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60 years of Ten Tors Tavistock & District Youth Forum
Mount Kelly
The first weekend in May will mark 60 years since the first public Ten Tors event took place in 1960, bringing together a throng of determined young teams, as well as a group of veterans who took part in the early days of Ten Tors.
Another 2400 young people from the South West will gather at Okehampton Camp on 1st May to take on the strenuous undertaking of trekking between ten designated Dartmoor tors, within 34 hours. With 35-mile, 45-mile and 55-mile routes, Ten Tors is renowned as a challenging feat which tests strength, resilience, navigation skills and the cohesion of the group. The participants are between the ages of 14 and 19-years-old and have been training for several months, with the weekend marking the pinnacle of their efforts, as well as celebrating 60 years of Ten Tors.
The origins of Ten Tors lie in a military exercise on Dartmoor called ‘Escape to Freedom’, which revolved around the flight of a fictional character, Druid Lama, from Llasa Tor. This was in 1959, shortly after the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet into exile in India, and the exercise was created by Captain John Joyner for the Junior Leaders Regiment, Royal Signals at Denbury Camp near Newton Abbot. Partway through the exercise Captain Joyner took Lieutenant Colonel Lionel Gregory, the commander of the Junior Leaders Regiment, and Major Parker to see how it was progressing – he later wrote: “… 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.” This prompted a discussion about holding an event open to civilian youths as well – and even girls. Captain Joyner (or Yeti as he was apparently known) created two more Dartmoor exercises for the squadron and the regiment in 1959, and then in 1960 Colonel Gregory organized the first Ten Tors event open to the public.
Twenty-one teams assembled at Denbury Camp on 14 September 1960, including one civilian team of
three young men from Exmouth who knew the moors well and were known as the ‘team
of three’. At 6:30am on 15 September the teams were given the grid references of ten tors and set off from Haytor, aiming to reach Denbury Camp by 9:30pm the following day. With 20 miles to go the ‘team of three’ were in the lead but were overtaken by RAF Halton when they took time out to cook lunch! The event was a huge success despite the tough conditions and only six full teams completing the task. A second Ten Tors was planned for May 1961, when it was easier for schools to take part, resulting in a much larger uptake from the public, including teams of girls who slept in a separate camp overnight. Team sizes were reduced from ten to six, the finish moved to Hexworthy and different length routes were introduced for different age groups; 156 teams started out and 83 full teams finished.
Girls Team 1961
Finish line 1961
The ‘team of three’ with Col. Gregory
Local resident Ken Kay first took part in Ten Tors in 1963 when he was a Junior Leader at Denbury Camp. He remembers it well, saying: “My first Ten Tors was the 50-mile route in 1963 when I was 16 with ginger hair. Then I did it again in 1964 as team leader of White Spear Troop – each of the 12 Denbury teams had hats bearing their different emblems. The rest of the regiment manned the check points and set up the communications and transport. We didn’t have tents, just sleeping bags or blankets, and were issued with basic army rations, hexe cookers (similar to firelighters) and purification tablets to use with stream water. We walked in army Ammo hobnail boots, which had a good grip but it was hard going through bogs and streams with blisters on blisters - some of the girls’ teams walked in wellington boots and pumps though. Our first Ten Tors was a very proud achievement, and for some, our first real achievement.” In 2005 Ken and other ex-servicemen were invited to enter Ten Tors in a veteran Denbury boys’ team, and then again for the 50th year celebrations in 2010. Undeterred ten years later, they have yet again been training for this year’s event.
In the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year in 1977, the ‘Special Event’, now known as the ‘Jubilee Challenge’, was introduced for young people with special physical or educational needs. Between 7.30am and 6pm on the Saturday of the Ten Tors weekend, 200 entrants will complete either 7.5 miles by road, 5 miles cross country, 11.75 miles cross country or 15 miles cross country. The young people are accompanied by an escort from Exeter University Officer Training Corps and can enter as
Ken Kay leading team to Ten Tors finish in 1963
individuals or as teams, with many completing the challenge in wheelchairs. All participants receive a certificate, and medals are presented to entrants who complete the course.
Although Denbury Camp closed in 1967, the military has continued to organize Ten Tors; the event now 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 as well as regional agencies, emergency services and volunteer organisations. There have been changes over the years to the distances, organisation, rules and required kit; participants in different years have experienced every type of weather imaginable from incessant rain to heat waves, but the one constant factor has been the incredible spirit of Ten Tors and the overwhelming enthusiasm and dedication of the young people who take on this intensive challenge and attain success year after year.
Rosemary Best
In 2010, Simon Dell, director of Moorland Guides, created a booklet detailing the history of Ten Tors in celebration of the event’s 50th anniversary, which drew together a large number of articles and images provided by participants and people connected with the event over the years, including Ken Kaye. We would like to thank all of them for their help in compiling this article.
