Corsica

Dramatic mountain roads, crystal-clear bays and long evenings with friends: Corsica has been on our travel radar for years. This September we finally made the trip, riding two-up on our BMW R1250RT through south-eastern France and then spending a week on one of the Mediterranean’s most distinctive islands.

Getting there

As usual, our European trips begin with a Channel crossing, and living in Kent we prefer the efficiency of Le Shuttle. After a family weekend in Belgium, Deb and I turned south to rendezvous with biker friends in south-eastern France. From there we slowed the pace to enjoy the roads through the Vercors and follow the famous Route Napoléon down to the Mediterranean, with an evening in Nice before the ferry to Corsica.

Bastia and Cap Corse

The ferry docked in Bastia, a beautiful-looking port town with mountains rising straight out of the sea behind it, and it was clear Corsica was going to be something special. We stayed there for a couple of nights after landing, spending a day on the Cap Corse coast road: endless sweeping bends, stunning views and near-perfect tarmac. It was a superb introduction to the island’s roads.

On our last night in Bastia, we had a fabulous meal at Bar Jean, a brasserie a short walk from our hotel, with friendly service, gorgeous locally sourced food, good wine and a lovely atmosphere. It was one of the best meals of the trip.

The South

We then headed to a villa about 20 minutes south of Sartène, a couple of kilometres off the T40 to Bonifacio. It made a great base for exploring the surrounding roads, villages and coastline, and for getting back in the late afternoon for a swim before long evenings of good food, wine and conversation with friends.

Corsica blends mountains, coast, bays and villages, and its mix of Corsican, French and Italian influences shows in everything from the food to the atmosphere. It’s easy to see why it’s known as L’Île de Beauté (Isle of Beauty).

The roads were the real highlight. The T40 from Sartène to just past Roccapina is a stunning ribbon of twisting tarmac, and any road to or from Zonza is worth the detour. The T20 through the middle of the island is another favourite. The main roads are lovely to ride, but they regularly throw tight first-gear bends at you, which makes every journey an adventure. Distances are deceptive too: what looks like an hour on the map is nearer three on the road. Going beyond the southern half of the island would have made for a very long day, so we didn’t.

Heading home

Our last day was a ride across the island on our fully loaded bike to Bastia for the overnight ferry to Toulon. All went well until the rain arrived.

“It’s only going to be a quick shower, right? No need for waterproofs...”

Wrong. We got absolutely soaked!

At least the night on the ferry gave our kit time to dry out.

The ferry docked in Toulon and, after a slow unload, we started the long autoroute leg home. We broke the journey with a night in Troyes. I’ve ridden past it so many times without stopping, and it’s a lovely town: timber-framed buildings, a pedestrianised centre and a lively atmosphere. The next day was a simple hop to Calais and home.

A week was only enough to scratch the surface, which just means there’s plenty of Corsica left for us to discover.

I felt that our day riding through the Vercors warranted it's own page - Vercors