Lake Nielluccio (Lavu di Niellucciu)

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The path may require greater precision. After the sheepfolds, you will pass three fords on the way down; the last one is larger and may be difficult to cross during periods of high water.
From there, the climb is arduous, on a path full of stones, with the added difficulty of crossing a scree slope (always difficult).
The final section is more complicated, steep among the rocks and sometimes difficult to find. The only solution is to FOLLOW THE CAIRNS (I found at least two: one we took for the ascent and another for the descent, but they both lead to the same place), which take you above the lake on its south-western side. There is a path that goes around the lake to the east, but it is completely overgrown with alders, so you have to look for it...Follow the Visorando trail! It will take you to the eastern part of the lake, next to its spillway.
It's a beautiful little lake, but difficult to dip your feet in as the vegetation has taken over (unlike the older photo on Google Maps). Its location between high cliffs is superb. All along the path, there are beautiful views of Mount Renosu and the valley, which takes you back to the sheepfolds via the same path...The path is as difficult going up as it is going down, because of all the stones!
Another advantage: there is no one there!

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Date of your route : Sep 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We used the GPX track with GPX Viewer on our mobile phones. Despite this, it was difficult to find the track, which significantly lengthened our hiking time.
There were quite a few scree slopes along the way. Beautiful landscapes that you can enjoy on your own, as we didn't meet anyone else after leaving the GR trail.
The lake is not exceptional, but the location is pleasant and very peaceful.

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Date of your route : Aug 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

"Beautiful hike, beautiful landscapes, beautiful beech forests, Laricio pines, superb lake"
Accurate description! Beautiful scenery with views stretching to the sea and the islands of Montecristo and Elba. The beech and Corsican pine forests are very beautiful. As for the lake, it's definitely worth a visit: it's very peaceful, which adds to its charm, because once we left the GR trail, we didn't meet a single soul (on the way there or back).
Level:
- difficult due to the elevation gain (barely 600m but in only 2.5km),
- only cairns,
- short passages where you need to use your hands,
- it is strongly recommended that you have a GPS so that you don't miss the point where you have to "turn" right at point 4 (altitude 1,769 m).
And finally, I can confirm: a very beautiful hike.

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Date of your route : Jul 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Discover this small mountain lake; wild landscape; a complete change of scenery guaranteed.
At the end of the route, it's a shame that everyone marks their passage with a cairn; you don't know which cairn to trust 😉.
GPX track loaded onto our Garmin ETREX 32X.

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Date of your route : Sep 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike/walk, quick and with little elevation gain (except for the last 100 metres, which are a little steeper). You need to pay attention as soon as you leave the GR20, because from there on, you can only find your way using the cairns. Once you reach the end of the Orlando ravine, you need to have studied the map beforehand so you can turn right and not follow just any cairned path. The view from the top of the small lake is very pleasant and, above all, the place is very quiet and not at all busy, which is a big plus! Be careful when it is wet, as the various passages through the scree are very slippery. The description of the hike is spot on!

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Hello, I think that, like me, the first time you went left, following the last cairns that lead to a plateau.There is a small stream there where you will find or have found an aeroplane wheel. The wreckage is further up, almost at the top on the right. The lake is on the right before these last cairns. You have to squeeze through the rocks, and the climb is a little steep.

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Date of your route : Aug 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A truly beautiful hike. We are not entirely inexperienced when it comes to the Corsican mountains, but for fear of missing the cairns, we ended up missing the lake. We followed the most visible cairns to the end of the Orlando ravine, got lost in the alders on the slopes of Renoso, until we reached a large neve where we turned back - in the rain, etc., etc. All this to say that you have to be wary of piles of stones scattered in all directions. I still don't know where we went wrong, but I'll try again!

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Date of your route : Aug 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, the lake is well worth the effort. For me, the difficulty in finding the cairns at the end of the route is due to a second trail that branches off to the left, when you actually need to go up to the right, where the cairns are less visible.

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Date of your route : Aug 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, but reaching the lake does take some effort... however, all the cairns lead there! This makes the arrival at the lake even more exciting. There are two approaches to the lake, neither easier than the other (which was the suggested route). Using GPS was a plus.
Nevertheless, the first part is not difficult until point 4. The imposing Renoso protected us from a strong westerly wind, judging by the speed at which the clouds were moving! Calm weather and a picnic on the lush grass by the lake.

We didn't meet anyone since leaving the sheepfolds, but on the way back between the sheepfolds and the bridge, on the GR20, we saw lots of hikers: this confirmed that we had made the right choice for this beautiful hike (which is definitely difficult)!

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Date of your route : Jul 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The walk is superb. The small lake of Niellucio is very beautiful, watched over by goats and shaded by Renoso.
The only difficulty is the trail markings. It is essential to use a GPS in the last part because pranksters or hikers heading for other destinations have multiplied the number of erroneous cairns, making it more difficult due to the low number of visitors, which has allowed vegetation to invade the trail, and we had to revise our approach to the lake three times. No big deal, as we had plenty of time and the topography leaves no doubt as to the direction.

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