is a little more serious with a chicken
shoot on the right. One of the lads dislocated his shoulder
here after going to far right through a dirty slot, ouch!
Due to our injured party we took another rest day and spent
some time chilling out in Ajaccio. After sorting out a flight
home and hotel for the night we left Mick and headed for
the “Middle Rizannesse”.
The next morning it was raining and although the guidebook
advises against getting on in the rain, we hadn’t
travelled all that way for nothing. This is a classic run
with numerous big slides and drops 5-6m and a super clean
10m fall. The total run is 5km of V and is worth every metre.
It was running at 70cm when we ran and all of the drops
were at good levels, more water would make it very entertaining
indeed. We also had one portage around a big fall. The walk
from the take out was a little long but don’t let
it put you off what is a classic.
After a long day we decided to take the next day off and
travel across the island to the put in for what was to be
our last run, the “Travo”. After spending the
night in a small quarry near the put in, we rocked up to
the bridge nice and early, eager to finish on a high. Our
hopes however were very nearly shattered by signs that claimed
that we could only paddle at the weekend and it was a Wednesday.
After a discussion with some local farmers we got on in
stealth fashion and promised not to be seen again.
The run provided yet more memorable moments with some amazing
scenes in huge natural amphitheatres. The run is 6km of
class V/VI; we did however run all the drops. One drop in
particular has warning signs painted above it. After inspection
we decided to run on the right avoiding a very nasty siphon,
some of the lad’s portaged river left. After the main
drops the river widens and becomes shallow and bony. After
a scrape for the last 1km we finished safely and dried the
kit out in the sun for the homeward journey.
That night we slept near Bonifacio and departed early the
next day on the ferry for Sardinia. After some panel beating
and car polish we return the cars to incur no extra charge
(amazing). So after some minor problems with customs we
arrived back in Dublin later that night.
Season:
Early April is normally the high season and the season lasts
from 2-4 weeks depending on the snow pack and melt. In a
year of heavy snow the season may start later, this was
the case in 04 and may happen again this year.
What are the rivers
like?
The rivers of Corsica tend to be low volume and steep! There
are some very committing sections, which require good kit
and a cool head. Rope skills are also a must, as you will
find yourself in steep gorges regularly.
There are a lot of big slides and drops as well as tight
slots. Beware of siphons, we came across numerous and a
few nearly caught us out. We had no major problem with timber
but there is definitely potential for strainers.
Guidebooks:
These are couple of guidebooks available online. They are
both old but still have good info regarding put ins and
take outs, the river descriptions are inaccurate in sections
so beware.
http://www.simondawson.com/crsindx.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Rapids/1661/canoe/corsica.html
How to get there:
We flew Ryanair, Dublin – Stanstead – Alghero
(Sardinia) and then hired cars and took the ferry from St
Theresa to Bonifacio (Corsica). We departed Dublin early
in the morning and arrived in Corsica early the next day.
It also took us a full day to get home.
We carried our boats and kit on the aircraft (pre-booked),
it cost €25 per boat per flight; no weight restrictions
applied at the time but there is now a 35kg limit.
You can also fly direct to Corsica but it is expensive.
Driving:
The Corsican drivers are nuts and the roads are worse so
beware. This is definitely a two-vehicle destination as
the shuttles are long and steep (up to 1 ½ hours).
The speed limits are the same as France and there is a very
low police presence but be careful, as you will land in
trouble if caught. If you are using inflatable roof racks
make sure they are tied tight and beware that they may scratch
the paint off the roof of the cars, oops!
Equipment:
Creek boats are a must as the rivers are steep and tight.
A good helmet may also come in handy
A rescue vest is also essential, as you will be climbing
in and out of rivers on a regular basis.
A good quality rope goes without saying and I would recommend
carrying 2 each.
Good splits may also prove useful we broke one set of blades
Emergency food and water will come in handy as the rivers
are long (6-8 Hours)
Solid river shoes are invaluable the rocks are slippy when
wet and there are mandatory portages.
Elbow pads come in real useful on the tight slots and slides,
highly recommended!
Whatever else you carry be sure it is lightweight as you
will be carrying your boat on some steep and slippery ground.
Accommodation:
The weather in spring tends to be a little warmer than in
Ireland. It can be mixed and we got some wet days. It is
ok to camp though and there are some good sites near take
out and put in points of many of the rivers. We also spent
a few nights in campsites, these cost €7-8 per night
and have good facilities. It is generally pretty cool to
camp in forests too and lighting fires is not a problem.
Cost:
Flights; €200 per person return, €100 per boat
return
Car Hire; depends on how big the car check with Hertz
Ferry: ???
Food; €5 – 10 per day
Camping; €7 – 8 per night
Petrol; Similar to Ireland, check with the AA for more info
Tyres; €150 per tyre (don’t burst one or it get
to be an expensive trip!)
The
total cost for our 10 trip was around €750 –
850 per person.
