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Rules

The Six Dales Walk is a team walk, split into Junior and Senior sections. Both follow the same linear route, with the
Junior Walk finishing at the 23 mile checkpoint, and the Senior Walk at the end of the 42 miles. Due to the safety
cover put in place by the organisers Scout hillwalking permits are not required by teams entering the Six Dales.


Please note these rules have been redrafted for this year, the most significant change is that ALL Junior
Teams are now required to be accompanied by a walker or walkers aged 18 or over.


General Rules and Information
For reasons of safety and fairness walkers must abide by the rules below. If these are not followed, the organisers can compulsorily retire walkers and/or teams from the walk and teams may, at the discretion of the organisers, be
disqualified from any and all trophies. The organisers reserve the right to alter any arrangements on the day of the walk as deemed appropriate.


1. Teams must consist of between 4 and 7 walkers. Age requirements are shown in the Junior and Senior Rules below. 13 and 14 year olds can enter either walk, but not both. All ages are as on the day of the walk.


2. Times and distances for trophies are calculated to the furthest point where the team still meets the original team requirements i.e. at least 4 walkers remain in the team and any age requirements continue to be met.


3. There is no set route, however each checkpoint (see Route) must be visited in order and teams should plan to stay on public footpaths and areas of open access land.


4. The equipment listed on Equipment, is compulsory for reasons of safety and fairness. There will be a kit
check at the start checkpoint and walkers and/or teams that do not have the correct kit will not be allowed to start the walk. Further kit checks can and will be carried out at the discretion of the organisers to ensure this rule is complied with by all walkers and teams.


5. All members of the team aged 18 or over have completed a DBS disclosure in accordance with Scouting/Guiding requirements as appropriate. Where a team is made up of all 18s and over, then DBS disclosures are not required (e.g. a team of Scout Network members).


6. Teams will be allocated a start time by the organisers. Teams must report to the designated meeting point, NB
NOT the first checkpoint, at least 15 minutes before their start time and wait to be called up to the first checkpoint by the organisers. Teams must not report directly to the first checkpoint without reporting to the organisers at the designated meeting point.


7. The winning team in each trophy category is the team of four or more that walks together the furthest in the shortest elapsed time, measured from when their team are recorded as leaving the start NOT the team to reach a checkpoint first. A team may only win one trophy other than the individual trophies in both Junior and Senior Walks


8. When not at checkpoints, walkers must stay within easy talking distance of the rest of their team, except in case of emergency.


9. Walkers can only retire from the walk at checkpoints, except in case of emergency.


10. In case of emergency or injury, walkers must follow the procedure set out on the Emergency Safety Card, see
Section H below


11. Teams are given a Control Card for each walker at the start checkpoint, which must be handed at each
Checkpoint to the Timekeeper on arrival and then collected when leaving.


12. Teams will not normally be allowed to continue from a checkpoint after the cut off times (see Section F below). In the interest of safety, the organisers can compulsorily retire walkers, including entire teams, between checkpoints, such walkers will be picked up by the organisers and transported or walked to a checkpoint. This can be done regardless of whether they are past the cut off time for the next checkpoint or not.


13. If a team has less than 4 walkers that have not retired from the walk, then they can not continue in the competition as a team. However at a checkpoint, with the agreement of the checkpoint marshal, walkers from such teams who want to carry on walking can combine with walkers from another team to form a walking group of between 4 and 7 walkers. In order to track that walking group during the rest of the event it will be given a new temporary team number but it is not a team in the competition. If at least 4 walkers from an original team continue together in the walking group then that original team continues to be eligible for the trophies. The organisers may ask teams or walkers to join together to form a new team as above. Teams can choose to refuse this, unless they will be the last team leaving the checkpoint. No credit time will be given to walkers who have to wait to join a reformed team.


