Ten Tors Training Weekend 4 (25th & 26th Feb)
So last weekend was our penultimate Ten Tors training weekend of 2023 – previously we’ve covered parts of the North moor, the South moor below Princetown, then West Dartmoor, and this last weekend it was time to cover parts of Eastern Dartmoor. Starting early Saturday morning, students walked in teams and visited Watern Tor, Fernworthy, Sittaford Tor, Stannon Tor and around Postbridge to our wild campsite near Fernworthy. We had to adjust our usual wild campsite for this route following the recent court ruling on wild camping, but found a nice spot near Fernworthy for the students’ 2nd night of wild camping. It was a cold weekend and a cold night, with frost Sunday morning, but all the students did very well setting up camp, having dinner, sleeping the night then packing up and setting off again early Sunday morning. The Sunday saw the teams visit Fernworthy Reservoir, Kes Tor, Buttern, Wild Tor and back to Cullever steps, finishing earlier than expected!
The students training for the 35-mile Ten Tors did 19km day 1 this weekend and 21km on day 2 so all did very well to get round. Whilst the students training for the 45-mile Ten Tors had a longer route of 35km day 1, finishing in the dark Saturday evening for some night nav and practice pitching tents/cooking in the dark, before another 21km on day 2!
We also need to thank our wonderful team of adult volunteers without whom we’d be stuck – they all did very well too staffing the checkpoints, waiting in the cold for the students to arrive in their teams at various points across Dartmoor throughout the weekend. The students walking were lucky in a way to keep moving and keep warm, whilst the adult volunteers waited in the cold for the students, so some setup shelter at the checkpoints or were even lucky enough to cook some bacon rolls! A big thankyou to you all!
Our final training weekend sees the student teams attempt an actual 35 or 45 mile route so we’re hoping the Dartmoor weather will be kind to us then…”
