Teen spirit and the Ten Tors

Sixty years ago this month, three Army offi cers organised an expedition on Dartmoor to give young civilians a taste of outdoor adventure. Today, 2,400 teenagers annually are rising to that challenge

- LUCY HIGGINSON

When, in 1960, three Army officers decided to run a Dartmoor youth expedition to give young civilians the experience of navigating, bivouacking and field cooking so enjoyed by the Army’s junior leaders, they could not have imagined that more than 2,400 teenagers would still be gathering to do it 60 years later. The Ten Tors event is widely respected as one of the toughest weekend challenges any teenager will tackle. Over-subscription means few teams east of Wiltshire get in, although thousands of children are motivated to get fit, take up walking and learn to navigate, since 40 or so may find themselves vying for one of six places on each team.

Just making the starting line, therefore, is an achievement, a point emphasised with much military chutzpah as it gets underway at Okehampton Army Camp on the first Saturday in May. If this helps stoke nervous energy, so much the better: each team must navigate a route of 35, 45 or 55 miles, passing through 10 checkpoints and carrying full overnight kit, by 5pm on Sunday. Ducking into shops or public loos is forbidden, as are mobile phones and GPS devices. For a teenager, this is, of course, the definition of hell.

“Friends do ask, ‘Why would you walk for fun?’” agrees Helena Campbell, 15, of Devonport High School for Girls in Plymouth. Having completed the 35-mile route in 2019, she’s back this May for the 45-miler. With Scottish blood and an ex-Army father, she decided “it seemed like a challenge and fun”. For her, the most magical part is setting up camp on Saturday night and tucking into a sleeping bag. “There is literally nothing like it. But I also like having nice conversations while you walk and becoming close friends with people sometimes you don’t expect.”