Capu San Petru from Ota

Date of your route : Jan 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with clear directions; I’d add that if there are no parking spaces at the start by the fountain, you can try under the church or a little further down at the small car park by the town hall.
A few things have changed, of course, in the last four years: for example, at point 3, there are no longer any signs indicating a left turn, and you tend to carry on straight ahead, so do make sure to follow the route map (this is no doubt due to Storm Ciaran in November 2023, which also caused rockfalls on the path in places), the Corgola sheepfolds have now been renovated, and from there to San Petru you follow a track sometimes used by 4x4s; as in the previous comment, I recommend the view from the Larata sheepfolds – we actually had lunch there with an exceptional view...I strongly recommend climbing up to Capu di Larata, which is far more interesting than San Petru (which is rather disappointing afterwards); it towers 200 metres above San Petru and offers a much more beautiful view. However, the route isn’t easy (there are a few cairns up to the secondary summit) and it’s best to bring a machete and secateurs as the path is rarely used and quite overgrown; So, if you’ve made it up there, there’s no point in going to San Petru, especially as the descent from point 6 is no walk in the park – you’ll face a dozen or so very gruelling ascents and descents in quick succession, so make sure you save your energy…
In summer, I’d recommend doing the circular route in the opposite direction; on the way up, you’ll have views of sheer cliffs, and at the end you can have a swim in the Lonca pools, even if it means continuing along the stream for a bit, turning back to the left from point 3.
Enjoy the hike!

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Date of your route : Sep 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, thank you for this guide. I completed the hike on 29 September 2023 in lovely weather: 25 degrees (3 litres of water), at a normal pace in 7 hours, plus 2 x 20-minute breaks. Although I’m used to long hikes over Corsican scree, I can confirm that this is indeed a challenging hike, for several reasons: the total duration, the gradient of the slopes, the length of the ascent (3 hours) to the Larata sheepfold, and the steep, stony slopes on the descent. The level of difficulty is confirmed by the IBP index of 117 (which means ‘difficult+’ for a hiker of average fitness). All this is relative, of course, and depends on the individual. What I really enjoyed: the fact that it was steep and quite a challenge; the ‘canyon’ atmosphere at the foot of the rocks in the first section; the variety (rocks, forest, chestnut groves, etc.) ; the sound of the river (which you follow without getting too close, as you turn off to the left at one point towards the sheepfolds); the picnic table with a magnificent view at the Larata sheepfold; and, of course, the splendid bird’s-eye view of the Gulf of Porto from the ‘bocca di Larata’, which alone is one of the highlights of this walk. On the other hand, the 45-minute round trip from the junction towards Capu san Petru is only worth the extra effort if you’re prepared to scramble over the rocks; otherwise, there’s no view of the sea. The total elevation gain is difficult to determine depending on the tools you use, but based on the IGN map, I estimate it to be around 1,000 metres. Throughout the day, the only person I came across in his chestnut grove was Jean-Dominique, the gold medallist at the Paris Agricultural Show for his chestnut flour. He was preparing for the harvest, which was just around the corner. I’d like to point out that the route is very easy to follow. I only checked my position on the downloaded route map from time to time. All in all, I came away from the day feeling very happy.

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