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The Challenge

A History

Prior to the 1950s opportunities to participate in adventurous outdoor activities were extremely limited in Britain.  In September 1959 three British Army officers from the Junior Leaders Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals (based at Denbury Camp near Newton Abbot) were monitoring an adventure training exercise for their young trainees on Dartmoor.  Returning at night to their own campsite near Sittaford Tor, Colonel Gregory, Major Parker and Captain Joyner commented on the trainees’ enthusiasm as they tackled the challenges of navigating, bivouacking, and field cooking in wild country.  Why should such activities, they asked, be confined to Junior Leaders?  Why not also to less privileged young civilians?

Two more Army exercises followed, and in September 1960 a ‘Ten Tors Expedition’ for youths 16 to 18 attracted twenty ‘patrols’ of ten servicemen each and one ‘patrol’ of three civilians from Exmouth.  The ‘entrants’ assembled at Denbury Camp and were bussed next day to Haytor.  There, following the Start ceremony, they were handed a list of ten checkpoints, which could be visited in any order.  The ‘best choice of route’ was calculated to be ‘about 55 miles’, and the Finish was back at Denbury Camp.

The ‘Expedition’ was repeated in May 1961, a time of year more suited to schools’ participation.  Youths 16-18 were given routes of 50 miles, and there were 36-mile routes for boys 14-16 and for girls 14-20.  ‘Patrol’ size was reduced to six persons, and girls slept overnight at a prepared camp.  The finish was at Hexworthy. A total of 156 ‘patrols’ started and 83 completed intact.

In 1962 a 60-mile route was introduced for young men 18-20, and the 36-mile routes were cut to 35:  the Finish was moved to Willsworthy.  In 1965 the entry exceeded 2,000, and for the first time ‘patrols’ were made to visit checkpoints in a prescribed order.  The pattern for future events was now fully established.

With the closure of Denbury Camp, the Start moved in 1968 to Okehampton:  one year later the Finish also moved there.  Because ‘patrols’ were now traversing high exposed moorland just as they were tiring and dusk was approaching, the 60-mle routes were reduced to 55 and the 50-mile routes to 45.

From the early 1970s the organisers were under increasing pressure to allow girls to participate on terms more equal to the boys.  Fixed overnight campsites disappeared, and in 1975 Sussex Police Cadets became the first girls ‘team’ (no longer ‘patrols’) to complete a 45-mile route:  two years later they were first also to complete 55 miles.  By 1984 mixed teams (3 male, 3 female) were permitted, and by 1988 teams of any gender combination were allowed for all ages and over all distances.

In Silver Jubilee Year, 1977, a one-day Special Event was introduced for young people with physical and learning difficulties.  In 1996 this was re-named the ‘Jubilee Challenge’, and in 2009 all reference to ‘Expedition’ disappeared as the original event became the ‘Ten Tors Challenge’.

Safety and environmental protection have always been priorities on Ten Tors.  1974 saw the introduction of a compulsory kit specification, and in 1977 Kit Scrutineering joined Team Briefing as pre-event requirements.  In 1978 an official entry limit was set at 2,400, and this still stands.  1982 saw the first Managers’ Training Weekend, which new managers had to attend.  During Ten Tors 2007 two thousand participants were rescued from the moor because of torrential rain and fast flowing rivers.  Consequently in 2008 the Managers’ Weekend was replaced by a mandatory annual Briefing to be attended by all team managers.

Ten Tors provides a major training opportunity for 43 (Wessex) Brigade to practice for resilience operations together with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and working closely with the local authorities, Civil Police, ambulance service, Dartmoor Rescue Group and other agencies to be able to support local communities effectively in times of emergency.

2010 witnessed the 50th Ten Tors in its 50th anniversary year (foot and mouth disease had caused a cancellation in 2001).  A visit by the event’s Patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, on the Sunday added to the significance of the weekend with some finishers receiving a royal welcome.  Coincidentally a Ten Tors Award was introduced to recognise the work of many dedicated volunteers who annually train the participants for this fine event.

Although there are many challenge walks in Britain today, Ten Tors is still alone in catering solely for young people.  Many of its participants will remember the event with pride for the remainder of their lives, and for some it may even be a life-changing experience.

