A gentle day today as we made our way up to the pretty village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (‘basecamp’ for The Gorge). ‘Gentle‘ in preparation for tomorrow’s (attempted) climb of the Gorge of Verdon, which is the deepest gorge in Europe (& 2nd or 3rd deepest in the world). The 4,500ft climb should take us up to a the top of the southern clifftop. Much of the gain in height will be in the first 12km (of the 50ml stage).

It’s interesting how this ‘Tour of Corsica’ has become all about getting to and tackling a spectacular, mainland, gorge - but, interestingly, one that Jackie had never even heard of before last Thursday - she’s now talking about it like it’s been on her Bucket List for ages.

We’ll need to get up early tomorrow, it’ll be a long day.

Moustiers-Saint-Marie
Perched on the side of a cliff, Moustiers is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France.
Way above the town, a gold-painted star hangs on a 225 meter-long chain suspended between two cliffs. Its origin, according to a legend, lies in the 10th century; the original star and chain have been replaced several times since then. The current star is about 50 years old. Ten years ago it fell after the chain snapped, and was rehung using a helicopter.[