Foot slog...the Ten Tors Challenge on Dartmoor is tough going!

It's advertised as a roller-coaster of blisters, doubt, tiredness, aching limbs - and overwhelming achievement - and every year, it attracts around 2,500 young people.

The Ten Tors Challenge in Dartmoor's unforgiving surroundings will catch you out, if you're not completely prepared for it.

But you know that if you reach the finish line, then you really have achieved something.

Thousands take part every year

So, what does the Challenge actually involve..? Well, it's a two-day trek on difficult, hilly terrain, with three different distances - 35, 45, or 55 miles - depending on age.

There are four different routes, which are made all the more difficult by the fact that competitors have to carry everything they need with them - food and drink, as well as sleeping bags for their Saturday night out under the stars.

The Challenge, which starts at Okehampton Camp, is these days restricted to 2,400 competitors - 400 teams of six members.

Another 300 competitors take part in the Jubilee Challenge, for young people with special needs. This Challenge takes place on the Saturday, over distances of 7.5, 8.5, 11, and 15 miles.

Some prefer to watch from the sidelines...

The Jubilee Challenge was incorporated into the Ten Tors during the Queen's Silver Jubilee year on 1977, so this year is its very own Silver Jubilee year!

For all the competitors, there are tricky obstacles to overcome: the granite underfoot, and the bogs which lie in the valleys and dips and can catch you unawares.

So where did it all begin...?
The Army has used Dartmoor for training and firing ranges for many years. In 1959, three army officers felt that the moor would provide a challenge for civilians - and the Ten Tors Challenge for young people was born.

In the first year, 203 boys and girls took up the challenge, so the event has grown beyond all recognition since then.

Now, where's the foot spa?

The Challenge always takes place over a Saturday and Sunday in May, and it rarely coincides with ideal weather. It's often either too hot, too cold, or too wet...but then, that's Dartmoor for you.

The Army is helped by other agencies - including the Dartmoor Rescue Group - in ensuring that everyone gets to the finish line (or is rescued!) safely.

There was no Ten Tors Challenge last year, as it fell victim to the foot-and-mouth outbreaks, so this year's event is even more eagerly anticipated then ever.

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