Ten Tors: Hundreds complete cancelled hikes at home

Hundreds of students who were due to complete one of the country's biggest outdoor challenges have hiked the distances from home instead.

About 2,800 teenagers were due to take part in the 60th annual Ten Tors Challenge but it has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Participants usually walk either 35, 45 or 55 miles across Dartmoor.

Many students have walked the distances in laps of their gardens and local countryside instead.

Emily Forwood, from Mount Kelly College in Tavistock, Devon, started early on Saturday morning.

Her group of Year 10 pupils completed 25 miles before camping for the night, and then completed another 10 miles in damp conditions on Sunday morning.

Emily said: "I finished the 35 miles and it was quite hard but we raised over £3,000 for the NHS so it's all been worth it."

Izzy Fellows-Barnett, from Lelant Downs in west Cornwall, said: "I went up my garden and up the road, I kept going round and round.

"It got very boring and was hard to keep going but I'm happy I completed it."

Ten Tors usually sees participants line up on Dartmoor, near Okehampton, and start trekking after cannon fire.

In teams of six, they would have navigated routes visiting 10 nominated peaks over two days and camping overnight.