Three Towers Hike

Three Towers Hike
Location	Berkshire/Oxfordshire
Country	England
Date	1978-

The Three Towers Hike is a Scouting-organised, downland hiking competition held annually in early Spring covering footpaths in West Berkshire and South Oxfordshire. It is organised by a team of scout leaders from Reading Central, Loddon, Taceham Hundred and Pang Valley Scout Districts, all of which are within the Scout County of Royal Berkshire of the Scout Association.

It is a competitive event, without an overnight camp (although teams must be equipped to bivouac if the conditions are severe enough to warrant it). It was first held as a senior event (Walkers over the age of 18) but now includes three other age groups.

Next event

The hike usually takes place on the second or third Saturday in April, but this may vary depending on the timing of Easter. The event accepts registration from 1 November the previous year.

History

The first Three Towers Hike took place during the 1970s, when only the Senior event was available. Originally based around the North and West of Reading, the hike gets its name from the three large water towers that were passed.

In the 1980s the route was significantly altered to include more rural paths in West Berkshire and South Oxfordshire.

Since its beginning, the Hike has run every year with few exceptions, the most notable being in 2001 due to Foot and Mouth concerns.

Officially not against the hike rules at the time, one team on the 2002 Junior Event swam across the River Thames during the race after finding themselves several miles up stream of the nearest bridge. The team then went on to complete the event but were later disqualified and a new hike rule was added to prohibit this in future.

Events

The Hike currently comprises five different competitions, each of different lengths and following a slightly different route. The competitions are identified below.

• Classic Event: This is the founding event, open to entries ages 15½ or older. The total length of the Classic Event is 70 km (43–45 miles) depending on route taken. This event was known as the Senior Event from 1995 until 2007.
• Explorer Event: Following the popularity of the Scout Event, in 2003 the Explorer Event was added. This Event is open to any Explorer Scout or Ranger Guide aged at least 13½ but under 18 years. The Explorer Event covers a distance of 45 km, or around 28 miles.
• ScoutPlus Event: The ScoutPlus Event was introduced in 2010 for scouts aged 13 and 14 . The ScoutPlus Event covers a distance of 40 km or about 24 miles. It was discontinued after 2016 due to a low level of uptake.
• Scout Event: The Scout Event was introduced in the 1990s for scouts aged up to 16 years (later reduced to 14). The Scout Event covers a distance of 27 km or about 17 miles. This event was known as the Junior Event from 1995 until 2007.
• Tim's Junket Event: In 2012, in honour of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, a fifth event called the 'Jubilee' event was held for one year only. This was an open event for teams aged 16 or over and covered just 15 km. This was to encourage participation, in the outdoors adventure that the hike tries to promote, for adults who didn't feel they could manage the Classic event. In 2013 a modified and extended version called the JubileePlus was held with a length of 20 km. As a memorial to the long-standing member of hike staff, Tim Jenkins, the JubileePlus was renamed Tim's Junket for future events. This event is open to all ages and particularly family groups.

Routes and Checkpoints

Hike route summary

The hike does not prescribe a specific route for hikers to use. It publishes a series of checkpoints from which a navigation exercise will deduce the best route to take. In most cases there is usually one obvious path, however, there are some sections where a choice can be made by the navigator.

• Purley: This is the start location for the Classic only. It is located in Purley-on-Thames
• Pangbourne Working Men's Club: This is the start location for the Scout and ScoutPlus events and is located in the village of Pangbourne.
• Gatehampton: This is the first checkpoint arrived at by Classic, Scout and ScoutPlus hikers. It is located near to the village of Goring-on-Thames.
• Stitchen's Green: This is the second checkpoint arrived at by Classic, Scout and ScoutPlus hikers.
• Warren Farm: This is the third checkpoint arrived at by Classic, Scout and ScoutPlus hikers. It is also a major refreshment and first aid point. The checkpoint is on part of The Ridgeway.
• Fairmile: This is an off-road checkpoint and fourth in sequence. It is visited by Classic, Scout and ScoutPlus hikers.
• Blewbury: This location is the start of the Explorer event, hikers having been transported out from Tilehurst. It is also visited by Classic and ScoutPlus hikers. From 2013 it will no longer be visited by Scout teams. It is located in the village of Blewbury.
• Churn Bridge: This off-road location is a new checkpoint for 2013 and is for Scout teams. The location is by an old railway bridge that was once part of the DNSR.
• East Hendred: This location is visited by Classic, Explorer and ScoutPlus teams. It is located between Blewbury and Catmore on The Ridgeway
• Catmore: This location is visited by Classic, Explorer and ScoutPlus teams. It is located between East Hendred and East Ilsley in the tiny hamlet of Catmore.
• East Ilsley: This location is based at the Ilsleys Primary School in East Ilsley and is visited by all hikers. It is the end of the ScoutPlus route, and was prior to 2013 the end for Scout and Jubilee hikers.
• Cheseridge: This off-road location was a new checkpoint from 2013 and covers Tim's Junket and Scout routes. It is located between East Ilsley and Compton.
• Compton: This is a new location based at Compton Scout HQ in the village of Compton in West Berkshire. It provides a new finish location for Scout teams as well as a start and finish for Tim's Junket.
• Banterwick: This location is west of Hampsread Norreys and is for Explorer and Classic hikers.
• Haw Farm: This location just east of Hampstead Norreys is for Explorer and Classic hikers.
• Ashampstead: This off-road checkpoint location is for Explorer and Classic hikers. It is located between Haw Farm and Pangbourne College.
• Pangbourne College: This checkpoint is located at Pangbourne College and is for Explorer and Classic hikers.
• Sulham: This off-road location is for Explorer and Classic hikers.
• Water Tower: This landmark location is situated next to Tilehurst Water Towerfor Explorer and Classic hikers.
• 79th Reading: This is the final location of the Explorer and Classic events. It is also the check-in location for both these events and is the main control centre for the Three Towers Hike.

Event Records

Records^[1] do not include times before 2003.

Classic

Explorer

ScoutPlus

Scout

Jubilee Plus

• Whisky 5 Alpha (5th Woodley Scouts) recorded a time of 04:14 in 2007, when the Scout event rules allowed for older teams.

Marketing and branding

The Three Towers Hike has adopted the Scout Association's branding style including the use of the SerifBlack font family in Scout Purple and Green. Its self-developed i.HIKE brand has raised the event's visibility and is now recognisable as part of the hike's identification.

Tagline

The Three Towers Hike's tagline is "Outdoors, Challenge, Adventure". This was created to convey the core values of the competition.

See also

• Scouting
• Ten Tors
• Four Inns Walk
• Abbots Way Walk

References

External links

• Three Towers Hike official website
• Berkshire Scouts homepage
• Reading Central Scout District
• Taceham Hundred Scout District
• Long Distance Walking Association