A life of adventure As one of the founders of Spirit of Adventure, John Diplock is a respected, experienced climber and instructor and for over 25 years he has led many groups to spectacular places all over the world.
Born and raised on the family farm in Sussex, John was a restless child with a great desire to see more of the world. He left the farm aged 30 and took a job at Gatwick Airport where he joined the landscaping and grounds maintenance team. A year later he was offered a job at a school in London for children with challenging behaviour, initially as kitchen staff - but before long John was asked to take on their outdoor education. He took the children camping, climbing, trekking and canoeing and eventually gained qualifications in mountain leadership, the SPA climbing award, and the BCU canoeing & kayaking award which broadened his horizons, enabling him to travel and work anywhere in the world.
In 1988 John was invited to join the British expedition to Kusum Kangguru in Nepal; he took two months off work and enjoyed it so much he didn’t want to return. Soon after he met kindred explorer, Sandy Simpson and discovered they both wanted to deliver thrilling and challenging expeditions, which provided people with opportunities to push boundaries in breath-taking locations. So together they devised an idea for a new project called ‘Spirit of Adventure’. He has canoed in Alaska alongside whales, eagles and bears, guided a group to a source of the Amazon in Peru, and spent time discovering the delights of tiny islands off Mexico; he has taken multiple teams trekking in remote areas of Pakistan and Greenland, and has led climbing courses in Spain and of course his beloved Nepal. He has particularly enjoyed scouting out new locations that push boundaries, as well as working with teams of locals in the field. A fair share of unforeseen adversity has also come his way – such as when he and his group were caught in a devastating earthquake in Nepal in 2015. Fortunately, none of his party were hurt and everyone made it safely home, although for the local Nepalese it was a hugely destructive earthquake which left villages destroyed and over 8000 dead. John has lost colleagues and friends over the years who shared the same wanderlust but weren’t so fortunate. He is quick to say that this lifestyle is not without risk; he is often in remote locations with little opportunity for rescue, but the thrill of achievement and the joy of travelling to the wild places of our world, pull him back time after time.
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adventures for children, and now works closely with The Prince’s Trust, local primary schools and the National Trust. It runs two bunkhouses – the newly refurbished Dewerstone Cottage and another one at Powdermills. Over the course of a year it provides residential outdoor education to over 3000 local primary school children who experience Dartmoor’s great outdoors through dynamic and challenging activities such as rock climbing, canoeing and trekking. The company uses experienced, enthusiastic guides and instructors and has become a leader in facilitating the necessary expedition requirements for the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme; it has also been delivering residential team-building courses for The Prince’s Trust for over 20 years. Founded by Prince Charles in 1976, the charity aims to support vulnerable young people, many of whom face homelessness and mental health issues; taking part in activities builds confidence, develops selfesteem and has a lasting impact on the attitudes and outlook of the young people who attend.
Semi-retired, John now works in a consultancy role with Spirit of Adventure, although he is still quite hands-on and continues to maintain his long association in support of a group of adults with learning disabilities. For now, John is enjoying Dartmoor and the home he has made there overlooking its beautiful wild landscape. He also seems to have come full circle, enjoying helping a local farmer with the stock in a field at the bottom of John’s garden - and whilst he still enjoys back-packing across the moor, he finds quiet delight in sitting in his garden in the summer, watching barn owls track back and forth. John says it’s all about finding quality not quantity - I would say he has had, and continues to have, a quality life full to the brim.
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Svalbard, Norway
A slice of the action Zena Farrington has had her fair share of life’s ups and downs, and many would buckle under the strain, but she has found her fighting spirit – in the Arctic of all places.
Born in Hampshire, her father died when Zena was young, and she was raised in relative penury by a resilient mother with strict puritan values.Her mother became a nanny and Zena has remained close to the children she was raised alongside. Educated at a Catholic school she learnt to keep her head down and by the time she left at 16 she was tough, independent and self-reliant. Not notably academic she took catering qualifications and became a chef. However, her fiancée was involved in a car accident and fell into a 6-year coma which led to a change of direction so she could stay near him. She took part-time, temporary jobs at a series of newly emerging computer companies. Self-taught, she realised she had a gift for computers and was soon responsible for highly sensitive computer data for IBM.
Already passionate about ecology, Zena joined an excursion in 1988 around Lake Victoria in Africa for 6 weeks. It was a revelation and planted a seed of aspiration and a desire to do more for our planet. She went on CND marches, began recycling long before the word was commonplace and bucked against the wasteful materialism of the eighties. In 2002, following an unhappy relationship, Zena travelled to the Himalayas and joined an expedition to Everest base camp, where she fell in love with Nepal and the Nepalese people. On her return to the UK she decided to leave IBM and joined the Ministry of Defence, yet again working with complex, sensitive systems. She enjoyed her job but after the death of her mother in 2014, she had a desire to realise untapped potential, and moved to Devon where she started a new chapter - in education.
