Personnel of the First Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles on Exercise WYVERN CORSICAN GURKHA, completed a 9-day crossing of the GR20 North in Corsica, known as Europe’s most demanding trekking route, tested the team’s endurance, resilience, and teamwork. The journey combined relentless ascents, steep technical descents, and exposed ridgelines, all under a mixture of weather ranging from scorching sun to thick mist, cold winds, and rain.
Each day brought new challenges—heat exhaustion, slippery granite in storms, difficult navigation in cloud, and the strain of carrying heavy loads over rugged terrain. Despite fatigue and unpredictable conditions, the team maintained discipline, mutual support, and determination.
Completion of the GR20 in 9 days stands as a significant achievement, showcasing both the physical toughness and the Gurkha spirit that carried the group across one of Europe’s toughest trails. It was a huge achievement for 12 Pax achieving the Summer Mountain Foundation Course (SMF) qualification during this expedition.
Photography by Rifleman Amrit Rai.
