10/05/2024 – 12/05/2024: Ten Tors event

• Minibus transport costs per trip £10.00 and is payable via ParentPay.

After our second camp of the training programme earlier this month, we all felt like we deserved a break in the rain. On our 10^th and last training walk of the year, we finally didn’t have to battle the awful weather!

For this walk, we had a 20km route to minimise the risk of injury ready for the event in two weeks’ time. We set the 45-mile team in one direction and the 35-mile team in the other. This is a great test to see if the 45-mile team have a quicker pace in order to complete the 10 mile longer route on the event itself. We were based around a well-known area of the moors and took in the misty views at Hound Tor, Greator and Black Hill. The mist was eventually blown away as we hit Bonehill Rocks, Bell Tor, Chinkwell Tor and Honey Bag Tor. The 35-mile team almost missed a tor before the wind blew the fog away to reveal Honey Bag Tor less than a KM away. This shows, more than ever, the importance of reading the map, taking in the landmarks and using the compass. Each team has to hit a checkpoint in a timely manner in order to keep going to complete the route. Using checkpoints throughout this walk highlighted the importance of team work and time management. The teams navigated to Buckland Beacon where they saw the 10 commandments stones, onwards to Rippon Tor and back down to Haytor Rocks. All students worked hard and completed the route using great navigation, speed and organisation and were even met by an ice cream van much to their delight!

We will receive each team’s routes on Tuesday next week ready for the official Ten Tors Challenge on Friday 10^th – 12^th May. Students and the staff will be camping from Friday and the teams will be expected to finish between 1pm and 4.30pm on the Sunday. We can’t wait to meet them at the finish line after all their hard work this year, and I am sure they will be excited to collect their victory pasty!

On Saturday the 18^th March, our Ten Tors training team made their way from Lee Moor Village navigating to tracks, wading through fords and finding their way around Great Trowelsworthy Tor to head to Gutter Tor. The weather was not kind to us, once again, and the heavens opened with the fog coming down to make sure the students had to work extra hard to navigate their way to Eylesbarrow Tin Mine, past Nuns Cross and onwards to Princetown. The students completed a substantial distance before we made the decision to call the walk at Princetown due to the harrowing weather conditions and the students being soaked through. The following day we saw that a walker had broken his leg on Birch Tor due to the slippery conditions and the mountain rescue team had to deploy for another school as they could no longer walk. The news proved to us that we have the safety of our students at the forefront of our planning and this has been passed down to our students who always walk safely and consider all aspects of the route.

This walk demonstrated good pace, good teamwork and careful map reading, our team never let us down with their enthusiasm and effort despite the rain and the temperature. Due the team working hard and not giving up, we have now created our final Ten Tors 35 mile team and are soon to confirm our Ten Tors 45 mile team. Watch this space.

Our next training event will be our 2^nd camp which will involve 2 days walking and a wild camp during the Easter break.

Friday 1st March and Saturday 2nd March  saw the first of our Ten Tors training camps.

The students left school early on the Friday and when arriving at Postbridge they embarked on what was scheduled to be their longest walk yet. Dartmoor threw everything it had at them with sun, rain, wind, hail and snow all experienced in just a few short hours. The extreme weather and relentless pace took its toll and a couple of the group had to be picked up at Fernworthy Reservoir. Once the relevant pick up’s had been made the remaining students continued on but the delays and the continuing extreme weather meant that a pragmatic route change had to be made to ensure we weren’t still on the moors after dark.

A massive thank you needs to go to Miss Ousley who delayed leaving to attend a prior engagement to ensure the safety of the walking group by picking them up in the minibus from a rearranged point. Once safely back at the campsite the students focused on striking camp and getting some well deserved hot food before an early night to prepare for the next day. The conditions continued to test the students and overnight the students camped in below freezing conditions which meant that getting up was clearly a struggle to be ready for the second day.

On the Saturday, they were set off on their own in two groups with the 35 and 45 teams split for the first time and remotely supervised. They navigated their way up towards Branscombe Loaf before heading back south via Great Links Tor and then along the ridge passing Chat, Hare and Ger Tors before arriving at the end point of Lanehead Car Park. Over the two days the students still managed to cover well over 35 km despite the route changes and practiced valuable navigation and camp craft skills in difficult conditions. This was certainly the most challenge they have faced so far and reiterated what a true lasting achievement completing the Ten Tors really is.

