The GR20

The GR20 runs the length of Corsica's mountain spine, from Calenzana in the north to Conca above the southern coast, and most people take fifteen or sixteen days over it. Its reputation as the hardest waymarked long-distance path in Europe comes from terrain rather than distance: the route stays high, crosses slabs and boulder fields where the way is a line of paint rather than a path, and uses fixed chains and ladders on the steepest sections. The northern half is the difficult one. Refuges run by the regional park sit at the end of each stage, and between them there is nothing at all.

What you actually see

• The granite spine - slabs, boulder fields and ridges held above two thousand metres.
• The refuges - park-run huts at each stage, booked ahead, with nothing in between.
• Lac de Nino - a high lake ringed by boggy lawns where horses and cattle graze.
• The Solitude variant - the higher route that replaced the old chained descent.

When to go

June to September. Snow holds on the northern stages into June and makes them dangerous without an axe and crampons. July and August fill every refuge, so book as far ahead as bookings open. September is quieter but the days are shorter. Storms build over the ridge in the afternoon, which is why stages start at first light.

Honest expectations

This is a hard mountain route, not a walking holiday: long days on rock with a full pack and real exposure in places. The refuges are basic, crowded and not cheap for what they offer. Water is limited on some stages. A good number of people give up in the first three days. The Cirque de la Solitude stage was closed and rerouted in 2016 after a fatal rockfall.

Nearby

Corte sits in the middle of the island with the Restonica valley climbing towards the route.