In the Beginning…

How often do we all have good ideas but do nothing about them – either because we simply cannot, or because we cannot be bothered?  That an idea could emerge from a casual conversation in September 1959 to become a major event which has now celebrated over fifty years of success is little short of a miracle.  That success is undoubtedly due principally to two people – Colonel Gregory, who commanded the Junior Leaders Regiment at Denbury and Captain (later Major) John Joyner, who was the unit’s Adventure Training Officer.  ‘Greg’, as all his friends knew him, has long been recognized as the Founder of Ten Tors, but it was John who was its ‘architect’ and who designed its routes and produced checkpoint instructions for the first ten years.

 “In September 1959,” John subsequently explained, “I wrote an exercise for the Junior Leaders called ‘Escape to Freedom’.  The narrative was based on the escape of the Dalai Lama from Tibet.  In the course of the exercise an escaping VIP was to be escorted through enemy territory to freedom.  On its second day I took Colonel Gregory and another officer out to Teignhead Farm.  We camped near the source of the River Teign, and on a lovely evening and just before dark we set out across the moor to the upper reaches of the River Dart to see how things were going.  We arrived at the spot where the VIP was to spend the second night of his ‘escape’, and we quickly discovered that the exercise was proving to be a great success.  Those taking part were thoroughly enjoying the challenges of navigation, bivouacking, and field cooking.

“We left the Dart at about midnight to return to our own bivouacs, and during the walk back on a lovely starlit night we talked about modern youth, about the problems of providing adventurous pursuits, and about people who would complain about youth but do nothing to help.  We felt that we at least were doing something, but were we doing enough?  Why should our activities be confined to Junior Leaders?  Why not make it possible for less privileged civilian youths to do something similar?  It was when we reached the idea of getting girls as well as boys to take part that we nearly lost our way, and, but for the fact that I had taken the precaution of leaving a lighted hurricane lamp outside my tent, I think we would certainly have become lost!  Navigation, not always easy on Dartmoor by day, can be very difficult at night!

“Shortly afterwards I wrote a squadron exercise which required small patrols to visit ten tors, where they would discover the progress of the General Election that was taking place at that time: I called this exercise ‘Ten Tors’.  I then wrote a similarly named exercise - this time for the whole Regiment - that was to take place during the Signal Officer-in-Chief’s visit on 27 November 1959.  These two exercises could really be said to be the first ‘Ten Tors’, but it was not until 15 September 1960 that the first ‘public’ event of that name took place.”

For the brochure announcing that first ‘public’ event Colonel Gregory wrote: “I have thought a great deal about Ten Tors and wondered how I could set about organising it for 1960.  ‘Too big an undertaking’ says one authority.  ‘The farmers will be up in arms’ says another.  ‘It will be too expensive’ murmurs the nuts and bolts man.  ‘It will be an awful flop if nobody turns up’ prompts the pessimist.  ‘But go ahead’ urges the (imaginary) Prince of Denbury. ‘Get on with it and rely on youth.  The vital, tremendous, indefatigable youth of Britain will always rally to a good cause.  Give them a place to camp, water to wash in, a few latrines, and that is all they need.  Above all, give the whole undertaking an atmosphere of goodwill and trust, and be sure that it will succeed beyond your wildest dreams.”

The March 1960 edition of the “Junior Mercury” (the Junior Leaders Royal Signals newspaper) carried a report by Junior Lance Corporal Zimmer of the Kukri Troop.  He had been invited as a reporter for the paper to witness the preparations for the forthcoming “Ten Tors”.  He joined Colonel Gregory and Major R W (Ralph) Nye, the Senior Education Officer, on a “planned trip over the Ten Tors”.  This was his account:

“We left camp early one Wednesday morning with Major (the Commanding Officer’s dog) jumping joyously around us.  During the walk Colonel Gregory was vainly trying to bring Major to heel but with little success.  Major Nye suggested that a higher pitched voice might prove more successful.  Therefore for the next mile or so we had to contend with the CO sounding rather like an out-of-work opera singer!

