My biggest Dartmoor challenge ever

Chris Bunney is planning to hike 400km across the whole Dartmoor Ordinance Survey map, visiting 170 tors and rocks during the 14-day expedition in aid of Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (Tavistock), starting at Yelverton Rock on 2 August.

Although Chris lives in Plymouth, Tavistock has become almost a second home for his frequent walking expeditions. After 41 years working for a communications company with a fairly sedentary career behind a desk and commuting long distances, he took early retirement at 60; his new-found freedom opened up possibilities with walking trips on Dartmoor coming high up the list. As a licentiate member of Master Photographers Association, Chris excels in wedding photography, as well as landscapes - in fact, it was photography that first introduced him to moor walking, when he started volunteering to instruct young people in photography as a new skill for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). Before long, he had been co-opted onto helping with expeditions, and ended up leading the silver award group. Safety was always a key element to ensure his DofE group knew how to operate in the changing moors environment and Chris spent an increasing amount of time exploring Dartmoor, challenging himself to walk the same three-day routes he expected his group to complete.

Chris now takes up the story, explaining how he ended up taking on his biggest Dartmoor challenge ever!

What’s the challenge?

It started as a 60-tors-at 60-in-60-hours challenge to celebrate retiring and hitting 60 – that had a certain ring to it. But then Covid put paid to that so I needed another option. Basically, it got out of hand - I told a few people and before I knew it, I had committed myself to a very long walk! It got so difficult to choose, I decided why not just include everything on the Ordinance Survey map - yep, every tor and a few well-known rock stacks.

What inspired you to take the challenge?

Well, a sort of paying it forward. I intend to spend a lot of time on Dartmoor and it’s possible I, like many others, may need help one day. So, when I saw a Facebook post asking for volunteers to join the DS&RT Tavistock team to support fundraising, it was a perfect match. Then the small issue of a Covid pandemic crushed plans for fundraising events and I decided to use the time to plan and train for a charity challenge to help raise funds.

Why?

To raise £20,000 to help DS&RT Tavistock achieve £50,000 to replace its failing operations vehicle. So, a target and a hike on a scale I have never achieved before! DS&RT probably needs little introduction - a team of highly skilled and very professional volunteers who train every week and respond at the drop of a hat to provide emergency help when contacted by the police. DS&RT is critical in locating, treating and extracting casualties from Dartmoor, as well as supporting urban searches for lost and vulnerable people. It also relies totally on donations.

What’s the plan?

Training – I need lots of that so I started a challenge within a challenge: step-ups with a 65-pound backpack, one hour a night, five nights a week – it’s mentally tough as well as physically. Being in a garage doesn’t help much either! Staying within a local area during lockdown, I walked the Devon lanes, averaging 15km a day; I couldn’t wait to get back on the open moor and build up to walking with a 65-pound backpack. Hopefully I’ll be fit enough by the time I start! I also need to complete some ‘test’ walks, and I’ve never been wild camping so that’ll be an experience - plus route planning, de-risking, kit preparation, as well as publicity, giving talks and maybe writing an e-book. The reality of the challenge is starting to hit home!

How can you help?

I need your help to reach the target figure: please scan the QR code and make a donation, or sponsor me (if you already have then a huge thank you), and share my challenge with friends and on social media. It’s a tough ask in the current circumstances, however as we come out of lockdown Dartmoor is set to see a huge influx of visitors and locals, and any of them may need DS&RT. Can you be someone who has helped keep the search teams operational? I’m really excited and maybe a little scared about the challenge, but proud to be part of a team that could be the difference between life and death for someone.

Thank you, Chris.

Donations: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mybiggestdartmoorchallengeever

Blog: www.bunneyphotography.co.uk/blog

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chris.bunney.750

Or scan the QR code