Walking in Corsica - Sentier du Littoral, Campomoro

After a day in front of the computer, I was in need of a change of scene and a bit of fresh air, so at 7pm I headed down to Campomoro. Ignoring the obvious attractions of the superb sandy beach and the impressive Genoese tower, my aim this evening was the Sentier du Littoral.



This is a vast area of wild, protected coastline with rocky outcrops, creeks and little beaches of pebble and sometimes sand. Starting from I Pozzi behind the tower, you have the choice to head south towards Tizzano - apparently if you walk as far as the Anse d’Agulia where the huge rock formations look like penguins and a giant turtle – or north towards Propriano and the Capo Bianco. As it was early evening I turned right and headed towards Capo Bianco where the light would be better for my photos.



For anyone intrigued by rocks (like me), this area is absolutely fascinating, and you can find an amazing mix of deep red granite, porous black rock that looks almost volcanic, and huge boulders that have been washed smooth by the sea, and bleached almost white by the sun. I particularly like this shot of the tower between the rocks as the colouring of the rocks makes them look a bit like sugarpuffs!



There is also a collection of taffoni where the rocks have been sculpted by the wind and now resemble animals and even human faces at the right angle – eerie! Ignoring all the advice my parents gave us as children, I found myself clambering over rocks and even venturing into caves to explore. I was actually less concerned about disturbing a sleeping noctural animal than finding a 100 year old bandit hiding out who wasn’t aware that Corsica has now moved into the 21st century (well, in theory anyway).



By 8:30pm, I thought it was probably time to start heading home, and by the time I got back to the village, the sun was starting to set. The sea was as flat as a millpond and actually looked like a lake with several little boats moored along the coast – what a beautiful sight.



As I drove back down the hill towards Portiglio, there was a shower of brightly coloured parachutists landing on the beach (except one unlucky chap who misjudged it and ended up with an unscheduled dip in the briny), and I couldn’t help thinking once again how much there is to see and do here, even if you only have a few hours free.