What is the Ten Tors Challenge?
It has a reputation as one of the most character-building outdoor expeditions young people can undertake in the UK. The annual Ten Tors challenge takes place on Dartmoor over the weekend following the May public holiday, and, as any курсант who has completed it will tell you, it’s a life-changing experience that will stay with you for many years to come. SI Ian Johnson, Wiltshire ACF’s Ten Tors team manager, says this:
Once you’ve done it, it’s like being part of a club. In 30 years’ time, you meet people who've also done it and have an immediate connection with them - a secret bond.
History of the Ten Tors Challenge
The Ten Tors event was the brainchild of British Army officers in Devon who witnessed the enthusiasm of young trainees on exercise in Dartmoor’s testing landscapes. They wondered if other young people would benefit from the experience. The first challenge took place in 1960.
How it Works
Today’s Ten Tors starts and finishes at Okehampton Camp and is organised by the Army’s Headquarters South West, with support from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, civilian emergency services and volunteers. An estimated 2,400 teenagers take part in 400 teams of six, navigating routes of 35, 45 or 55 miles (depending on age) over the northern half of Dartmoor. They have to visit 10 nominated tors or checkpoints in under two days. In 2025, nearly 60 teams from the Army Cadets took part.
Teams are self-sufficient, carrying all they need to complete their route and stay out overnight safely. Mobile phones are strictly forbidden, but tracking devices were introduced in 2010 and became mandatory in 2014.
Training for the Ten Tors Challenge
Training can start as early as October, and there is a rigorous selection procedure. Training usually includes at least one trip to Dartmoor, but most often, you’ll train closer to home. Somerset ACF, for example, mostly trained on the Quantocks, the Mendips and Exmoor.
Cadet Experiences
Cdt Cpl Josh Hoare
Cdt Cpl Josh Hoare, aged 16, is part of Gibraltar Company, Somerset ACF. He first completed Ten Tors in 2024. Many of Josh’s best memories involve the festival spirit of the occasion.
The atmosphere when you arrive on the Friday is incredible. People are celebrating making it there, even doing conga lines. And at the end, that first year, when we came over the top of the hill and saw the massive crowd waiting for us below.
Josh’s lows have tended to be weather-related. He cites a training event when a thunderstorm warning led to teams abandoning the moors, and, in 2024, Ten Tors took place on one of the hottest weekends of the year.
Despite that, Josh enjoyed Ten Tors so much that he came back for the 2025 event, walking 45 miles in better conditions.
Cdt Isabella Walters
Cdt Isabella Walters, aged 14, joined Wiltshire ACF in October 2024 and wasted no time in signing up for the Ten Tors.
I’d previously been on walks with my family around National Trust places, nothing too vigorous, although I thought they were quite big at the time.
Isabella’s training began in January around Salisbury and Devizes, with a focus on навігація and carrying a heavy pack, followed by three camps on Dartmoor.
Come the event, I was quite nervous and even felt quite sick. But once we got going, everyone’s spirits were lifted.
Overall, both cadets and повнолітні волонтери get a huge amount of satisfaction from taking part in the Ten Tors challenge. If you’re interested in taking on this test of skill and endurance, all you need to do is знайти загін щоб почати.
Копирайт изображения: Louis Tripp