Stage 6
Week 1 - Stage 6, Saturday 12th May
Pont de Tuvarelli-Chiorna to Porto (53kms.)
Total Ascent - 2,726 metres
Total Descent - 2,721 metres
Witha slightly heavy heart I leave the gite d'etape at Tuvarelli-Chiorna around 9:20am and head back down the lane to the main D81. The road began to wind its way up towards Bocca di Palmerella. A very pleasant and gentle climb of 15kms which took me about 80 minutes. The descent was equally enjoyable - lovely sweeping bends with stunning views to my left across to the mountains.
One of the more well-known Corsica walks - Mare e Monti - crosses the D81 about 2Kms South of Bocca di Palmerella. A few more kilometres along the road and I stop at a tiny cafe/hut. Here the Mare e Monti Variante crosses the road at Bocca a Croce. I was looking forward to a coffee but the cafe owner had run out of milk. So I settled for a ham and cheese sandwich washed down with a can of iced tea. Just then I received a text from Lesley. She was at home with Ben and helping him clean out the cage of his two pet rats. Ummm...not the best time for me to mention what a fabulous time I was having!
The temperature is around 24°C - much warmer than at the top of the climb earlier today. I arrive in Porto late afternoon and decide to stay at Les Oliviers camp site. I pitch my tent right by the river then fix my washing line between two trees. After the 'housework' I wander up to the gym, but unfortunately it is closed, so I take a dip in the campsite's swimming pool instead. After a most refreshing swim, I'm lying on a sunbed and start thinking about my choice of route for tomorrow.
Should I continue down the coast road via Piana and Cargese or head inland on the D84 to Evisa? Undecided, I head back to my tent and unpack my fly rod. I shall study the map later, right now there are trout to be caught! After an hour's fly-fishing, I have caught and released two fin perfect wild brown trout. It's time to head for the nearest restaurant and work out the road to take for tomorrow's ride. The nearest restaurant was a mistake: mediocre food and a lot of drunk locals! I was told by staff at the restaurant of an Internet cafe just across the bridge opposite the campsite. I thanked them for the information and paid the bill, leaving the waitresses to continue serving their rowdy customers. I found the Internet cafe which turned out to be more of bar/casino. I chatted online with Lesley for about an hour. It was good to catch up on all their news from back home. Ben was having his friend, Todd, round for a sleep-over. I returned to my tent at about 10:30pm. The campsite was a tad spooky as there were very few people staying there and no other tents anywhere near mine. However, the sound of the river bubbling over the boulders only a few feet from my tent soon sent me to sleep.
