Calanques de Piana and Porto Gulf

Red-rock sea cliffs and one of Europe's most dramatic coastal roads.

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Why this ride

Red-rock sea cliffs and one of Europe's most dramatic coastal roads. The road: D81. Distance and riding time are estimates from the checkpoints until the road is measured on this page.

Roadbook

1. Ajaccio start

   Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio in 1769, a year after France bought Corsica from Genoa, and the town has never let anyone forget it. His family house is now a museum, a statue of him on horseback stands in the main square, and street names, cafés and shops all carry his name. The old town is a cluster of tall ochre houses along the harbour, with a modest cathedral where he was baptised, and the best way to feel the place is to sit at a harbourside table with a coffee and watch the ferries and fishing boats come and go.

   Ajaccio faces west, across a wide gulf of blue water, and at its mouth the Sanguinaires islands, a line of pink granite rocks, glow red at sunset. The town sits on the west coast of Corsica, a mountainous island in the Mediterranean that rises steeply from the sea to peaks of over two thousand metres, and the interior is covered in maquis, a dense scrub of myrtle, cistus, rosemary and wild herbs that gives the island a perfume that you smell as soon as the ferry doors open.

   The D81 is the coast road north, one of the most scenic roads in France. It leaves Ajaccio and runs along the gulf, then climbs and falls along the shore through Sagone and Cargèse, a village founded by Greek refugees in the seventeenth century, before arriving at Piana, where the Calanques, red granite pinnacles that plunge to the sea, appear in the road's final stretch. The road is narrow and twisting, with tight bends, sheer drops, no guardrails in places and campervans in summer, so take it steadily. The tarmac is generally decent, but occasional rockfalls and wandering cows and pigs are part of the landscape.

   July and August bring the heaviest traffic and heat, and the best months for riding are May, June and September, when the light is warm and the road is quiet. Ajaccio has everything for riders, from fuel to repair shops and restaurants, and stations farther north become sparser, so fill up before leaving. Try brocciu cheese, charcuterie and chestnut-flour specialities, which are typical of Corsica.

2. Cargese stop

   Cargèse has two churches facing each other across a small valley, one Roman Catholic and one Greek Orthodox, and that tells you almost everything about the town. In 1676, a group of Greek families from the Mani peninsula in the Peloponnese, fleeing Ottoman rule, were given land on this stretch of the Corsican coast by the Republic of Genoa. They built their village, held to their rite and language for generations, and for a long time the Greeks and the Corsicans lived side by side without mixing. The two churches, one Latin and one Greek, stand on either side of the village, and the Greek church, with its icons and painted interior, is a delight.

   The town sits on a small headland above the sea, on Corsica's west coast, north of Ajaccio and south of the great red cliffs of Piana. It has a population of about a thousand, a handful of cafes, a few restaurants, a pretty harbour and a long view across the Gulf of Sagone. Behind it rise the maquis-covered hills, thick with myrtle, rock rose and wild lavender, whose smell, on a warm evening, is a thing of wonder. A Genoese tower, built to watch for raiders, stands on the headland nearby.

   The D81, which runs north from here toward Piana, Porto and the Calanques, is among the greatest coast roads in Europe. It twists above the sea, with the red granite cliffs of the Calanques plunging down to blue water, tunnels cut into the rock and views at every bend. The surface is generally good, but the road is narrow and winding, with sheer drops and few barriers, and in summer it is clogged with tour buses and campervans. Leave early, or ride in May or September when the light is clearer and the traffic lighter.

   Be prepared for the Corsican weather, which can shift quickly, and for the wind, which on the exposed sections can push a loaded bike off line. In summer, wildfire is a risk and the maquis is tinder dry, so no smoking at the roadside.

   Fuel is the thing to plan. Cargèse is a small place, so fill up in Ajaccio, around twenty-seven kilometres south, or check whether the local station is open, and do not run low before the long stretch to Porto. There are plenty of places to eat, and grilled fish with a chilled glass of local rosé is the thing to order.

3. Calvi finish

   Calvi announces itself from a long way off, with the Genoese citadel on its rock above the bay and the mountains of the Balagne rising behind, snow-capped in spring. It is the natural end, or start, for the west coast road, the D81, which runs south towards Galéria and Porto.

   The riding from here is some of the finest on Corsica. The D81 follows the coast, climbing and dropping around headlands and across river valleys, with views of turquoise sea, red rock and maquis, the scented scrub of cistus and myrtle that covers the island. Bends are continuous, the road is narrow, and the surface is variable, with some rough patches and loose gravel. Traffic is light outside July and August, but in summer, buses and campervans can slow progress. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light and coolest temperatures, and a spring ride, with wildflowers on the hillsides, is hard to beat.

   The citadel is the main historical sight. Genoa built it in the fifteenth century to control the island, and the town has a long, if slightly doubtful, claim to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, a claim promoted by local plaques. The French Foreign Legion's parachute regiment is based nearby, and its soldiers are often seen in the streets. The Calvi Jazz Festival and other summer events fill the squares with music.

   Practical matters are simple. Fuel is available in Calvi, but the coastal road south to Porto has little, so fill the tank before you leave. Restaurants along the marina serve fish and local charcuterie, including figatellu, the Corsican liver sausage, and the bakeries open early. The small airport and the narrow-gauge railway to Bastia mean you can get here without a bike, though it is better with one.

   Stand on the citadel walls for a moment and look at the long line of the coast you will ride. It is a good reminder of why you came.

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