Bealy Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Hi. Has anyone have experience of travelling with a motorhome around Corsica. We intend to tow our motorcycle to use when we are there but was wondering what the main roads were like and if there are places to avoid with an 8m vehicle. Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zydeco Joe Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Hi, hope you get some info on this topic. Never been myself but its on our long term list of places so will be interested in any info you get. Good luck with your travels. B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bealy Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 The info I have so far from another site is that the roads are very narrow, avoid the mountains and choose a site close to the port of entry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Hi Richard and welcome to the forum, The subject of touring Corsica has come up many times over the years. Here is a simple forum search for you to plough through... http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/search/query.asp?action=search&searchforumid=all&keywords=Corsica&author=&days=&Submit=Search You will definitely have to sort the wheat from the chaff but there is likely very useful info in some of the threads. Happy reading! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 We toured Corsica in 2004 the info is a bit dated but will give you some ideas. http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/711/30/ Safe travelling Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 We toured some of Corsica last spring, en route home from Sicily via Sardinia, starting at Bonifacio, in the south, on 30 May, and leaving for the mainland (Nice) from Calvi on 17 June. We went (broadly, stopping here and there as we went), up the west coast to Ile Rousse, from there south-east down to Corte, continued to Aleria (about half way up the east coast), and turned back north up the east coast to just below Bastia, where we cut across the base of the northern peninsula to Saint Florent, then back west across the north coast to Calvi for the Nice ferry. I had originally intended to take the D84 to Corte from Porto, but decided against after looking carefully at that road in Google Earth. It would be OK in a PVC, but looked very narrow and extremely winding, though no doubt spectacular! To get to Porto we took the D81 north up the coast from Ajaccio. It is fine as far as Sagone, where it narrows into a spectacular corniche road. Going north, as we were, we had the rock face our side, and those going south had the drop into the sea on theirs! The road north from Sagone negotiates a number of abrupt headlands, at which there are tight, blind, right-hand bends. It is OK taken with due care, though meeting the odd southbound coach on one of these blind bends can be fun (as the somewhat over-exuberant owner of a large Harley Davidson discovered when he got himself wedged between coach and rock face)! The coach drivers know the drill, and will generally squeeze hard over and stop as soon as they see you. However, it is generally easier to reverse back to a wider bit to let them pass on the straight, rather than try to pass them on the apex of a bend. You just need to be careful of the uneven roadside rock face as you do so! That stretch, plus the above D84, were the only roads that I found notably challenging, but the views (when I dared look at them!) were well worth the effort. Surfaces were generally good, and driving reasonably sedate (after Sicily!). We took the ferry from Calvi to Nice (Corsica Sardinia Ferries). Reasonable price, daytime crossing, and not a bad ship. However, it shared the same poor catering as the (also Corsica Sardinia) ferry from Palermo to Cagliari. I had bought pre-paid meal vouchers on both, which in retrospect was a mistake. Both have "canteen" type serveries, where one takes a tray and progresses past the food on display, choosing what one fancies. On both ferries the "hot", voucher provided, food turned out to be pretty well cold, and there was only a desultory, over-subscribed, domestic sized, microwave to heat it up. Cold pasta just ain't my thing! The wise obviously knew, and stuck to the salads etc. Having said that, the salads appeared fine - stick to them if eating on the ferry, and pay as you go. I would not use Nice again either outbound on inbound. It is a small, artificial, rectangular, harbour, that opens directly to the sea. Any notable swell causes the ship to roll gently when docked, causing the stern loading ramp, over which all foot passengers and vehicles have to pass to embark/disembark, to gently rock and sway. So, too much swell, and docking is delayed, as the ramp becomes too dangerous to use. This we discovered when we arrived off Nice, were told the nearly calm (by Channel standards) sea was too rough for us to dock, and spent the next four hours tooling up and down admiring Nice and the coast from the sea. So, instead of docking, as intended, at 17:00, we were eventually ejected from ship down its gently shimmying stern ramp, and the port, directly into Nice at 21:00 - by which time it was dark. There is nowhere inside the port for vehicles to stop to consult maps or sat-navs etc.: you are simply ordered straight out! All campsites were by then long closed, so we headed off down the A8 to get our evening meal and kip on the first rest area we found. Police arrived at 01:00, advising the area was unsafe and we should move on to a large car park by a Geant super at La Napoule, where we duly arrived at about 01:45 and eventually went to bed. Ho hum! Would the same happen to you? Of course not, but I just wouldn't use Nice again as it seems so vulnerable to relatively minor wind and wave disruption. Arriving in strange places, after dark, after bed-time, just ain't my idea of fun motorhoming! But, yer lives and yer learns, as they say, and we did, after all, survive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 The main road down the east coast from Bastia in the north to Porto Vecchio in the south, and on to Bonifacio on the southern tip of the island (N193 / N198) is relatively straight, wide, and fast. Obviously, some of the scenery is not the finest, but pleasant nonetheless and quick for getting from one end to the other. Oh, and there are some stunning beaches on the east coast - think Caribbean - in the general vicinity of Porto Vecchio. We haven't taken the van yet, but have been by air a couple of times and rented a car to explore the island. The mountains are stunning, but some of the roads might be challenging in the van - worth further investigation concerning where exactly you want to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bealy Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 Hi to everyone who has kindly contributed to the question posed. Firstly thank you for taking the time to exercise your fingers on the keyboards. The information supplied has helped us with our deliberations. We haven't made a final decision yet but feel more positive about the venture especially with some of the descriptions of the scenery. Now Spring is almost here may we wish you a fabulous season motorhoming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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