She enrolled at South Devon College to study animal management, learning about all aspects of animal husbandry from elephants to dogs. She had a special interest in ocean life and progressed to a marine biology foundation degree before gaining a Bachelor of Science in marine zoology. Zena thoroughly relished the academic life but was hampered by a fall not long after her move to Horrabridge, when an injury to her head left her unable to walk. Sadly, she had to take a break from college but with the support of her new neighbours and chiropractor Andrew Greg, she gradually improved and was able to graduate in 2018.
Last May, Zena was looking for a pair of walking boots and dropped in on the Ice Warrior BASECAMP outlet in Princetown. Her interest was piqued by an information flyer for the next expedition to the Arctic - #LASTPOLE, an expedition to the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility, the last ‘world first’ to be claimed in the polar regions. Founded by Jim McNeill, Ice Warrior has trained over 350 people and undertaken ground-breaking expeditions to retrieve data which is helping scientists discover more about global climate change. #LASTPOLE involves four teams trekking more than 800 miles across treacherous sea-ice to the furthest point from land on
#lastpole
the Arctic Ocean, to collect vital data about the state of the ice, weather conditions, levels of pollution and the distribution of polar bears.
Zena signed up for the next training session to be held on Dartmoor and began preparing for the rigours of life at the extreme. Earlier this year she joined the latest group in an epic training mission in Svalbard, Norway. Staying at their base camp as well as in tents, they endured a fortnight of high Arctic winter in moonlit darkness. Temperatures of -32 were recorded inside the tent and the group had to undergo hypothermia exercises which left them all in painful disorientation. They learnt navigation and survival skills, and how to pull a ‘pulk’ sled, which carried their kit and food for the duration. It was incredibly difficult and pushed Zena
far outside her comfort zone, but it was also an amazingly rewarding experience, teaching her a great deal about herself. She discovered a resilience and determination she did not know she possessed, as well as drawing inspiration from the camaraderie and collaborative team spirit. The expedition is essential if we are to better understand how our climate is changing, and Zena is hoping to utilise life experience of nature, alongside her computer skills to further promote the Ice Warrior quest.
Nichola Williams
For more information about the expedition go to lastpole. co.uk, ice-warrior.com, or Smithsonianmag.com: The ‘Pole of Inaccessibility’ Has Eluded Adventurers for More Than a Century.
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Staying safe on the moors
We are so lucky to be able to be out on the moors within minutes, but anyone who has spent any time exploring the tors knows that Dartmoor can quickly turn from a beautiful, benevolent, inspiring landscape to a challenging environment in moments with a change in the weather or an injury to a member of the group. If you are unprepared for this situation it can sometimes become serious. No group of people know this better than the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (DSRT) which has been working to keep people safe on the moors for over 50 years. What would help DSRT immensely is if everyone ventured onto the moors expecting to have a wonderful day, but also prepared for more challenging events. At the very least you should wear appropriate clothing, and take waterproofs and warm layers. Most people have mobile phones these days so make sure it’s somewhere waterproof and fully charged. You should have a map, and if going on a bigger walk or somewhere you don’t normally go, make sure someone knows your route. There is a lot of useful information on the ‘Stay Safe’ page on the DSRT website, as well as links to the following: Dr Jo Coldron gives some useful advice about avoiding dangerous situations on Dartmoor and dealing with minor injuries.
The Met Office detailed weather report for Dartmoor
How to register your phone for emergency 999 text service
Up-to-date firing range information
A route card to fill in and leave with a family member or friend detailing where you plan to walk
You could take a whole rucksack of first aid kit but for those who have never taken medical kit with them I would suggest the following items:
Plasters (assorted sizes): for obvious uses, and despite this article, a blister remains the most likely ‘medical emergency’ on Dartmoor
bandage and can be used to bandage and apply pressure to bleeding wounds, make slings for broken arms and wrists or make splints for injured legs
Self-adhesive bandage tape: this can be used alone to support a sprained ankle or together with a folded triangular bandage as a pad to bandage a bleeding wound
Disposable gloves: it may well not be your bleeding you are stemming, and all parties will be happier and safer if you wear disposable gloves
Sterile cleansing wipes: these are useful for smaller abrasions, but for deeper, larger, contaminated wounds you are likely to get them much cleaner by sluicing with clean tap water from your drinking bottle - try not to use all of it though as someone who has lost a lot of blood can feel pretty thirsty
Tweezers: always more useful than you can possibly imagine
Scissors: useful for cutting bandages and tape of course, but more importantly for cutting clothing to get to an area of injury without having to take clothes off – not something a casualty wants to be doing in any circumstance, and certainly not on a cold hillside
If you feel you would appreciate a bit of training to improve your skills and confidence at first aid and emergency medical care, Tavistock Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team is running first aid courses on 30 May, 25 July and 29 August - details are available at www.dsrt-tavistock.org.uk/courses.html
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