“Arriving at Hay Tor Rocks we found a party of girls from Holne Outward Bound School engaged in rock climbing.  (Here the paper’s editor commented: ‘Surprisingly the report doesn’t end here!’)  From then on it seemed all walking up and down until finally we camped down for the night, a hot meal and coffee being very acceptable.

“The next day was bitterly cold.  It started to snow, and the monotony of the walk was only enlivened by the CO falling into a bog!  Late afternoon found us on top of a tor brewing up something to eat.  It was snowing heavily, and finally we decided to give it up and go home.  Thirty-two hours had passed since leaving camp, and we had covered only seven of our ‘Ten Tors’.  The questions remaining to be answered are: Are ten tors too many?  Is the time limit too short?  Were these the wrong tors?  Was the course too hard?  Was it the weather’s fault?”

On 26/27 June 1960 Major Ralph Nye and Captain John Joyner walked the “best order” of their planned tors “to see how we get on”.  Up to then it had been considered that Ten Tors could start and finish at Denbury Camp.  As John Joyner later wrote: “Because of firing on the ranges we had to start part way round our chosen route.  On the second day we arrived at Denbury in time to have a fine rice lunch on the Officers Mess lawn.  It was then that we realised that even our chosen route would be much too long, and so we decided to use transport to Haytor and to continue walking from there.  Thus Haytor was selected as the starting point, and we had to include the means to bus all those taking part from Denbury to Haytor.  It proved to be a most spectacular place from which to start especially with the Junior Leaders Regiment Band playing on top of the tor.”

So it was that Ten Tors 1960 was planned to take place on 15-16 September of that year.  It was described in the brochure as “a Youth Expedition across Dartmoor for young men and young ladies” (sadly none of the latter applied to enter) “under the distinguished patronage of the Lord Roborough (the Lord Lieutenant of Devon), Major General J H Cubbon CBE, Sir Ralph Rayner and Lady Sayer.”

Colonel Gregory was to be the Chief Controller, and Major Nye and Captain Joyner the joint Secretaries.  Assembly was to be at Denbury Camp on Wednesday 14 September, and all participants were to be bussed to Haytor next morning for a Start at 7am by General Cubbon.  The Finish was to be on Friday at Denbury Camp.  The entrance fee was “one guinea per ‘patrol’ plus £1 bus fare”.  Each patrol of ten “young men” aged 16 to 18 (or ten “young ladies” had there been any) would be told to visit ten tors in any order: the best order, which they would not be told, would produce a route of just over fifty miles.  The tors were to be: Haytor (the Start), Thornworthy, Hound, Oke, Yes, Lints, Stannon, Hare, Fur, Yar, and (permissible because the start was at a tor!) Cranmere Pool.  “Patrols” would be required to complete the course in 36 hours with no “marching” between 8pm and 6am – a total marching time of thirteen plus thirteen hours.  The stated requirements were: “good navigation, carefully planned kit so that essentials are taken but weight is kept to a minimum; and ten good walkers with the will to keep going.”

The entrants were twenty Services patrols of ten members, plus one civilian patrol from Exmouth Youth Club comprising only three members.  Two Dartmoor maps and the list of tors to be visited were issued in a sealed envelope at Haytor immediately after the Start ceremony.  The weather was fine on Thursday, but heavy showers early on Friday were followed by continuous rain in the afternoon and evening.  A patrol from RAF Halton was the first to reach Denbury Camp, and it was followed by five other complete patrols.  Forty-one individuals additionally finished having lost some of their fellow patrol members.  A jamboree was staged on Saturday during which the patrols that had finished complete received Ten Tors medals designed by Lieutenant Peter Tysoe and successful individuals received inscribed certificates.  At the end all patrols, led by the RAF, participated in a march past, and a dance then followed.

Subsequently it was agreed that September was not an ideal time for schools, and Ten Tors 1961 took place during the Whit Bank Holiday weekend. Captain (later Major) John Joyner, already referred to here as the ‘architect’ of Ten Tors, went on to design the routes and produce checkpoint instructions for all of the first ten ‘Expeditions’.

