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Take on a challenge

Run, walk, swim, cycle - whatever you do, do it to inspire young lives!

Take on a challenge

Run, walk, swim, cycle - whatever you do, do it to inspire young lives!

Register now to take part in a Youth Adventure Challenge

Already registered? Click here to log in to our Challenge Resources area.

  • What an epic day!

  • The challenge pushed us mentally and physically, but wow, what an achievement!

  • So well organised, and everyone was so helpful and encouraging.

  • We were astounded by the generosity of our friends and family who helped make the blisters worthwhile!

  • Thank you for organising such an amazing event - can we do it again next year?

Challenge and adventure are at the very heart of what we do at the Youth Adventure Trust.

Whether you love running, walking, cycling or swimming, challenges give you the chance to really test yourself and find out what you are truly capable of. If you’re looking for an adventure then you’ve come to the right place!

We’re calling upon all intrepid individuals to take on a personal challenge and raise some money to help vulnerable young people climb their own personal mountains. Hike up a mountain, run a marathon, do an endurance bike ride, swim the oceans or take to the air – whatever you choose to do, join us and do it to inspire young lives!

Each place on the Youth Adventure Programme costs £1,200 a year, so every penny you raise will really empower young people to fulfil their potential.

Jurassic Coast Challenge

Saturday 14th – Sunday 15th May 2022, Poole to Bridport, Dorset

Join 2,000 adventurers of all experience levels & ages and walk, jog or run the spectacular Jurassic Coast – a World Heritage Site.

Taylor Wimpey Challenge

Friday 20th & Saturday 21st May 2022, Lake District National Park

Open to Taylor Wimpey employees and contractors only, this annual team building challenge takes the corporate ‘away day’ to the extreme!

Wild Night Out

Saturday 2nd July 2022, wherever you like

For one night each year, people across the UK will be coming together to have adventures outdoors, big and small. We’d love you to join us.

Race to the Stones

Saturday 9th – Sunday 10th July 2022, The Ridgeway

Run, jog or walk the ultimate 100km (or 50km) adventure past Bronze Age hill forts, Neolithic burial chambers and Roman river crossings.

Three Peaks Yacht Race

Saturday 9th – Tuesday 12th July 2022, The West Coast

Sail up the wild West Coast and run to the summits of Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis, the highest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland.

The Ellis Brigham 10 Peaks Challenge

Saturday 16th July 2022, Brecon Beacons National Park

Do you have what it takes to complete 10 peaks in 10 hours? The 10 Peaks Challenge is demanding, exhilarating and a fantastic team building opportunity for groups of 4 – 6 people.

Ridgeway 100: The Return of the Stones

Saturday 10 September 2022, The Ridgeway

Mostly off road, the Ridgeway is ideal riding for fast MTBs, 29ers and even gravel/CX bikes. This is fast paced endurance off road, through one of the world’s great historic landscapes!

Hike Bike Paddle

Thursday 15th September 2022, Yorkshire Dales

The ultimate challenge for the Outdoor and Sports Industries. Get a team together and choose to hike, bike and paddle, or have a team relay where each person takes on one or two disciplines!

Housebuilder Challenge

Friday 23rd September 2022, Peak District National Park

Open to anyone working within the Housebuilding or Construction Sectors – a perfect opportunity for a bit of friendly competition against other companies in the sector in the unique environment of the Peak District.

Great Bristol 10k & Half Marathon

Sunday 25 September 2022, Bristol

An action-packed day of running, with the 10k and Half Marathon events taking place on the same day, along with the Great Bristol Family Run.

Survival Challenge

Friday 30th Sept – Sunday 2nd Oct 2022, Dartmoor National Park

Put your survival instincts to the test in our back to basics weekend. With experts on hand to teach key bushcraft skills, you’ll put your survival skills to the test on an epic journey across Dartmoor.

Great South Run

Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th October 2022, Portsmouth

The Great South Run takes place in Portsmouth over a fast and flat 10 mile route that also includes the Great South 5k and Junior Mini Great South Run on Saturday.

Adrenaline junkie?

Throughout the year, around the UK

Prepare for a truly unique and exhilarating experience: take the fastest zip line in the world and feel the freedom of flight… or really take flight with a skydive!

Baffin Island Expedition

Date TBC, The Arctic

Experience the unforgettable beauty of a frozen arctic wilderness on an expedition across Baffin Island.

The Virtual Resilience Challenge

February half-term 2023, wherever you are!

Inspired by the resilience our vulnerable young people develop, we’re challenging you or your family to take on 25km, 65km, 100km or even a mighty 200km in February Half Term.

Choose your own challenge

If these events don’t take your fancy, find an event near you, or do your own thing, and start fundraising to inspire young lives today. Let us know here.

Looking for inspiration?

If you need some inspiration then take a look at what some of our other challengers have been doing!

Wendy Searle: South Pole 2020

Youth Adventure Trust volunteer and adventurer Wendy Searle has become the 7th woman to ski solo and unsupported from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. Wendy completed the expedition in just 42 days, 16hrs, 23mins, becoming the 4th fastest solo unsupported female by skiing 720 miles, consuming 258,000 calories – with 0 rest days!

By completing this extraordinary Antarctic challenge, Wendy has demonstrated incredible resilience and mental toughness – exactly the skills that our young people learn on the Youth Adventure Programme. She is raising funds for Youth Adventure Trust and ABF, the Soldier’s Charity, to inspire others that the extraordinary is available to everyone, regardless of their circumstances.

“It was a really long journey to get to the South Pole, not just on Antarctica itself, but it was also 5 years of planning, training and fundraising to get to the start. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, to find the courage every day to carry on despite incredibly difficult physical challenges. All this hard work was worth it though, to be able to support two incredible and worthwhile charities.”

[Photo credit Wendy Searle/South Pole 2020]

Natatia Robinson: Loch Ness Marathon

Natatia was inspired to set herself a challenge after listening to an interview with American ultramarathon runner David Goggins, where he talked about how transformational discomfort can truly be. He asked the question “What is it that you have never wanted to do?” – and Natatia realised she was going to have to run a marathon!

Pushing herself to the limit by doing something outside of her comfort zone is at the heart of what Youth Adventure Trust is all about, and Natatia chose a lovely scenic marathon as her first!

“I know from my own experiences that taking on large amounts of responsibility at a young age can be very lonely and extremely tiresome, and giving children a place to not only be free of these responsibilities but also to meet peers who are able to understand and appreciate their struggles is an invaluable service.”

Shaun: The Big Abseil

In June, volunteer mentor Shaun braved a 130ft abseil down the Jury’s Inn Hotel, Swindon, to raise £395 for YAT, alongside his mentee Christopher, who was fundraising towards a school trip to Kenya next year.

“It was great to do the abseil together! My mentee Chris did himself (and me) proud. Despite a few jitters at the top he fully committed and did the whole thing like a walk in the park.”

Jake: Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge 2019

Jake Greenwood undertook an incredible 100km Ultra Challenge along the Cotswold Way, hiking through night and day on one of the hottest weekends of the year to raise £1,602 for Youth Adventure Trust!

“I wanted to work with a charity that helps give young people the opportunity to rewrite their narrative and live fully. I loved the idea of taking on an outdoor challenge to help young people take on their own challenge – and giving them access to the childhood adventures I had. I want to give them the power of the outdoors. Everyone deserves it.”