It's easy to let the senses get a little dulled by the scenery and to drive past viewpoints or not try to photograph spectacular roads. We pinched ourselves and hopefully avoided this pitfall and continued to appreciate this amazing island.
As we drove higher and ears began to pop, we started to see cows and calves at the side of the road. Later we would see pigs too, more and more of them. Some cows are tagged but others not and a bit of internet reading later on explained that this was all due to changes in EU subsidies. Apparently subsidies were being abused and so having previously encouraged them to keep these animals, the subsidies were later withdrawn. The result was that many animals were just released and free to roam.
It seems that between them, the pigs and cow do a fair share of damage. They can wander everywhere and the evidence is clear to see. Cows destroy the side of the road with rocks and stones raked onto the road as they clamber around. The pigs we saw were spending most of their time lying in sunny spot and suckling their young - of which there seemed to be plenty.
The cows were getting a bit frustrated with the wait at the pizza place.
After lunch at a shady spot, we searched for the side-of-the-road parking that marked the walk into the Gorges to a swimming spot. Navigating around the rocks was easy as the stream is hardly in spate and we had our rock slippers, making this easy, as they do pebble and rocky beaches too.
This bathing spot is at the site of one of 1,200 water powered moulins in the area that were used to mill flour.
It didn't take long for a couple of hardy Brits to get into water, much colder than the sea but only just cold enough to give a little shock and a slightly cold head for a minute. The 30+ deg sunshine always helps too. Swim, clamber out, sunbathe, swim, clamber out, sunbathe... It's a hard life.
Then we drove higher and higher with countless bends and curves with plenty of hairpins. There are many stone bridges as the road tucks around and across small valleys, over a col (bocca), past a ski area and to a great campsite under Monte Cinto, at the end of the road. The altitude is 1,000m but the mountain is 2,700m and so it's a fair lump above us. In fact it makes it's own weather and we did have a few rumbles of thunder and about ten spots of rain during the afternoon.
It isn't the weather for hard mountain climbing as even at this altitude the temperature is 30 degrees during the day and in the sun it's very hot. It's amazing really that there is little lapse rate. I think that this is something to do with humidity and it is such a contrast to the UK where it's easy to lose several degrees in just 400m.
The campsite is Camping U Monte Cintu and it's above the hamlet of Lozzi, near Albertacce. We had an enjoyable couple of nights where the temperature dropped markedly in the evening and overnight period and sleep was so refreshing. Campsite design here is perfect in that there are many informally marked areas that are scattered around with trees for shade and large stands of wild flowers separating them from each other.
The toilets are basic (think outside loo in the outhouse) and the only hot water is for the showers. The cold water isn't cold anyway and I had a "cold" shower. Afterwards I had a look at the boiler and found, usefully for those that would follow me, that it wasn't switched on. So I sorted that.
The village below the campsite is scenic but in a run-down sort of way, with plenty of Corsican flags in evidence. I don't know if this is an official emblem or if it is showing support for independence or maybe both? 😱
Although there are cows and sheep nearby, unlike Derbyshire sheep, these ones go to sleep at night and so with absolutely no wind, it was totally quiet during the night. It really is an unusual experience. There's no road noise, no overflying aircraft and best of all, quiet sheep!
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