Ten Tors is an annual event organised by the Army. Stover School has taken part in this challenge since 1988 and has an outstanding success record.
Pupils from Stover School are once again, taking part in the Ten Tors Expedition, on Dartmoor. There are three levels of challenges which are set over one of 26 specific routes; the bronze routes are 35 miles long for pupils aged 14 – 15 years. The silver routes are 45 miles long and open to 16 and 17-year-olds. The gold routes are 55 miles long and open to 17 – 20-year-olds.
The idea of the main challenge is for teams of youngsters to walk across Dartmoor on a set route which visit the ‘Ten Tors’ and will last over two days. 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.
The teams meet at the Okehampton Army Camp on Friday where they prepare kit and camp overnight. On Saturday morning the teams set off at around 7.00 am. The bronze participants must camp on a Tor whereas the silver and gold teams can camp anywhere on the moor. The next day the teams must visit the furthest Tor on their route and return to the Okehampton camp by 17.00 pm thus completing the expedition.
Teams at Stover start training for the event in the previous winter and continue up until the event start time.