Spirit of the Early Ten Tors

Founder Colonel Lionel Gregory's book, 'Journey of a Lifetime', light-heartedly recalls the spirit of the early Ten Tors in “The Ballad of Denbury Common”. It is based on the 1961 ‘Expedition’, for which he was the Chief Controller.  It has been very slightly amended.

The Ballad of Denbury Common.

On Denbury Common, nineteen sixty-one,
A sound of massed trumpets heralded the sun.
A thousand young faces, weary and yawning,
Crept out of their dreams while day was still dawning.

Overnight the base camp had grown to great size,
Hubbub, confusion, and much to surprise:
"Like pigeons in a loft," the RSM said,
As he counted them in and tottered to bed.

Near the Denbury Cross, according to plan,
The momentous briefing for Ten Tors began
To wild cheers and applause, but was that because
Ten Tors was already a cheer-worthy cause?

The reception over, we turned to review
How Rothwell of Ogwell and his merry crew,
Having weathered the storm from morning till night
Turned up to continue the watch at first light.

As the chattering streams poured into the yard
A voice could be heard, like the ghost of a bard,
Speaking words of caution … then silence … until
They heard him again up on Haytor's fair hill.

There flags are fluttering, trumpeters in red –
The same scarlet warriors who’d roused them from bed.
The boys raise their faces, the girls they just smile.
The sun plays its part in celestial style.

Then out of the heavens and haloed in light
A whirring bird glitters and hovers in sight.
The cabin door opens, the steps are in place,
An officer stands by, well briefed just in case.

Stepping out briskly and looking his best,
Behold, the Queen’s General Commanding the West.
A fanfare is followed by “God Save the Queen”,
And all are impressed by the flag-bedecked scene.

The padre in cassock then asks all to pray
That God will go with those who set forth this day.  *
Up steps the General, he’s clearly impressed:
“A thousand here this year: five thousand next?”

The challenge, the dangers, he speaks from the heart
But the patrols are waiting for just one word: “Start!”
He wishes all well: enjoy the fresh air!
Then again that voice speaks: "They conquer who dare!"

Now watch for the action: patrol leaders stand,
Astride maps on the ground, a compass in hand;
They talk and they argue, some grumble, some dance:   **
“Why march on a bearing – let's leave it to chance!”

Away to the moors: every hill, every glen
Beckons young leaders, brave girls and gallant men,
Well trained to resist any thought of retreat
From the weather or time, the tors or the peat.

Swiftly they march beside clear crystal streams,
By pastures and meadows in sunshine and beams:
A trek across Dartmoor's bewildering scene;
To Hexworthy bound, thence to Colin's own green.

And there stands the leader at the entrance gate,
For once he is early, thank God he's not late:
Balaclava set right, bright toorie on top,
Saluting the general – and one word of shop:

"We’re through, Sir, on FM to every tor;
Conditions are perfect – could not ask for more."
A moment’s reflection, then just one more word:
"And, by the way, General, your breakfast is served."

That is the sitrep around eight hundred hours;
Some marching to the moors, and some to the bars …
(The VIPs, of course: how could they refuse
The Council’s kind offer of "duty-free" booze?)

As maps, tapes and check-boards are moved to and fro
Plant's giant display-chart takes Ten Tors in tow;
While Chandler works upwards, then down and around:
A flag for the lost and a pin for the found.

There's Willmott and Osborne and Simmonds in turn,
Wirelesses humming as the midnight oils burn.
Such dedicated men are happier this way,
Working extra long hours for no extra pay!

The sum of their figures progressively grew
As each one of ten tors was conquered anew.
Relentless, the time-watch goes on to the end,
And, wonder of wonders, they’re not ‘round the bend!’

Across yonder field called the devil's delight
The pricker of blisters now limps into sight.
You may think what you wish, but shout while you can
"A most hearty welcome, old medicine man."

Behind the red crosses the pots start to boil
Watched over by cooks as they babble and toil.
Ask Stacey, who knows that, apart from their feet,
Sooner or later even leaders must eat.

Bear with me a moment: “Up torers and cheer!”
The men and the women, who year after year,
Come, help where they can, and are always on hand:
For them hoist the bunting, and turn out the band.