14. Spare kit – At the designated meeting point, near the first checkpoint, walkers can hand in to the organisers spare kit (e.g. change of clothes and footwear) contained in a separate holdall or rucksack per walker (not a plastic bag or bin liner), which MUST have attached to it the provided luggage tag with their individual walker number. Any such spare kit will be transported by the organisers so that it is available to walkers, after retirement, at Kilnsey,
Lofthouse, Grewelthorpe or West Tanfield checkpoints. At the discretion of the organisers access to spare kit may be given at West Tanfield checkpoint to continuing walkers to allow them access to spare clothing and footwear and to put kit they may no longer be required to carry into their spare kit


15. The organisers will arrange for retired Junior Event walkers to be transported to Lofthouse checkpoint and retired Senior Event walkers to West Tanfield.


16. Once walkers have started the walk then any form of assistance to walkers from supporters is not allowed until walkers are retired from the walk.


17. No dogs or other pets are allowed on the walk.

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B Junior Walk
1. All teams must be accompanied by at least one walker aged 18 or over, who complies with the membership
requirements of the team’s relevant organisation.
2. To be eligible for Junior Trophies, a team must include a minimum of three walkers aged 14 or under.
3. A team may include other walkers aged 15 or over, who will count towards the total number of members
(maximum 7), but only those 14 or under will be eligible for trophies.
4. The minimum age for walkers is 10.


Trophies are awarded to those teams that have walked the furthest in the shortest amount of time. A team
may only win one trophy and trophies are awarded in the following order of priority:-
i) Ure -
All Junior Teams
ii) Junior Novice - A team whose members 14 years old and under have not previously won a Six Dales Trophy
iii) The Peter Page - Trophy Awarded to the youngest walker to reach the end of the Junior Walk


C    Senior Walk
1. The minimum age of entry is 13 years
2. From West Tanfield checkpoint onwards, walkers may proceed in teams of 2 or 3, but will only be eligible for
trophies achieved when walking in their original team of 4 or more walkers, except the Ribble Trophy as this is
an individual Trophy.
Trophies are awarded to those teams that have walked the furthest in the shortest amount of time. A team
may only win one trophy and trophies are awarded in the following order of priority:-
i) Open  -
All teams
ii) Nidd  - MALE walkers 13-19
iii) Wharfe -  FEMALE walkers 13-19
iv) Swale - MIXED age 13-19
v) North Leeds - Senior teams entered by Groups or Units from North Leeds Scout District
vi) Novice - A team where no individual member has won a senior trophy before
vii) Ribble - The youngest walker aged 13-19 that reaches the furthest checkpoint on the senior walk


D Certificates & Badges
A Six Dales Certificate and Gold Badge  - Awarded to all walkers who complete the Senior walk
A Six Dales Certificate and Silver badge - Awarded to all walkers who reach Lofthouse for the first time
A Six Dales Certificate and Bronze badge - Awarded to all walkers who reach Kilnsey for the first time


E Entries
1. A team entry can be reserved by completing the Expression of Interest form on the website
www.sixdales.co.uk


2. A team entry will not be complete until a Team Entry form is completed, either directly on the Six Dales
website (www.sixdales.co.uk) or a paper form, plus an individual entry form for each walker, and a
non-refundable entry fee, are submitted by the closing date.


3. Substitution of individual walkers will normally be allowed after the closing date up to 24 hours before the
start of the event. Substitutes will be allowed on the day at the start, on the basis, for the purposes of the
walk, that the new walker assumes the identity of the original entrant. Information about the substitution must
be given in writing to the organisers before the start.

H Incident / Emergency Safety Card

The procedure set out on the Incident / Emergency Safety card is as follows:

 

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Are you lost? Is a member of your team injured or unwell? If so, please read on...

 

1. If you have a mobile phone, try and ring the number below

 

2. Try and find a public phone or any other phone to ring the number below

 

3. Attempt to find a road or distinguishing landmark to identify where you are from your map - you maybe able to get back on route

 

4. If you are picked up, go to the nearest checkpoint, or to a phone to contact the number below

 

5. If a team member is injured, remember your training - one fit member to stay and two to go for help

 

6. Do NOT go home unless the organisers know you are safe and well

 

7. If you cannot find the route and are unable to carry on, try and keep dry and warm - we will find you

 

Telephone no: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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