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Category: Corsica 2018

  • Day 1 – Gatwick – Bastia – Calvi

    Day 1 – 20180729 – Gatwick to Calvi/Calenzana

    Everyone seems to have slept ok.  By the time we are packed up it’s quite late and we are lucky that our train is delayed.  We reach Gatwick in plenty of time to wrap the package in plastic.  The package is my rucksack, tents and sticks.
    We planned to be < 15 KG each but Easyjet objects and the total is closer to 34, incurring a charge.
    At some point I will work out how to add photos to this post.
    Breakfast at Garfields.
    The usual Easyjet “Boarding” message which means “We are moving you from one area to another, but not onto the aircraft”.
    Once boarded Captain announces a delay, and our slot is moved half an hour or so back.
     
     

  • Day 0

    Day 0 – 20180728 – Churchdown-London

    Plan: leave at 1400, reality: leave after 6.

    We wake up reasonably in time and the kids are doing their usual TV/Xbox routine by 8am. Clesan out the animals, shopping.  Find out the fish pump has died, buy one (with warranty!) from the fish shop.

    Clean out the chickens, quails, feed the lizards.  Pidgy and Sheldon start fighting.  Great.  We decide to split them as we had a second cage ready for Lisa to put them while cleaning.

    Half an hour later we find out that Sheldon has died.  We bury him in front of the greenhouse.

    By the time we have done our final shop it’s almost 1800.  Drive to London, dinner at Pizza Express and straight to bed.  Emma grabs  her own room and Alex is on the bouncy bed in our room.

  • 201804 Rehearsal

    Rehearsals

    20180422 Mallards Pike

    The first weekend of rehearsal for our 2018 attempt at the GR20 starts near Malards Pike and has some gentle climbs of up to 100m.  Emma is quick and full of energy but flags a little over the last KM.  Alex is ok once he is walking and has no significant stops.  He does have a little limp from an injury he had at school.  Better keep an eye on it.  My hip is sore but nothing to be worried about yet.

    After about 9K we have Bobs beer and crisps at the Rising Sun.

    Just over 2 hours to complete 10k which is sufficient for the first GR20 day, and everyone seems quite happy.

     

    20180505 Cwmdu

    The crows were up same time as us and we know this because Alex was hungry.  Fire lit, but not very warm yet.  Jane makes bacon, sausage, eggy bread and fried eggs.  Today we will try to re-do the walk from last year because Alex hasn’t done it and because it’s a good one.
    Desert is coffee and hot chocolate.
     
    0930 Campsite 18c 1007mbar 130m
    1000 We park near Castel Dinas and cross into the valley of Rhyd-y-car.  Steep ascent via the three Cairns to Pen Trumea and on to Waun Fach at 810m our highest point for the day.  North to Pen y Manllwyn and descend via Y Grib to the car.
    1538 back at car – 13km.
     
    Lessons learnt: More suncream; more water; Alex breaks down in the beginning and recovers; Emma breaks down at the end.  Need longer break in middle with CH for Emma.
     

    20180506 

    A short walk with a steep ascent in the beginning.  Parked our car at 340m, climbed up to 610 where we met some people who attempted the GR20 a week after the calametous landslide in the Cirque the Soltitude.  After the climb it’s easy going to the end of the hill.  Alex spots a lizard!  Then it’s down to the road and we follow this up to the car.  Small diversion feeding very tame sheep.  Easy 7.5K walk, nobody was too hurt today.  Alex broke his shoe and found a baby snake.
     
    At 3:00, we drove to the café in Cwmdu where we ate lunch and ice-cream. Then we dropped off a lady at a stable near the lake we could see from the top of the mountain. We then sat in the shade and later, ate pasta with bolognese sauce. Then we sleep.
     
    On the way back from the lake the car suspension makes some clunking noises.
     

    20180507

    No walking today.  Visit Deep Pit and go home to water the plants.
     

    20180513 Home to Stroud

    Leave the house at 0945 and have a brisk walk to Chosen hill, and down into Hucklecote.  Jane mentions about a dozen time that she has no confidence in the navigation, but we manage a straight line to Upton St Leonards where we have a break with bisquits.  From Upton Alex deteriorates a bit, but at some point we have to break him in.  Lots of moaning until we get to Painswick for lunch.  Almost 16k into the walk so really not bad.
     
    Over the next two weeks we do some shorter walks in the Netherlands and at home.  The next slightly more serious walk is up Leckhampton Hill, north side, then across to the Cirencester Road and back along the bottom.  5.5KM.
    We also buy a rucksack for Alex, rucksack cover for me and bedding.