Now here’s a strange message, the radio speaks,
A patrol has collapsed on one of those peaks:
"Symptom: exhaustion; feet blistered and tender;
Negotiate terms for abject surrender.”

How many patrols from Haytor first started,
How many since from their leaders departed?
With the urge to compete, still setting the pace,
Three hundred are forced to abandon the ‘race’.

To digress once again, and ponder awhile
Those stout-hearted women, the girls with a smile,
Who merrily, cheerily, right from the start,
Held no fears for Dartmoor and captured its heart.

Now their story's moral must have its own tale;
Did the women pitch camp near Princetown's old jail?
Ask Joyner, he's mum; there are rumours for sure
But what were they up to, those guardians of law?

Throughout these proceedings, perhaps just as well,
The press played its part as Mike Hartnett will tell:
Reporting each up, but more fully each down
Then judging it time to retreat from the town!

The Founder's own ruling: let me state my case
That the teams out in front do not ‘win the race’.
But those coming home near the stated ‘end’ time
Most merit approval in reason and rhyme.

The endless procession, all tired and some lame,
Patrol after patrol as homewards they came:
Juniors from Teignmouth, then the Royal Marines;
“Bravo!” now indeed for Ashburton's "Toreens".

As the hard night wore on and threatening frost,
The officials worked on to account for the lost.
And Rothwell's reception once more came alive
Till the last half dozen clocked-in at O five.

There are members of staff, too many to name,
So, so indispensable at this annual game
The pickets and rescue, in base camp and out,
And leadership on call: that's what its about.

To those men and women warm thanks are here due
For the bulk of the work well done by the few.
Yet asked if they'd rather be elsewhere, maybe?
Speak up in unison: "O no sir, not me!"

Such comradeship merits a grass-green silk tie
With something quite striking to capture the eye:
The old tinner's symbol, three rabbits, three ears,
Yet each displaying two to allay their worst fears.  ***

Now came the Admiral, spot on at six bells,
To present the awards and say the farewells.
"Remarkable," he says, "a jolly good show:
Its tough in the heat but much worse in the snow!”

Such wisdom and foresight brought forth a loud cheer
As he steered a brave course "round courage and fear".
And having thus planted a thought for the day
Hopped into his staff car and went on his way.

Produced by Phillips to a Tysoe design,
With Haytor and Ten Tors emblazoned so fine,
A medallion in bronze is honour enough
For all who are born of the best British stuff.  ****

Perhaps VIPs, who preside on the day,
Could bear this thought in mind, and mark what I say:
"Weighed down you may be with high honours galore,
But a Ten Tors medal could weigh even more."


*        The Rev ROR Wood composed a special prayer for Ten Tors 1961: it survives in slightly modified form today.

**       From 1960 to 1973 routes were handed to ‘patrols’ following the Start ceremony. In 1974 it was decided that participants should be able to plan their routes in advance: route cards therefore were issued at Registration on Friday.

***     The ‘Tinners Rabbits’ (found on roof bosses in some Dartmoor churches) were officially adopted for the Ten Tors logo in 1961. The design appeared on the event brochure and on green ties and cravats offered for sale at all subsequent Denbury-organised Ten Tors.

****   The medal was designed by Lieutenant Peter Tysoe and produced by F Phillips, the Aldershot medallist.  The design remained in use until 2002 when it was replaced by a design closely reflecting the event logo that had been adopted in 1985.


(With acknowledgements to the officers, staff and junior leaders who were present on the day, and all who have since supported Ten Tors.  Actual names are given throughout.

The success of Ten Tors was marked by the patronage of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT.  and there were other patrons too: The Lord Lieutenant of Devon, Lord Roborough; Brigadier Sir Ralph Rayner, MBE; Lady (Sylvia) Sayer; Admiral Sir Nigel Henderson, KCB, OBE; Air Marshal Sir Donald Evans, KBE, CB, DFC; Major-General F J Swainson, OBE; Major-General J R Holden, CBE, DSO, Brigadier J B Ashworth, CBE, DSO, ADC; Rear Admiral D J Hoare, CB, who together formed a ring of encouragement around the junior leaders from which they could emerge with confidence to take the risk and adventure.)

