Mont Olmelli, Corsica

Highest peak on the Costa Verde horseshoe

Having being advised by a Doctor not to attempt Monte Cinto because of my cough and the heat, Ian and I looked at the guide books and as an alternative decided to walk the Costa Verde horseshoe, a nearby group of mountains. They could be reached by local footpaths and would provide a good day's exercise in the June sun. We started at 7:00 am with the intention of completing the majority of climbing before the temperatures became too hot. The IGN maps of the area are not very comprehensive in showing the myriad of paths that provide a comprehensive network of connections between the hamlets that are perched on the hillsides. 

We found the paths to the hamlet of Tribbolo and then headed for the chapel of Punta di San Mamilanio perched at the start of the ridge. The chapel hosts a community event every September when local villagers have a barbecue with wild boar on the menu and much drink consumed. We missed the path to the chapel and ended up contouring for a kilometre or so before realising our mistake. We should have followed the orange paint slashes instead of the path most travelled, probably by the hunters. Although the chapel was at 782 metres, we realised that there was a further 500 metres of climbing along a narrow path through the maquis that was scored through the vegetation below the apex of the ridge. 

The flowers, rock outcrops, butterflies, lizards and scents made it a wonderful experience. We had assumed as 'forever optimists' that we would get to Mont Olmelli ahead of the 1 hour 45 minutes indicated on the signpost but we were only just keeping to the schedule as we took in the abundance of views and eased our way over the rocky outcrops We stopped for some lunch in the shade of some trees and then climbed through the prickly vegetation to the bare summit of Mont Olmelli. It was almost midday and the heat was beginning to slow progress.

We thought we had cracked the walk but the next section was a roller coaster through the maquis with a lot of rocky sections so it was almost 2pm before we began the final descent having skirted below Mont Negrine. The final descent to one of the villages was a steep path through otherwise impenetrable vegetation. Chestnut trees had been split by lightning and were a frequent sight as was the evidence of wild boar and gun cartridges on most of the paths. Our thirst kept us going as our GPS reading told us we had underestimated the distance of the walk by about 7 kilometres with all the twists and the lack of path information on the IGN 1:25,000 Carte de Randonnee.

When we reached the village, the bar had closed so we had a further 3 kilometres to walk back to the house to complete a walk that had probably been just as taxing as Monte Cinto. On the flight back to the UK, I met some walkers who had just completed the GR20. They said that Monte Cinto was now an option on the GR20 route since the Cirque de Soleil had been permanently closed following many accidents. The Monte Cinto section involved the climb from Asco and then a shortish descent to a refuge. It sounded a reasonable walk and perhaps we should have just gone for it, cough or no cough.

Preparing for the walk

Mont Olmelli from the lower slopes

Punta di San Mamilanio

Beginning the ridge walk

The smell of the Maquis

Signposts for when the IGN map fails

Looking back from Mont Olmelli