Corsica West Coast D81 (173 km)

Ajaccio to Calvi · one way, about 173 km back to the start

Open this ride in the planner →

Why this ride

A one-way ride of 173 km, Ajaccio to Calvi - roughly 2 h 20 in the saddle. On the way it passes Cargese, Calanques de Piana, Porto and Col de la Croix. The highest point is about 850 m. It suits an unhurried touring pace.

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 scenic

   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. Calanques de Piana scenic

   On the west coast of Corsica, the granite does something that granite is not supposed to do. In the Calanques de Piana, huge cliffs of red-orange rock, eroded into pillars, needles and strange faces, plunge a few hundred metres into the sea. The colour changes through the day, burning orange in the late afternoon and deep crimson at sunset, against a sea of dark blue. This is part of the Gulf of Porto, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 together with the nature reserve of Scandola, and nobody who has seen it has been disappointed.

   The road through it, the D81, is a nineteenth-century coast road that clings to the cliffs between Piana and Porto, and it is one of the great motorcycle roads of the Mediterranean. It is narrow, twisting and slow, with tight hairpins, blind corners and sudden drops, and the stone parapets are not always high. Buses and campervans squeeze past each other with inches to spare, and pigs and goats wander across the road at will. Ride carefully, stay in your lane, and take the opportunity to pull into the signed viewpoints. In the middle of the day, the light is flat and the road crowded. Early morning or the hour before sunset gives the best colours and the least traffic.

   The nearby village of Piana, which is one of the most beautiful villages in France, is a cluster of stone houses on a hillside above the gulf, and a good place for a coffee. Walking trails lead down into the calanques, including the old mule path called the Chemin des Muletiers, and on foot you can see the rocks close up, though the paths are steep and rough and need proper shoes. Capo d'Orto, a jagged peak, stands to the east, and the maquis, the dense, fragrant scrub of Corsica, covers the slopes with cistus, myrtle and wild herbs.

   Fuel needs careful planning. Piana is small, Porto has limited services, and the bigger towns of Ajaccio, about thirty-seven kilometres away, and Calvi are the safer places to fill the tank. Corsican roads can be slow, and distances take longer than the map suggests, so allow plenty of time and enjoy it.

4. Porto scenic

   Porto, on Corsica's west coast, is a small harbour village at the head of a gulf, and almost all of its charm lies in what surrounds it. A sixteenth-century Genoese tower stands on a rocky headland above the marina, one of the many watchtowers the Genoese built around the island to warn of pirate raids. A long eucalyptus grove, planted in the last century, shades the road down to the water. Behind the village, red granite mountains climb steeply toward the interior, and the whole gulf is ringed by cliffs that fall into the water.

   Boats leave from the marina for the Scandola nature reserve, a wild peninsula of volcanic rock accessible only by sea or on foot, and for the tiny fishing hamlet of Girolata, which has no road to it at all. The trips are the best way to understand the coast, with sea caves, ospreys and underwater life, and the water is clear and rich. The reserve was established in 1975, and the Gulf of Porto and Scandola together became a World Heritage Site in 1983.

   For a rider, Porto is a hinge between two great roads. South, the D81 climbs through the Calanques de Piana in a series of hairpins and cliffs. North, it winds up and over the Col de Palmarella, with views of the Gulf of Girolata, before descending towards Calvi. Inland, a side road climbs from the village of Ota, a few kilometres up the valley, into the Spelunca gorge, where old Genoese stone bridges cross the stream, and on to the mountain village of Evisa and the Aïtone forest of tall Corsican pines. All these roads are narrow and slow, so budget time and expect to drive carefully. The best light is early morning or late afternoon, and summer is hot and crowded, so spring and autumn are the best seasons.

   Services are limited but adequate for the area. Porto has restaurants, a few shops and cafés, and seafood is the thing to eat, with fresh fish grilled over a wood fire, and perhaps a plate of Corsican charcuterie and cheese. Fuel is the main uncertainty, so do not rely on small stations. Calvi, about thirty-four kilometres to the north, is the sure option, and Ajaccio lies to the south. A cold drink on the marina and a look at the evening light on the cliffs is a fine way to end a day.

5. Col de la Croix scenic · 269 m

   Corsica's west coast road north of Porto is a long conversation between rock and sea, and the Col de la Croix is a small word in it. At just 269 metres, it is hardly a mountain pass by Pyrenean standards, but on this island height means little. The D81 climbs from the shoreline, winds along a wall of red-brown rock, and crosses a low saddle with a view out to the gulf, before dropping again. It is a place to ease off the throttle and look around, and perhaps put a foot down to catch the light on the water.

   The surrounding landscape is the wild Corsican coast at its best. The maquis, a thick tangle of cistus, myrtle, strawberry tree and wild herbs, covers the hillsides, and in spring the air is heavy with its scent. Below, the sea is a hard, clear blue, and tiny coves are cut into the cliffs, reachable only by boat or on foot. A short way to the south lies the headland of Scandola, a nature reserve of volcanic rock accessible only from the sea. Nearby, the fishing hamlet of Girolata has no road, and visitors reach it by boat or on a long walk down a mule path.

   The road itself is a good one for riders who like to take their time. It is narrow, with frequent tight bends, short straights and the occasional hairpin, and there are no barriers on parts of the edge. Surface quality is variable, with patches of gravel and broken edges, and rock falls are possible after heavy rain. Pigs, goats, cows and sometimes horses wander across the road, particularly at the quiet times of day, and they have right of way in practice. Early morning is the best time, with cool air and light traffic, while in July and August the coaches and campers make progress slow. Spring, with flowers in the maquis, and early autumn, with warm sea and calm weather, are the most pleasant seasons.

   There are no services at the col. The nearest big town is Calvi, about twenty-six kilometres away, with fuel, supermarkets and restaurants, and its old citadel is worth seeing if you have time. Porto, in the other direction, has limited services. Make sure you start with a full tank, carry water, and allow a lot more time than the distances suggest, since Corsican roads are never fast.

6. 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.

Where this sits

Rides near here