Magdalen Court School
Ten Tors
Magdalen Court School Letters relating to Ten Tors
Magdalen Court School runs a 'Ten Tors Club' it's open to pupils in the school & sometimes pupils/students outside of the school who want to take part in the
magical event. The school follow the ethos of the event very closely, allowing any pupil between 14-20yrs to take part. Don't under estimate how much of a challenge the event is. 35m as a team of 6, navigating themselves successfully across the open moors of Dartmoor, unsupported, requires a lot of training. This is where MCS wins, many schools & clubs have a huge number of pupils who wish to take part & run a ruthless selection & training program to weed out those who are 'not-up-to-the-mark'. It's difficult to get more than 3 teams in the event from any one organisation & this would usually be a 35, 45 & 55 mile challenge team. Being such a 'human scale' school, getting a team up can be a challenge. However, our training starts young & we take them a step at a time towards fulfilling their goal of taking part & successfully completing in the Ten Tors Event.
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School Orienteering Challenges, we run loads of these from as young as 7-8yrs old, building map reading skills & a thrill of navigating through the
beautiful Devon countryside. The school has set up a number of permanent courses at Lady's Mile Campsite, where we have our 'Junior Summer Camp', we also setup courses on our 'French Summer Camp' & make use of courses at the Riverside Park in Exeter, Killerton & Haldon Woods.
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Exmoor Challenge, run by the Rotary Club of Exmoor, is for children 10yrs +, it's a tough 16 mile walk across Exmoor around Dulverton in teams of 4. The school plays a very active part in this competition each year.
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Abbot's Way Walk, now we are getting tougher, a 21.5 mile walk across the roof of Dartmoor, from Buckfastleigh to Tavistock in October. Get this one under your belt & I know you can complete the Ten Tors event.
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The Duke of Edinburgh Award, often students complete the expedition section of this after Ten Tors, but a few do it before & it offers a much more inclusive introduction to Walking Expeditions. Some of our pupils undertake their DofE expedition by cycle or Canoe.
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Ten Tors Training, well this started back in our primary school with orienteering challenges, summer camps, Exmoor Challenge Event, possibly the DofE & then the Abbot's Way Walk. But Ten Tors requires another level up & above any of these events & we complete a very extensive range of training events, from 'Night Navigation Walks' if you can navigate the open moor with the rain stinging your face, in pitch darkness, the mist swirling around your feet, you're ready for anything the Ten Tors event can throw at you. Our training is aimed at taking any pupil who is committed to complete the event with their 5 mates, to a point where they & I know they can do it & they do!
MCS has had teams in for the last 10 years, competing at all levels, 35,45 & 55 mile routes, often with 2 teams & always successfully completing the event. If you attend all our training events you too, can add Ten Tors to your CV of life experiences, you will never be the same again. The experience will be etched into your soul!
Last Updated: Wed 20-Jan-2016 4:43 PM