A first-hand report of Ten Tors 1960 is listed in the FAQ...

Dartmoor and Ten Tors

Dartmoor is one of the last wildernesses in England.  It is a national park occupying some 368 square miles (954 sq km) of hills, many of which are topped by spectacular granite outcrops called ‘tors’.  At its lowest point Dartmoor touches 325 feet (100m) and at its highest (High Willhays) 2,018 feet (621m). The valleys between the hills carry streams and rivers that can rise very swiftly following rain, and there are many bogs that can easily trap the unwary walker. Only two major roads cross the Moor: others take a more cautious route around its outskirts.  The only railway to penetrate the open Moor – to Princetown – closed in 1956. It is no accident that Dartmoor Prison was built at the very heart of the Moor, originally to house prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars and the American War of 1812.

Approximately 130 sq km of the moor are owned or licensed by the Ministry of Defence for military training including three range areas used for live firing exercises..

The Ten Tors Challenge is organised by the Army, specifically 43 (Wessex) Brigade, from its Moor Group Headquarters at Okehampton Camp.  It is assisted by the Royal Navy (with manpower and helicopters), the Royal Air Force and the Dartmoor Rescue Group: between them they oversee the participants and ensure that none comes to lasting harm.  In parallel with the Jubilee Challenge, the Ten Tors Challenge takes place annually in May and is limited to 2,400 individuals – four hundred teams of six teenagers.  The teams, depending on age, face hikes of 35, 45 or 55 miles (56, 72 or 88km) visiting ten nominated tors over two days.  The teams must be self-sufficient, carrying all that they need to complete their route safely despite the terrain and the weather.  The latter can be very changeable and at times quite extreme, and success or failure can depend very much on the extent to which a team has been trained for all eventualities. Every team manager and every team member (probably parents, too!) must inevitably pray during the week leading up to the event for fair weather on the day!  

From the outset in 1960 to 1966 Ten Tors enjoyed very fine weather, and there have been many similar years since. 1982, 1999 and 2011 were outstanding years: 1988 and 1998 were too hot.  In 1967 dense mist settled on the moor all weekend, and the start (which was then at Haytor) was delayed by half an hour: participants were even advised to use their discretion in deciding whether to set out!  Icy rain combined with the dense mist made it an endurance test of the highest order, and over one hundred participants were still on the moor on Monday morning.  The weather, because it showed no improvement all weekend, ensured that Ten Tors 1967 is regarded still as the worst to date.  Ten Tors 1968 suffered also from heavy rain and high winds, but for that the Royal Army Medical Corps provided a 50 strong rescue organisation.  Later that year the Dartmoor Rescue Group was formed, and since 1970 it has contributed invaluable safety cover during training and at Ten Tors itself.  

In 1973 torrential rain and dense fog on Saturday made the crossing of the Rivers Tavy and East Dart very difficult: a safety review followed.  For Ten Tors 1974 the compulsory kit specification was more detailed, and such kit could be checked before and during the event.  Moreover, teams on 35 mile routes had to camp overnight at a manned tor, and a system of Crash Times was introduced so that any team clearly too late to finish by 5pm on Sunday could be stopped at pre-determined checkpoints.  For 1976 mobile scrutineering teams were introduced to ensure that participants were complying with the Rules, particularly with regard to the kit requirement.  In 1977 teams for the first time were required to have all their kit checked by the Scrutineers in Okehampton Camp on the day before the event.

In 1981 gales, torrential rain, hail and thunder provided an excellent opportunity for critics of Ten Tors to challenge the safety of the event.  This was especially so as Ten Tors took place only three weeks after an Easter Weekend during which an Air Training Corps team (not preparing for Ten Tors) had been stranded on the moor for two days following a sudden and dramatic blizzard, and two weeks after gales and heavy rain led to over 100 wet and exhausted youngsters being treated at a centre in Okehampton.  Consequently Ten Tors 1982 saw the introduction of a Managers’ Training Weekend, which from the following year became compulsory for new managers and today is an annual commitment for all managers.

