FIVE GREAT EVENTS , ONE BIG WEEKEND
The Three Towers Hike™ is a down-land footpath team-based competition hiking event organised by a team of adults involved in Scouting within Berkshire (mainly from Reading Central District, Taceham Hundred District, Loddon District and Pang Valley District). The event usually takes place in the first half of April, just after the change of clocks, but avoiding Easter weekend.
The hike gets its name from its early days when the route passed three large water towers including Emmer Green in northern Reading. Today, Tilehurst Water Tower is the most noticeable and is the only remaining tower visible on the route! Read more on our History
The first Three Towers Hike took place during the 1970's, long before many of today's competitors were even born. Only a few years have missed an event; most recently in 2001 when Foot and Mouth plagued the countryside and again in 2006 due to non-availability of resources.
The Three Towers Hike operates a series of concurrent events catering for different age groups. These are the 'Scout','ScoutPlus', 'Explorer' and 'Classic' events.
In 2012 in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, we're introducing for one year only a 'Jubilee' class event of 20km for adults who've never participated in the Three Towers, to get a taste of the event, to be part in the celebration of Outdoor Adventure and to expose the event to a wider audience.
Jubilee Event *new*
The Jubilee event covers an easy distance of approximately 11 miles (let's call it 18km) from Blewbury to East Ilsley.
The Jubilee Event is a 'lite' version being held as a one-off for 2012 to encourage participation from a wider audience for the first time. The walk starts at lunch time on the Saturday. Hikers have to walk 15km passing 4 checkpoints taking in sime fantastic vistas.
The event is open to anyone over 16 including older Explorer Scouts, members of the Scout Network, Leaders and Scout Active Support. The event is also open to walkers who are not members of the Scout Association, for example, members of the Long Distance Walking Association, participants on the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, Army and Air Cadet units, and groups of individuals who are just interested in hiking.
Scout Event
The Scout section event is a major part of the weekend and introduces hundreds of young people to competition hiking. It covers a distance of about 15 miles / 25km.
The Scout Event starts kicks off around breakfast time and hikers have to walk 25km covering the first one-third of the Classic event route. The event is exclusively for Scout section members who are actively Scouting in Berkshire.
ScoutPlus Event
The ScoutPlus event covers a distance of about 25 miles / 40km covering the same route as the Scout event, but extending for an additional leg concurrently with the Classic/Explorer events.
It is intended exclusively for 13 and 14 year olds and eligibility criteria apply.
Explorer Event
The Explorer event covers a distance of some 28 miles / 45 km . This was introduced in 2003 and has proved to be popular.
The Explorer Event is the 'intermediate' event and starts mid-morning. Hikers have to walk 42km covering the latter two-thirds of the Classic event route. The event is primarily aimed at Explorer Scouts over 13½ but under 18 years. Adult teams may also enter provided that none of the competitors have entered any of the events before. Teams containing adults are not eligible to win any prizes or trophies.
Classic Event
The Classic event covers, depending on the exact route taken, a distance of 43-45 miles (about 70km) around the Berkshire countryside to the west of Reading in sections on the downs.
The Classic Event is the 'main' event for the serious walker and starts at breakfast time on the Saturday. Hikers have to walk 70km passing 15 checkpoints.
The event is open to anyone over 16 including older Explorer Scouts, members of the Scout Network, Leaders and Scout Active Support. The event is also open to walkers who are not members of the Scout Association, for example, members of the Long Distance Walking Association, participants on the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, Army and Air Cadet units, and groups of individuals who are just interested in hiking.