What an easy-peasy day: 15km to the tourist hotspot of Calvi, where we decide to book into a two-star hotel. Only 55 euros, it has wi-fi and is very central. 

We couldn't find the Youth Hostel.

There's a coin-op laundry nearby and we do a full load, which gets done while we venture down to the quayside. 

There's a row of smart cafes lining the water's edge and we sit at one and drink and dine, feeling decadent with luxury yachts moored nearby. 

It's said the place is a Mafia stronghold, but its seems very much geared to visitors, as there's an airport 7km away and ferries sail from the shadows of the citadel. 

The place is buzzing, in a nonchalant and lazy Mediterranean way.

In the morning we decide to be tourists and explore the citadel with its elevated views. British Admiral Lord Nelson sailed his fleet here in 1794 and attacked the formidable bastion for a couple of months, during which he lost an eye. 

Since then the views haven't changed and in the distance are the snowy summits that we saw a few days ago. 

Our damp washing gets laid out on a stone jetty to dry in the heat before we set off around mid-day along the D81b, which is a real gem.