During Ten Tors 1996 a cold northerly wind throughout Saturday gave way to heavy rain and snow overnight, and blanket fog with driving rain and snow persisted throughout Sunday.  The computerized information system had failed from the outset, two checkpoint tents were demolished by wind, and in the early afternoon of Sunday the decision was taken to abandon the event following requests from Tor Party Commanders to do so.  A mass evacuation from the moor was organised and the RN helicopters played a crucial role, particularly on Kitty Tor, in some unspeakable conditions even for them.  Despite all this, 51 teams completed their routes, but sadly no record of these successes was available afterwards!

In 2007 the event was again abandoned on account of the weather, this time on Saturday evening, at the end of day one of the event.  Dartmoor had seen heavy rain during the previous week, and Saturday added another torrential downpour.  By the afternoon streams and rivers across the moor, fed by the soaked ground, were full and flowing fast.  The routes of many teams would lead them to stretches of water impassable except by wide detour, or across ground that was turning into mire.  Worse was threatened for the following day.  For the first time in the history of the event not one of the teams that had started would finish.  Throughout Sunday teams were evacuated in a controlled manner from the moor: all participants were consequently awarded their medals.

Many thanks are due to the servicemen and civilians who make the organisation and execution of Ten Tors appear stunningly easy, and who provide the essential safety net.  More importantly, congratulations and considerable admiration are due to the many teams who accept the Challenge and, despite everything, succeed!

As the event’s Founder once said: “If there is anything more important than the will to succeed, it is that the will shall not falter.”

Ten Tors … a personal viewpoint

That the powers-that-be within the Army ever permitted a public event such as the first Ten Tors to take place must have been due to the persuasive powers of Colonel Gregory.  I met him once only, and that was long after he had gone off to organize the Commonwealth Expedition (COMEX).  John Joyner, however, often told me that once ‘Greg’ got an idea into his head he would move heaven and earth to make it happen.  It was fortunate also that his successors at Denbury showed equal enthusiasm for the event and that, by the time that the camp closed in 1967, Ten Tors had become so popular that Headquarters South West District felt duty bound to allow it to continue.  That same popularity has since helped the event to withstand challenges from financiers and environmentalists, and only foot and mouth disease in 2001 prevented it taking place in that one year!

The great thing about Ten Tors is that it is a walking activity.  Almost every young person is capable of undertaking it, and those slightly less so have since 1977 been able to enter the Jubilee Challenge.  The Ten Tors Challenge, though, does require more than just walking.  It is, first and foremost, a team event, and the supreme award is a certificate that proves that the whole team of six has succeeded.  That demands strong leadership, spirited comradeship, prepared fitness, skilful navigation, absolute determination, and an element of luck.  The terrain of Dartmoor is always hard for walking, but it can be infinitely harder if the weather is not good.  The sun may help navigation, but it saps the energy and burns exposed body parts.  The mist disorientates and really tests the less able navigator.  Gentle rain can be refreshing, but, when it becomes heavy, it can swell rivers so that they cease to be fordable and, when accompanied by dense mist and gale force wind, can even become life threatening.

In my 47 years’ association with Ten Tors I have co-ordinated the training of large numbers of service and cadet teams, conducted Managers Weekends, established the scrutineering organisation, designed the routes and am now the event archivist.  I have never been a team manager, but I have always had great respect for those who take on this voluntary task for the benefit of the young people in their care.  I am, therefore, delighted that the efforts of long serving managers are now recognized by the Ten Tors Award.  This most certainly helps to consolidate what Major Hugh Oakford, for many years the Co-ordinating Secretary, would often refer to as the ‘Ten Tors Family’.

Moreover, on the subject of awards, there is one thing of which I am absolutely certain.  No boy or girl, who in the course of over fifty years received a medal for walking over Dartmoor, is any less proud today of his or her achievement than on the day that it happened.  For many – probably most – it was their first physical achievement in life, but in that achievement they discovered the willpower to face subsequent challenges with similar determination.  May that be so for the medal winners this year and every year in the future!   Thank you, Ten Tors: you have been, and still are, quite remarkable!


Alan Stephens,
Ten Tors Archivist, March 2012

© Ten Tors
15-September-2012