‘We’ve been shocked by how many people have been ill’ - British couple caught up in suspected norovirus outbreak on Corsica trek

A British couple have relived their harrowing experiences after falling ill on Corsica’s famous GR20 trail following a suspected norovirus outbreak that affected dozens of hikers.

Lucinda Layfield and her husband took off hiking the northern section of the route on September 18 towards the Petra Piana refuge when they met a woman coming down the mountain who warned them that there were many sick people further up the trail.

“We carried on, it was our first day,” Ms Layfield told The Connexion.

“When we got to the campsite, we met maybe five people who had either been ill or were very ill, like vomiting.

“Diarrhoea, vomiting, spreading extremely quickly, dizziness as well; weakness in the legs.”

One of the hikers they met was a doctor, who suspected norovirus because of how quickly the illness appeared to be spreading.

“As soon as we arrived at Petra Piana, when we heard everyone was sick, we said, ‘Okay, let’s not drink the water, let’s not really eat the food, and avoid that just in case’,” Ms Layfield said.

“Throughout the night of the 18th, when we were in Petra Piana, all the tents were almost in rows. I’ve never been anywhere where everything is packed so tightly,” she said.

“There must have been at least 20 people vomiting.

“People were packed so tight. You had people in the row behind us almost coming out of their tents and vomiting onto our tent.”

Ms Layfield said there were about 100 people at the campsite, but only four toilets.

Norovirus is highly contagious and can spread through contaminated surfaces, food or water, as well as through particles released when someone vomits.

The couple also heard reports that the next refuge, Manganu, had even larger numbers of sick hikers.

“Everyone there was sick,” Ms Layfield said. “They said it was like ground zero.”

The couple therefore left the route and descended from the mountain before staying in a hotel.

They later rejoined the GR20 further north, hoping they had avoided the illness. Instead, they became sick themselves.

“We thought, okay, maybe we’ve avoided being sick,” she said. “In the next refuge, we both got very sick.”

Ms Layfield said she suffered vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness and a headache.

Her vomiting lasted for around six hours and she felt ill for about two days. Then, her husband became sick as well.

“He was literally vomiting whilst we were hiking.

“We were very, very shocked about how much sickness there has been

“It’s been a really beautiful place, but we’ve been absolutely shocked by how many people have been ill,” she said. 

The couple were able to finish their hike, but Ms Layfield said she had seen people cutting their trips short because they were too ill to continue.

She was particularly concerned about older hikers who may struggle to descend the mountain if they become seriously unwell.

“Once you’re there and you’re sick, and you are vulnerable, it’s very difficult to get back down” she said.

Ms Layfield also said she had seen helicopters flying over the route every day, with the illness being one of the possible reasons for evacuations.

However, she said the most alarming part was the absence of warnings at the refuges informing hikers that people were becoming sick.

“There were no signs that said, ‘Be careful, there’s an outbreak of norovirus, wash your hands,’” she said.

“Most people only stay in the refuges for one night. And then you get a new batch of people who’ve hiked up the mountain.

“You can almost sweep it under the rug.”

She said that despite the number of people falling ill, life at the refuges appeared to continue as normal.

“In Petra Piana, for example, even though I’m sure that they knew so many people were sick, they still had people sitting on picnic benches very close together eating,” she said.”

Ms Layfield also believed the number of people affected could be higher than any official figures suggest.

“There must be people that have probably gone to the doctors here in Corsica for this,” she said.

“But there’s a lot of people like me, my husband, all the people we’ve spoken to who’ve probably just thought, ‘Okay, I’m quite young, I’m quite fit. I’ve been sick for 24 or 48 hours. Let’s carry on with our holiday.’”

This could mean that any official figures, if cases are being reported, would not reflect the full number of people who have experienced symptoms, she said.

The GR20 previously experienced a gastroenteritis outbreak in 2024, when the Corsican Regional Health Agency (ARS) issued specific advice to hikers.

Its recommendations included washing hands frequently, particularly after using the toilet and before eating, and treating or filtering water before drinking it. 

The ARS also advised people with gastroenteritis symptoms not to prepare food for others until 48 hours after their symptoms had stopped.

The current reports have not been officially linked to the 2024 outbreak or confirmed as norovirus.