GR5/GR52 Route Planning

Just for someone wanting some route planning info, here is a summary of the route we took on the hike and some thoughts. FWIW, I've quoted the guidebook time for each day.

Day 0 - St Gingolph to Novel - 2 hrs
Day 1 - Novel to La Chapelle d'Abondance - 6 hr 40
Day 2 - Chapelle to the Refuge de Chesery - 7 hr 50
Day 3 - Refuge de Chesery to Samoens - 6 hr 10
(Rest day at Samoens - see note 1)
Day 4 - Samoens to Refuge de Moede-Anterne - 8 hr 5
Day 5 - RdMA to Chamonix - 3 hr 45 (see note 2)
Day 6 - Chamonix to Camping le Pontet - 6 hr 35
Day 7 - ClP to Refuge du Col de la Croix du Bonhomme - 5 hr 10
Day 8 - RdColdlCdB to Refuge de la Balme Tartenaise - 8 hr
Day 9 - RdlBT to Landry - 4 hr 30 (see note 3)
(Rest day at Bourg Saint Maurice)
Day 10 - Landry to Refuge du Col du Palet - 7 hr 30
Day 11 - RdCdP to Refuge d'Entre Deux Eaux - 7 hr 10 (see note 4)
Day 12 - RdEDE to Termignon - approx 5 hrs
Day 13 - Termignon to Modane - 5 hr 20 (via the GR5E)
Day 14 - Modane to Refuge I Re Magi - 7 hr
Day 15 - RIRM to Nevache - 4 hr
Day 16 - Nevache to Briancon - 8 hr (via the GR5C)
(Rest day at Briancon)
Day 17 - Briancon to Brunissard - 7 hr 15
Day 18 - Brunissard to Ceillac - 7 hr 55
Day 19 - Ceillac to Maljasset - 6 hr 35
Day 20 - Maljasset to Larche - 8 hr 15
Day 21 - Larche to St Dalmas le Selvage - 9 hr 40
Day 22 - SDlS to Roya - 6 hr 25
Day 23 - Roya to the Vacherie de Longon - 9 hr 10 (via Mt. Mounier)
Day 24 - VdL to St Dalmas Valdeblore - 8 hr 30
Day 25 - SDV to Belvedere - 8 hr (via the GR52A)
Day 26 - Belvedere to Sospel - 9 hr (see note 5)
Day 27 - Sospel to Menton - 7 hr 5 (via the GR52)

Pace vs Guidebook - Guidebook pace doesn't allow for stops for lunch, pics etc. so you have to be fairly efficient to beat it in terms of elapsed time. I would say that for the first three days we were slightly slower than it on elapsed time, then until Briancon we were slightly quicker than it and considerably quicker (when I was hiking by myself) after Briancon. Where we were quicker it was generally in the climbs we made time - which is what you would expect from a group carrying light packs.

Rest Days - Having a rest day early worked well. We enjoyed our rest days by having them in decent sized towns. After Briancon there really isn't anywhere I'd fancy spending a rest day.

Route at the end - Days 24, 25 and 26 were by far the least interesting of the hike; I would not recommend the route I took at the end. I would have preferred to stop the hike at St Saveur de Tinee (you are out of the mountains then and, while I enjoyed the arrival at Menton, it wasn't that sensational) or to have continued by the GR52. 

Overall Pace - The pace was fine for me - I didn't have any trouble with accumulated fatigue. I think the pace worked well for the others too, largely because we 'eased in' to the hike a little. Towards the end the days become longer (it is further between huts) and there is a temptation to hurry a little bit (the gravitational attraction of the Med!) - this increases the risk of injury, so I think it is worth resisting this temptation. 

Big Decisions - We did it N to S because it's the convention, it's hiking to better weather (after midsummer) and the climbs on the cooler N faces. We did it in Sept because the weather is cooler and generally better and also it would be quieter - this generally worked well. Hut and gite closures turned out to be a growing problem from mid-Sept and a slightly earlier start would have been better (e.g. if I had started 2 days earlier I'd have finished via the GR52).  

Notes
1. We had an early rest day to sort out any problems (e.g. equipment failures or send unnecessary stuff by post) and also to soften the start a little (the first 3 days don't form an easy introduction).

2. To save our knees we avoided the Brevent to Les Houches descent by taking the cable car to Chamonix (also a more interesting town than Les Houches). We took a shuttle from Chamonix to Les Houches the next day.

3. We spent our second rest day in Bourg Saint Maurice rather than Landry because it's a proper town.  

4. We took the GR55 and intended going via Pralognan to Modane but changed or route due to bad weather.

5. Mostly by the road, with a lift towards the end.