Day 1-6: Walking š„¾GR20 āToughest Hike in Europeā Corsica š«š· 10 Days!
- Tough Girl
- Aug 8
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 28
āØ The GR20 is often called Europeās toughest trek ā and it definitely made a bold first impression. From dramatic climbs to jaw-dropping Corsican landscapes, the first five days were a test of both endurance and mindset. In this post, Iām sharing my daily stats, trail highlights, and honest thoughtsĀ from Days 1 to 5. Letās dive in! ššāØ
Day 1/10 š„¾GR20, Corsica š«š·
ā¹ļøStats: with @masonalexandra š„³
Weather: hot š„µ & sunny
From: Calenzana
Start time: 6.30am
To: Bivouac de lāOrtu di u Piobbu
End time: 2.05 pm
Accommodation: camped
Terrain: dusty, rocky, scrambly, switchbacks, forest
š„¾Km: 12
š„¾Miles: 7.5
š¦¶Steps: 13,390
Ascent 1550m / 5085 ft
Descent 235 m / 770ft
Total Distance 12/190km 6% Done ā
Cicerone Guide Book - Stage 1A
š°Costs: ā¬3.50 coke
ā¬9 cheese & bacon omelette
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 6/10
āļøHighlights: scrambling was awesome, good fun, not exposed. Views were epic.
šļøChallenges: ran out of water about 12.30pm - it was so hot and a real slog to get to the refuge.
šThoughts: great to drink water again. Note to self - drink water before I leave and carry 3 litres! Itās so hot out there. The refuge seems massive - so much space to camp, itās busy but you donāt feel on top of other people. We set of at 6.30am - but tomorrow we do need to leave earlier - because of the heat.
Day 2/10 š„¾GR20, Corsica š«š·
ā¹ļøStats: with @masonalexandra š„³
Weather: hot & sunny āļø
From: Bivouac de lāOrtu di u Piobbu
Start time: 5.20am
To: Asco / Ascu Stagnu
End time: 8.15pm
Accommodation: camped
Terrain: mountains, rocky, scree, forest, flat slabs, chain links.
š„¾Km: 8 + 5 āā=ā13
š„¾Miles: 5 + 3 āā=ā8
š¦¶Steps:
Ascent 750m (2460ft) + 860m (2820ft)
descent 1050m (3445ft) + 710m (2330ft)
Total Distance 25/190km 13% Done ā
Cicerone Guidebook 2A & 3
š°Costs: ā¬2.50 coke
ā¬3.50 magnum almond ice cream
ā¬2 2x strawberry š yogurt
ā¬9 camping šļø
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 6/10
Ease of terrain: 10/10 - one of the longest and hardest days. I have ever done on a trail.
āļøHighlights: stunning views, bumped into a tough girl Shadi whoās shared her story on the tough girl podcast previously. What a small world. Watching the trail runners go past - amazing to watch them run up and down the massive mountains.
šļøChallenges: alarm at 4.30am - ahhh - packing up in the dark. Having a bit of a dodge stomach- not what you want! The insane amount of a descents & ascents there was a few gnarly sections as well
šThoughts: I honestly donāt know what to say. Iām so brain-dead and frazzled. The Sun was relentless it never cooled down until about 9 oāclock. I was so tired at the end of the day - over 13hrs on our feet. Continuous climbing. The never ending descent. So grateful to set the tent up and lie down.
š„ Watch the Day 1ā2 vlog belowāor click here
Day 3/10 š„¾GR20, Corsica š«š·
ā¹ļøStats: with @masonalexandra š„³
Weather: hot and sunny āļø
From: Asco / Ascu Stagnu
Start time: 5.45am
To: Auberge U Vallone
End time: 5.20pm
Accommodation: camped
Terrain: scrambling on steep Rocky slopes, high ridges, steep scree slopes.
š„¾Km: 10
š„¾Miles: 6.25
š¦¶Steps: 9584 - I donāt know how this can be correctā¦
Ascent 1250m (4100ft)
descent 1230m (4035ft)
Total Distance 35/190km 18% Done
Cicerone Guidebook Stage 4
š°Costs: ā¬4 Coke
ā¬5 flan
ā¬3 orange juice
ā¬9 camping šļø
ā¬9 ham and cheese omelette
ā¬14 vegetable plate
ā¬5 flan - desert
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10
Fatigue: 6/10
Ease of terrain: 10/10
āļøHighlights: getting to the summit of Bocca Crucetta 2452m. A nice little scramble just before the top. Amazing views. Getting snow and rubbing it on my arms and legs to cool down. Had a lovely evening meal sat down with some fellow hikers. It was gorgeous out on the outside terrace with stunning views looking down the valley.
šļøChallenges: I was so slow to get going in the morning. It was such a struggle climbing this mountain. So many technical sections. Luckily, we were in the shade for parts of it which made a big difference. The descent was done through the hottest part of the day. It was relentless there was no shade at all. Brutal.
šThoughts: my stomach hasnāt been great over the past couple of days which is made eating food really difficult. Iāve been getting by with Kendall mint cake and a flapjack once per day which is obviously not enough food to sustain you. Which is why I was really struggling with the walking over the past couple of days. I finally started to feel better this evening hence why I spent so much money on food!