The next walk is on Saturday 16th March with the second camp coming up in early April.

On Saturday 17^th February the TCS Ten Tors Training Team embarked on our 6^th walk of the year beginning at Shipley Bridge. We had 13 dedicated students join us in their half term week, very impressive considering the weather and the early start. As we approached Dartmoor, it was clear to see this was going to be a foggy, wet walk. Mr Johns and Mr Horne made a sensible decision of amending the route which was initially 20 miles down to 13 miles to ensure we would get back to Shipley Bridge Car Park before 2pm when a yellow weather warning would come in to effect. Considering adverse weather in a location such as Dartmoor has to be a priority when walking and I think all of us were glad to not walk the extra few hours in the pouring rain.

 

We began with a steep incline towards Ball Gate which are old gate posts from Brentmoor Manor in the 17^th century. We then worked out a safe crossing over East Glaze Brook followed by West Glaze Brook with our students taking it in turns to navigate. Mr Johns talked through how to take a bearing towards the Two Moors Way where we walked through some mildly tufty tussocks and had to avoid a blanket bog.

 

Once we found the track, it was easier underfoot besides the flowing water which made the track resemble a river more than a nice pathway. We walked the track for a couple of hours, passing disused tin mines and misty views. Students mostly had the full weight in their back packs on this walk, it became clear to them that walking with weight at a good pace was difficult. Despite the increased weight in their packs, the students maintained a 5km/hour pace which we were all impressed with.

 

We came to a sharp descent towards the River Avon and we had to walk down this hill in zig zags as it was very slippery which one of our students found out after slipping over about 7-10 times! We crossed the Clapper Bridge and made our way to Avon Dam, which slowly revealed itself through the fog, the rainfall was increasing and we were looking forward to finding the tarmacked pathway up to Avon Dam. We made it back to the minibus at 1.30pm, we wrung out our hats and waterproofs which were dripping wet and blasted the heating in the minibus. It was a very wet and cold walk, our students demonstrated high levels of commitment and enthusiasm throughout and as ever, we were very proud of them for giving up their Saturday to learn and practice the skills required to complete the Ten Tors Challenge. Our next walk will be a two day camp at Nodden Gate on 1^st – 2^nd March.

The TCS Ten Tors training programme have hit the half way point with a day of micro navigation on Saturday 27^th January. We began by splitting the group in to 35 mile and 45 mile teams, Mr Horne supervised the 45 team and Mr Johns and Miss Ousley supervised the 35 team. A 4.5km route was set (a walk in the park in comparison to last Saturdays 26km!) and the teams set off to micro navigate the route, taking in turns every 15 minutes. The first leg was to reach a cairn not too far from Black Hill, ensuring the Boundary Stones and contours were noted whilst walking to confirm we were on the correct route.

Rotating navigators at the cairn, we made our way to Smallacombe Rocks where we could see Haytor Rocks to our left, which is always a fantastic view, we crossed paths with the 45 team who were navigating just as successfully. For some students, map reading and leading a team is out of their comfort zone, but everyone tried really hard and put great effort in to ensure the route was followed.

The next leg was to find the head of a spring; direction was accurate but spotting the spring took a few minutes. Luckily we had Mr Johns with us who knew exactly what to look for. Next, Josh needed to navigate back to the mini bus, there were no obvious tracks therefore he needed to use points of interest and take bearings to keep us on track. After making us all walk through the gorse bushes, we found the bus! Reunited, we got back on the minibus and travelled to Parke where the teams split in to smaller groups and set their sights on an orienteering course.

We set the students a challenge, keeping an eye on pace, team work and finding each specified point. They all did well in improving their skills and boosting their confidence.

Map reading is a vital part of Ten Tors, on the event the teams will be given a route and they are responsible for navigating over the 2 days to reach the checkpoints and eventually the finish line in a timely manner. The key to success is using ‘the 5 D’s’: Direction, Distance, Duration, Danger, Destination which is pre-planned in the meeting after school every Wednesday before the next training walk. This Saturday was a good experience for all involved and we will be putting these skills in to practice on our next training walk on the 17^th February.

On Saturday 20^th January The TCS Ten Tors training programme resumed after the Christmas break. 14 students joined us to tackle the ever increasing distances, of which was 26km this week.

