Day 16-20: 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees. | Chalet-refuge la Grange de Holle to Artigue

The middle of the journey — and the mountains aren’t letting up! ⛰️ From valleys to passes, this section captures the heart of long-distance trekking.

Day 16 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: misty - with drizzly. A lot cooler today 16 degrees.

From: Chalet -refuge la Grange de Holle

Start time: 8.45am

To: Luz-Saint-Sauveur

End time: 6.30pm

Accommodation: camped 🏕️

Terrain: mainly forest tracks.

Cicerone guidebook stages: 20

🥾Km: 29

🥾Miles: 18

🦶Steps: 34,883

Ascent: 976m

Descent: 1726m

Total Distance 374/955km 39% Done ✅

💰Costs: €42 supermarket shop

€12.20 camping

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 7/10

Fatigue: 3/10

Ease of terrain: 3/10

⭐️Highlights: WiFi at the tourist office, food shop done before heading to the campsite. Really pleased with the distance walked today. Also FaceTimed mum & dad - was nice to see their faces.

🏔️Challenges: the weather couldn’t make up its mind! Drizzle, then sunny, then drizzle again.

💭Thoughts: I was able to move a lot quicker today - I think because it was cooler and I didn’t need to carry as much water. So my pack was much lighter. I think the body has adapted to the daily mileage now, which is a good thing!

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Day 17 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: mild, little bit of rain 🌧️

From: Luz-Saint-Sauveur

Start time: 9 am

To: Lac de l’Oule

End time: 8.15pm

Accommodation: camped 🏕️

Terrain: big mountain boulders, steps, rocky, grassy.

Cicerone guidebook stages: 21 & 22

🥾Km: 29.42

🥾Miles: 18.3

🦶Steps: 34,617

Ascent: 2115m

Descent: 1033m

Total Distance 403/955km 42% Done ✅

💰Costs: €0 my first no spend money day! 🥳

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 7/10

Fatigue: 3/10 - really pleased with my fatigue levels. I’m feeling pretty strong which is good considering the distances I’m covering and doing back-to-back days with no rest.

Ease of terrain: 5/10

⭐️Highlights: sitting eating my lunch and looking down on the lake. Very peaceful & relaxing.

🏔️Challenges: not really a challenge as such but I did want to stop walking about 7 pm. I didn’t have any water so I thought keep walking till I get some water and then I got some water and there was no flat ground so I need to carry on walking, and walking, and walking. on a positive note. I did do the distance I wanted to cover.

💭Thoughts: so much happens in 1 day. the days are long, but the time is also flying by. Can’t believe I’ll be at the halfway point soon!

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Day 18 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: wet & rainy 🌧️

From: Lac de l’Oule

Start time: 10.08am

To: Germ

End time: 8.50pm

Accommodation: camped 🏕️

Terrain: grassy, rocky, muddy, forests, switchbacks

Cicerone guidebook stages: 23 & 24

🥾Km: 28.38

🥾Miles: 17.7

🦶Steps: 38,880

Ascent: 1612m

Descent: 2096m

Total Distance 439/955km 46% Done ✅

💰Costs: €26 supermarket shop - 2x protein yogurt, avocado, baby tomato’s, baby bell cheese, snickers, gluten free cake bars, energy booster strawberry sweets. :

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 6/10 - solid day. But rainy and wet isn’t that fun after multiple hours!

Fatigue: 2/10 - I’m taking 10g of creatine a day and omega 3 (zinzino) in the evening. I think it’s helping massively with recovery.

Ease of terrain: 6/10 - the descents are a killer on my knees

⭐️Highlights: another 2 stages done 👍

🏔️Challenges: leaving the tent when it was raining in the morning - so hard. Everything is just so much more difficult when stuff is wet and damp.

💭Thoughts: starting is really the hardest thing. Once you start (whatever it is you’ve been putting off) it does get easier and momentum helps!

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Day 19 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: misty, cool, with a little bit of sun towards the end of the day.

From: Germ

Start time: 8.24am

To: Refuge d’Espingo

End time: 5.15pm

Accommodation: camped 🏕️

Terrain: muddy, cow patty, grassy, forests, rocky tourist track up to the lakes.

Cicerone guidebook stages: 25

🥾Km: 17.40

🥾Miles: 11

🦶Steps: 19,002

Ascent: 1724m

Descent: 1103m

Total Distance 456/955km 48% Done ✅

💰Costs: €4 hot chocolate ☕️

€5 chips (not worth it they were greasy in a gross way and made me feel sick when I was walking the next mountain)

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 9/10

Fatigue: 2/10

Ease of terrain: 4/10

⭐️Highlights: getting to stop at 5 o’clock, lying in the Sun for a little bit, doing some stretching, and having a little snooze. It was very relaxing!

🏔️Challenges: the area where you are allowed to camp is about 50 m of steep descent down, which means tomorrow that’s how I’m gonna start my day with a climb before another big climb!

💭Thoughts: I think psychologically making it past Andorra will make a big change - then I’ll feel as if I’ve made a lot of progress!

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Day 20 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: dry & sunny ☀️

From: Refuge d’Espingo

Start time: 9.05am

To: Artigue

End time: 6pm

Accommodation: camped - Gite

Terrain: mountains tracks, gravel, rocks, leafy, forests, roads.

Cicerone guidebook stages: 26 & 27

🥾Km: 24.93

🥾Miles: 15.5

🦶Steps: 29,563

Ascent: 1360m

Descent: 2109m

Total Distance 482/955km 50% Done ✅

💰Costs: €15 supermarket

€10 camping - but I do get to charge my battery packs

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 9/10

Fatigue: 2/10

Ease of terrain: 4/10

⭐️Highlights: climbing between the two high points was incredible just the views and the trail was beautiful. Lots of switchbacks. It was hard but really rewarding reaching the top.

🏔️Challenges: the descent was very tough on my knees but there was also parts which were very runnable so I was able to go a lot faster down one section which was awesome.

💭Thoughts: can’t believe I’m halfway through! 50% done is a hell of achievement 🥳 and to do the next 50% in 20 days I need to double up eight sections.

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👉 Want to see what’s next on the GR10? Don’t miss Part 5: GR10 Days 21–25 for more trail life 🥾🏞️📊

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