Rotary Exmoor: Youth Challenge

This Challenge has become a very popular event over the last few years - over 100 teams of young people take part, some from over 100 miles away!

! Next Challenge: Saturday 4 May 2024 !

Results of 2023 Challenge - here

Contact Team Entries Organiser: youth-challenge@exmoor-rotary.org.uk

* CHSW DONATION 2022 from this Challenge, and also the adults Exmoor Challenge, was an amazing £13,300 !!! Huge thanks to everyone who took part and contributed.

ROTARY EXMOOR YOUTH CHALLENGE: The new video made during the 2018 event is available on-line. It includes the electronic timing the teams use. You can view it here. Enjoy.

ENTRY PROCEDURES: To make the process fairer, particularly to smaller schools and other youth organisations, this is no longer be 'first come, first served'. All entries will need to be in by 3rd Februray and it is only at this stage that we will allocate the places.

ELECTRONIC TIMING: Again this year we have a system of electronic timing for each leg of the walk. Each team will carry a memory chip which will need to be inserted into a small machine at each checkpoint - it is up to the team leader to make sure this happens at the appropriate time! At the end the chip is handed in and the information downloaded to a computer for processing. Details of the system and a short video are given in a download below.

SPONSORSHIP: Please make cheques payable to 'Rotary Club of Exmoor' - this means we can make a formal presentation to Children's Hospice South West which gives good publicity to them and also to our event.

There are 4 people in a team, and they have to follow a 16 mile route which is not marked - so following instructions, map-reading, and compass skills are essential. There are a series of check-points along the route and each leg has to be done in a pre-determined time - points are deducted if teams arrive too early or too late, and those who get very tired and lag too much are pulled out of the challenge. Only those who successfully complete the event are presented with a medal.

Safety is paramount in having over 600 children spread across a desolate area of moorland - check points are kept in radio-contact with the control room by Exmoor Radio Club, many of our club members are supplemented by those from Tiverton and Exe Valley Rotary Clubs as well as non-Rotarians, and we are grateful for the services of the Exmoor Rangers, Exmoor Search & Rescue, and St John Ambulance.

2023: Juniors must be over 10 and under 14 years on 1 Sept 2022; Seniors must be under 17 years on 1 Sept 2022.

You can download information in Acrobat PDF format here:
(Note there could be some minor changes at a later date).

Contact Team Entries Organiser: youth-challenge@exmoor-rotary.org.uk

General Information 2023 RYC 02	Entry Form 2023 RYC 03
Principles of Challenge 2023 RYC 25	Sponsorship Form 2023
Notes for Competitors 2023 RYC 06	Electronic Timing 2023 RYC 27
Notes for Supporters 2023 RYC 10	Electronic Timing - short video
Equipment List 2023 RYC 35	Child Protection Policy 2023 RYC 13
Advice on Training 2023 RYC 28	Risk Assesment 2023 RYC 12
ROUTE Junior/Senior 2023 RYC 08 (This has been updated because of damage at Tarr Steps).	Tick Bites Leaflet
Team Names Sheet 2023 RYC07	Team Numbers/Start Times 2023
Notes for helpers 2023 RYC15	Letter from the Children's Hospice SW 2023
Download The Countryside Code - here

A remarkable map is available on line showing Devon paths in amazing detail - try zooming in!

Exmoor Moorland Landscape Partnership have produced a special Moorland Classroom pack for the Challenge.

"We are so grateful for the promotion of the free resource. We have now engaged with over 4000 children and again I think the work of the Exmoor Challenge is amazing."

Archive Pictures from earlier events.