Day 4/10 š„¾GR20, Corsica š«š·
ā¹ļøStats: with @masonalexandra š„³
Weather: hot & sunny with severe weather warning due to heat š„
From: Auberge U Vallone
Start time: 6am
To: Refuge to Manganu
End time: 8.50pm
Accommodation: camped - grassy & flat - but by the toilets!
Terrain: forest walks, steep, stony & rocky. Woodland walking.
š¦¶14 hrs 50 mins - I did take a few small breaks.
š„¾Km: 14 + 16.5 āā=ā30.5
š„¾Miles: 8.75 + 10.25 āā=ā19
š¦¶Steps: 25,071
šļøAscent: 1520m (4990ft)
šļøDescent 1345m (4415ft)
Total Distance 65.5/190km 34% Done ā
šCicerone Guidebook stage 5 & 6
š°Costs:
ā¬22 melon, cheese, meat & coke
ā¬9 ice cream & fruit salad
ā¬10 sunscreen
ā¬10 salad -tuna, tomato, onion & sweetcorn
ā¬4 coke
ā¬5 milk chocolate bar
ā¬18 camping
Total = ā¬78 - most expensive day so far!
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 6/10
Ease of terrain: 10/10
āļøHighlights: after the hotel it was very flat and fast walking. Like being on the AT and the hike up the mountain was done by switchbacks.
My appetite it back! Iāve eaten well today!! Needed as I hadnāt been able to eat much over the first 3 days. Plus I think my stomach is getting back to normal.
šļøChallenges: sunburn on my wrist and 2 small bits on the back of my legs. The early morning starts are not good for me. Alex prefers to set off earlier and I prefer to start a little later. So tomorrow weāll start separately and meet up later. Which takes the pressure off me and allows me to get a longer night sleep.
šThoughts: such a long stage. Doing double stages is killing me. It was such a push to get to the refuge. Pleased I made it. So many great food places on the way.
š„ Watch the Day 3ā4 vlog belowāor click here
Day 5/10 š„¾GR20, Corsica š«š·
ā¹ļøStats: Weather: hot & sunny āļø
From: Refuge Manganu
Start time: 7.30am
To: Refuge de Petra Piana
End time: 3.10 pm
Accommodation: camped āŗļø
Terrain: rocky, big boulders, gravel, high mountain passes
š„¾Km: 9
š„¾Miles: 5.5
š¦¶Steps: 8977
šļøAscent 980m (3215ft)
šļøDecent 740m (2430ft)
Total Distance 74.5/190km 39% Done ā
šCicerone guidebook stage 7
š°Costs: ā¬5 ice cream
ā¬18 camping šļø
ā¬2 snickers
ā¬22 dinner - starter - main & dessert
ā¬2 2x crisps
ā¬2 snickers
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 10/10
āļøHighlights: reaching the highest point on thr GR20. A hard core climb with a chain down a gully was a particularly highlight.
šļøChallenges: everything! The weather, the rocks, the climbing, the descending. I kept turning another corner and the terrain would be the same, just a rocky path going on forever!
šThoughts: it was so nice having a lie in this morning. My body really needed it. Iāve got a plan to finish the trail and feel confident with it. Iāve had to change up a few of the stages. But it will work better for me.
Day 6/10 š„¾GR20, Corsica š«š·
ā¹ļøStats: Weather: hot and sunny āļø
From: Refuge de Petra Piana
Start time: 6.15am
To: Vizzavona
End time: 7.50pm
Accommodation: camped āŗļø
Terrain: big ass mountains, boulders, small rocks, medium rocks, large rocks, forest tracks
š„¾Km: 7 + 11 āā=ā18
š„¾Miles: 4.5 + 6.75 āā=ā11.25
š¦¶Steps: 15,190
Ascent 390m (1280ft) + 670m (2200ft)
descent 800 m (2625ft) + 1180m (3870ft)
Cicerone guidebook stages 8B (high level) + 9A (low level)
š°Costs: ā¬24 meat and fries
ā¬4 coke
3x pineapple juice ā¬7.50
Chocolate ā¬2.50
ā¬5.50 gluten green bread
3 baby bell ā¬2.10
Pack of ham ā¬3
Crisps ā¬4
Camping ā¬9
Jelly sweets ā¬3
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 6/10
Ease of terrain: 10/10
āļøHighlights: reaching the top of the mountains. Streak & fries for lunch. Making it to the campsite - they had a well stocked food options. Catching up with Alex. Buying and eating all the food. It was soooo good š
šļøChallenges: 1st section 6.15 - 11am
Next section started at 12.20 pm made it to the summit at 2.40pm 2hrs 20 mins š„³šŖ
šThoughts: 4 more days - double stage, single stage, double stage, double stage. Done ā I can do this šŖ
š„ Watch the Day 5ā6 vlog belowāor click here
š Curious how the journey continues?Ā Check out Part 2: GR20 Days 7ā10Ā for more stats, stories, and mountain moments! ā°ļøšāØ
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