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Matt's Home2001 - A Corsican OdysseyThe Packing Weekend

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2001 - A Corsican Odyssey

The Packing Weekend |

My First Brathay Expedition, in fact my first real expedition full stop, was to Corsica in the Summer of 2001. The aim was to walk the fearsome GR20, reputably Europe's hardest long-distance footpath; 125miles and 4,000m of ascent in a little over 2weeks, along a multitude of tough terrains and under a blazing Mediterranean sun - we were told as many as 50% of people who start the trek don't complete it - a fearsome statistic indeed. All-in-all, it meant a good deal of preparation was needed and that began with a Packing Weekend to Brathay's home near Ambleside in the Lake District.

It was a great opportunity to teach us some of the things we needed to know for Corsica and allowed everyone to get to know each other and incredibly we all bonded straight away and got on really well together. The only downside was that Foot & Mouth prevented Kev from running the extreme weekend that he would've wanted, as the restrictions meant we couldn't venture onto the Fells and were forced to march along country roads instead. It was actually much tougher than I thought it would be, especially the final pull to the top of Wrynose Pass and had me worrying about my fitness for the main event. But that I suppose, was the whole point and looking back, it taught me some very valuble lessons in campcraft...

including that it's not really a good idea to bivi outside when its freezing cold...

Locations Visited: Ambleside


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