Over 2,000 teenagers are set to gather near Okehampton for this year’s Ten Tors Challenge, Britain’s largest outdoor adventure event for young people.

Okehampton Camp will host around 2,400 young people aged 14 to 19, ready to start their trek across Dartmoor early on the morning of Saturday, May 9, after months of training. A Red Devils display will mark the start of the challenge when teams will set off from the Army camp at 7am to complete a 35, 45 or 55-mile hike, including an overnight camp on the moor.

Participants will not receive any adult support during the walk and will instead be entirely self-sufficient, relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, tents, bedding, and other essentials. Organisers expect the teams to start crossing the finish line from 8am on Sunday, May 10.

About 400 young people will take part in the Jubilee Challenge for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Participants, either as a team or individually, will complete a day-long trek of up to 15 miles, accompanied by an Officer Cadet from the Exeter University Officer Training Corps. The Dartmoor Granite Challenge is also available to SEND participants who are capable of an overnight camp but would find the main Ten Tors challenge inaccessible.

The event is organised by the British Army, with the support of Devon and Cornwall Police, the Met Office, the British Red Cross, and Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group, which together will provide 350 volunteers.

This year also marks 75 years since Dartmoor was designated a national park in October 1951. Today, it is one of 15 National Parks across the UK and has evidence of human activity dating back over 10,000 years.