We began at Fernworthy Reservoir and made our way through the forest to Teignhead Farm, built in the 1700s but has now fell in to ruin, the wind began to pick up and we had to prepare for a long trek over exposed land and a lot of tussocks (Miss Ousley’s worst nightmare).

When walking through the tussocks students had to be vigilant due to the terrain, the large mounds of grass resulted in a slowed down pace and a lot of falling over! Once we made it to Hangingstone Hill, we had to take care with the numerous stretches of iced over puddles and bogs and made our way to Hound Tor and Wild Tor. We descended down to Walla Brook Clapper bridge, up to Batworthy Corner and back through Fernworthy Forest.

The pace had started at 5km an hour and had slowed to 4km an hour due to injuries. Students persevered with no complaints and really showed a heroic team effort. Everyone cared for one another and we kept an impressive time and made it back to the minibus where Mr Horne was tracking our progress.

A special mention to Mr Johns who led the walk and ensured navigation was accurate by working with students throughout as well as it being his birthday. A dedicated Ten Tors leader!

On Saturday 9^th December, the TCS Ten Tors Training team embarked on our 3^rd walk of the training programme. Due to the continual rain we are all experiencing, we opted for a route that avoided more boggy areas of Dartmoor, if any exist! Our route was an estimated distance of 20km and began in Lydford at Nodden Gate. The navigators ensured we were on the right path, heading towards a footbridge to cross the River Lyd, where we then made our way up Brat tor. The rain kept coming down and the mist surrounded us, but we persisted up the never ending tor.

Once we made to the top of the tor, one of our students noticed the red flags flying at full mast at the firing range –  the brilliant observation skills we are looking for. We navigated around the military firing zone and climbed Hare Tor and continued onwards. A student decided she couldn’t continue the walk due to injury so the team made adjustments and met back on a track junction to complete the remainder of the walk.

All students were in great spirits and did well in completing the 20km walk ready to increase the distance next time. We always recommend to keep up any fitness during the off weekends or weekdays to ensure the steady pace is upheld.

On Saturday 18^th November, the TCS Ten Tors training team completed our 2^nd walk of the year at an increased distance of 22.5km. The walk began in the centre of Princetown and we began with an ascent towards South Hessary Tor and onwards to Nuns Cross, Dartmoor’s oldest (1240AD) and best known granite cross. We continued following a track past tin mine ruins, the track began to look more like a river due to the heavy downpours we have had, but our students pushed forward. As we made our way to Ditsworthy Warren House, passing settlement ruins, the route we had planned had to be diverted as the pathway was no longer viable. This, again, showed our students that planning and familiarisation of the maps are vital to successfully navigate. 17 students joined us on Saturday, a lower number from our first walk, some were plagued with colds and flu and some have realised the strenuous, tough walks are maybe not for them. All students that took part were in high spirits and full of energy, we kept at an impressive 5km an hour speed and all students were enthusiastic, determined and well prepared. Students worked hard at taking it in turns to navigate, even when the mist came down to make visibility poor. We managed to avoid heavy showers, with the temperature being mild although the mist certainly demonstrated the powers of the moors. Mr Johns, Miss Ousley, Mr Horne and Ms Wiseman were very impressed with the efforts of our wonderful students and are so proud of their ongoing hard work and commitment. Our next training walk is Saturday 9^th December at Fernworthy Reservoir.

We completed our first training walk of the year on Saturday 14^th October. The walk was an introductory distance of approximately 14km, starting from Rowtor car park and climbing West Mill tor, Yes Tor, High Willhays and Dinger Tor as well as navigating tracks past Oke Tor and trying to cross over a fast flowing ford which resulted in us having to re-navigate the route. 27 students joined us on Saturday; to have such big numbers at the beginning of our training programme is fantastic to see. All students did brilliantly, all were punctual, well prepared and very enthusiastic. Everyone did well in joining in learning how to navigate using maps and compasses to work our way through the route and all were motivated when learning new skills and to ensure we kept good time. We considered ourselves reasonably lucky with the weather, although forecast for sun and cloud all day, we were hit with a few cold rain spells which gave students a good idea of how the Dartmoor weather can change in an instant and how important it is to be prepared for all weather. Mr Johns, our ten tors leader, Miss Ousley and Mr Hawker were all incredibly proud of the effort and commitment of our students and we look forward to seeing how each one progresses over the coming walks. Next training walk is Saturday 28^th October.