Cozzano to Zonza

May 3, 2025

For the first time since I arrived in France, we woke to a grey morning. Rain is a possibility for the next few days, but supposedly not for today.

It was a shorter day for Mel, less than 50 km, with just one pass.

I drove to Zonza first thing, leaving Cozzano by 9 am. It was a twisty narrow road, but as a nice change, the traffic wasn’t bad. I encountered a huge group of touring cyclists from a club in Grenoble. They all looked to be retirement age. Some were fitter than others. E-bikes were optional.

Along with the usual number of motorbikes, I also encountered a Porsche car rally. Those are brave people who drive expensive sports cars on these roads.

A fox darted in front of me at one point, which was pretty cool.

I parked in the small town of Zonza and started out on my 14 km loop hike. The nearby Col de Bavella is the real draw near here, but I’ll wait for that hike until tomorrow with Mel.

Today’s hike was all about mossy green enchanted forests and pastureland.

The route also passed along a nice creek.

The plant of the day is wild garlic. The wild ramps are probably almost ready to pick in my homeland of Ontario now too.

This giant chestnut tree has been around for a while. My hiking poles are shown for scale.

It really felt like an enchanted forest.

I stopped in the village of San Gavino di Carbini for lunch at this convenient picnic spot.

I had the company of this Jack Russell terrier. He was unimpressed by the food I offered.

Bird wise, I heard the unmistakeable sound of a cuckoo while walking. That’d drive me crazy if it was outside my bedroom window.

This is the first soccer pitch I’ve seen in Corsica, and it was pretty sad looking. I suppose it’s too hilly and rocky here to build good pitches. Other things we haven’t seen include horses or sheep. There’s all sorts of sheep cheese here, but I dunno where the sheep live. Not on the GT20 bike route.

Lousy soccer pitches, but a perfect boules/bocce court.

Mel arrived in Zonza on her bike while I was out walking. We had to wait until 4 pm to check into our well-located apartment. Our rental is on the main floor of a traditional Corsican house. It’s a bit rustic and felt damp when we arrived - we didn’t have much choice by the time we booked here, so it will have to do. The price is right, at least. Mel will get the pullout couch at this spot.

Lots of the houses here seem unoccupied.

There is no wifi again here, but that’s by design. Unfortunately, the cell coverage in Zonza is also lousy. There’s free wifi at the tourist info centre, but they’re closed for the weekend. So we were forced to head to a bar and enjoy a Corsican beer to use the wifi. It all worked out in the end. But no posting again tonight.

We decided to eat dinner in our apartment, so went to the grocery store to pick up pasta and pesto, as well as breakfast and lunch things for tomorrow.

There were a few raindrops this aft, but nothing that would have cyclists donning their rain gear. But the time we ate dinner, the sky was blue again. I hope that the rain forecast for tomorrow afternoon doesn’t arrive early and mess up our hike.

Today's ride: 49 km (30 miles)
Total: 526 km (327 miles)

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Mike HadenJust found this journal this morning - Mike here Betsy in Calgary, I’ll go back and read the earlier entries and look forward to reading about the rest of your trip!
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1 month ago

Betsy EvansTo Mike HadenGood to hear from you! Plan to stop in Revelstoke if you’re driving through. 😀
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1 month ago