Wild Coast - Girolata Saturday, 28th May

Well we have not quite made it yet to the National Park. We stopped and anchored overnight just under the Pointe de Parata, in the Golfe di Ajaccio. A bit of a rolly night, so broken sleep, but a fabulous setting and we walked up the steep slope of the point to the watchtower. These towers are on every headland and they are a real feature of Corsica. There are 90 of them in all, all built in 1530 to keep an eye out for and repel Barbarian invaders.

Further on up the wild west coast to a little inlet and port called Girolata, where we are now. This little place is only accessible by sea - or if by land, only on foot, donkey or horseback. So all supplies are brought in by boat and carted up to the various little restaurants and houses by mini-moke (these also were brought in by boat). Surrounded by steep cliffs, the mountains are red rock and covered in green maquis - lentisc, myrtle, juniper, laurel, etc. There is a coastal path with a difference - vertiginous, rocky and with none of the nanny state health and safety measures found in UK to stop you falling off the cliffs and tumbling into the sea. The birds of prey circle high overhead - red kites mostly - just waiting for a slip of the feet?

We came for one night, intending to carry on the following day to the National Park and on to Calvi. However a mistral was forecast, so we stayed on another day. The forecast was a day out, it was a lovely day (we went walking) and the F 7/8 winds arrived in the following night and today is still howling. It's bright and glittering but too windy to do anything but admire the white horses being whipped up out to sea.

So three nights here instead of one. It's a good place to be holed up in, quiet (still low season). The local cows (small, dainty things) have the run of the place, wander on the foreshore and seem to like coming down in the day for a lie down on the beach. A bit like Dartmoor or New Forest ponies. They are part of the landscape.

On to Scandola Nature Reserve tomorrow with luck…..