Thousands of teenagers preparing for Ten Tors 2026

The event takes place from 8 to 10 May this year [BBC] Through storms, snow, rain and sunshine, thousands of teenagers have been training over several months in the lead up to the Ten Tors Challenge 2026. Ten Tors director Col Jim Bird said many people hold the event "close to their heart" and stressed the importance of training months in advance. Running from 8 May to 10 May, the Dartmoor event in Devon tests thousands of 14 to 19-year-old's navigational skills, life skills and most importantly, their resilience.

Col Bird, who has only been in the role for a couple of months, said the weather on the moor was one of the biggest challenges making it an "arduous event". Plymouth College student Max, 14, is preparing for the 45-mile route and said the biggest challenge was building up to the distance. He completed the 35-mile route last year for a "bit of fun" with his friends and said he learnt key skills he had not forgotten.

He said this year's training was "a lot more difficult". Plymouth College student Max is preparing for his second Ten Tors Challenge [BBC] "The weather has been cold and wet and damp which is not fun when you're camping," he said. To keep morale up during training, he said his team made jokes.

"They're my best friends from school so it's easy to talk to them and mess about while walking at the same time. " The Plymouth College teams use a bunkhouse in Princetown for their Dartmoor training. Max said being good friends with the team helped push them through [BBC] Thousands of teenagers in teams of six will navigate routes of either 35, 45 or 55 miles, depending on their age, over the Northern half of Dartmoor visiting 10 nominated tors, also known as checkpoints, in less than two days.