Walking in Corsica - chemin de Fozzano

One of our favourite walks with the dogs is the Chemin de Fozzano which is a 12km dirt track that runs from Baracci up to the pretty village of Fozzano. I am generally the one who gives in first and admits that 12km is too much, so we normally walk up to the campsite, have a sit down and a gossip for 5 minutes and wait for the dogs who have invariably disappeared off on their own adventures by then!

The walk itself is quite exposed, so from May to September we normally leave fairly early because otherwise it’s more like a sauna! What I really like about this walk is that the terrain is very varied; hills and flat bits in equal measures so it’s a great workout, but it’s also one of those where something interesting always seems to happen along the way. We have come across cows (my worst nightmare!), sheep, hunters with their dogs and a slightly odd chap who’d lost one of his cows – he told us it was brown so that narrowed it down a lot. We even saw some extremely rare Shetland cows with short legs that turned out to be pigs, so maybe it’s time to make that opticians appointment…

You can either park up at the start of the track and walk from there either half way like we do, or if you’re feeling a bit more energetic, you can walk right up to the village. You can also start the walk at the Bains de Baracci. This extension then gives you the opportunity to reward yourself at the end of the walk with a dip in the thermal baths to relieve your aching muscles.

The original building now lies in ruins, but is still an impressive sight. Apparently it would cost more to restore it than to tear it down and re-build which is such a travesty. The new baths are actually behind the old mansion and are fairly simple in design by comparison. There is a small childrens play area, tennis courts and in summer there is a snack/grill too so you can even stay for a sport of lunch!