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Caching & Letterboxing on Dartmoor


niknrich

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We're off to Dartmoor next month for a walking holiday and fancied trying to find a few Letterboxes. We've found a couple in the Lake District but have found it's a lot harder than caching!

 

It seems that to get a list of boxes you have to find 100 by yourself (not a bad idea!) so we were wondering if anyone knows of any caches on Dartmoor with letterboxes hidden nearby?

 

I've read that you can practically trip over them as there are now thousands on the moor (no 0.1mi proximity rule there then!) but it would be nice to know where would be a good start as our experiences to date have been far less successful than our caching ones!

 

Cheers

Nik

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Letterboxes are everywhere on Dartmoor - I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself, but you do literally fall over them. No need for a list - you'll find them without even trying.

Last year we were on the moor and we'd often find a letterbox while looking for a cache - infact you invariably find the letterbox first!

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I believe the 100 finds requirement has now been lifted and you can purchase a yearbook of letterbox locations (Google search and you will find the author/distributor)

 

We were on Dartmoor for Easter and couldn't find a cache in a popular area without finding several letterboxes - add a stamp pad, plain paper notebook & a memorable rubber stamp to your caching kit just in case.

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We're off to Dartmoor next month for a walking holiday and fancied trying to find a few Letterboxes. We've found a couple in the Lake District but have found it's a lot harder than caching!

 

It seems that to get a list of boxes you have to find 100 by yourself (not a bad idea!) so we were wondering if anyone knows of any caches on Dartmoor with letterboxes hidden nearby?

 

I've read that you can practically trip over them as there are now thousands on the moor (no 0.1mi proximity rule there then!) but it would be nice to know where would be a good start as our experiences to date have been far less successful than our caching ones!

 

Cheers

Nik

 

Another option would be to see if you can pick up some of the current charity walks . . . the idea with these is that you pay (usually) £2.50 towards the charity being supported and get a clue sheet with the bearings and (sometimes) GPS co-ords.

 

http://www.dartmoorletterboxing.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=9 might be a good starting point.

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I found many when the children where younger and we all had our own stamps made up. It is great fun.

Try these links

 

http://www.plympton.info/dartmoor/dartinfo.html

http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/index/visit...etterboxing.htm

http://www.dartmoorletterboxing.org/forum/index.php

 

There used to be one behind the bar of the Plume and Feathers pub at Princetown. I don't know if it is still there or not.

Vixen tour has few dotted around and Cox tour has one just up from our Rock Around the Cox 2 which will be active again soon.

The wheelybarrow team won't mind me mentioning that they are experienced letterboxers as well as cachers so they would be my first contact.

 

Good luck it is good fun!

Edited by sonatellas
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Spannerman has just kindly pointed out to me that Vixen Tor is now privately owned and the owner will chase you off her land so maybe best to avoid it. I completely forgot and was going back to the good old years when you could climb it. Maybe when the council get it reopened we should hold a huge event on it to celebrate!!

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Thanks everyone for all your replies, we'll check out the links and compile a list and see how many we find! I've found a list of the boxes in pubs etc so after a few of those we might not get any further... *hic!*

 

We've found a few letterboxes in Cumbria and have 5 LB hybrid caches ourselves, so we're really looking forward to seeing where it all started. I remember reading about it when I was a kid and wanting to go to Dartmoor, but my parents were none too impressed with that idea!

 

Our stamps are from Sydney, Australia - not home made but quite cool.

 

@ *mouse* & Keehotee - we may or may not make the pub event on the Sunday: we'll be coming down from Gloucester so if we get there in time we'll pop in and say hello. We're hoping to be staying in Haytor Vale (not camping though).

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Letterboxes are everywhere on Dartmoor - I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself, but you do literally fall over them. No need for a list - you'll find them without even trying.

Last year we were on the moor and we'd often find a letterbox while looking for a cache - infact you invariably find the letterbox first!

A month ago I spent a day caching on Bodmin Moor and the next day on Dartmoor, and I didn't come across any Letterboxes! Nor were there any logs from Letterboxers in the (mostly) TerraCaches I found.

 

Rgds, Andy

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Thanks everyone for all your replies, we'll check out the links and compile a list and see how many we find! I've found a list of the boxes in pubs etc so after a few of those we might not get any further... *hic!*

 

We've found a few letterboxes in Cumbria and have 5 LB hybrid caches ourselves, so we're really looking forward to seeing where it all started. I remember reading about it when I was a kid and wanting to go to Dartmoor, but my parents were none too impressed with that idea!

 

Our stamps are from Sydney, Australia - not home made but quite cool.

 

@ *mouse* & Keehotee - we may or may not make the pub event on the Sunday: we'll be coming down from Gloucester so if we get there in time we'll pop in and say hello. We're hoping to be staying in Haytor Vale (not camping though).

 

Just remembered Pew Tor has quite a few. Just go look around the top. You will find them. Don't forget to do our geocache up there while you at it.

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Hi, Ive been letterboxing since the mid 70's, great fun. If you want good wilderness walks, try the two original letterboxes, Cranmere Pool in the N. And Duck's Pool in the S. Their both marked on the map and both obvious when you reach them! As has been said, choose the caches you want, and look around as you go, if something looks out of place, have a nose, you will fall over them, more near the road, not so further 'in'. I can still find letterboxes that have not been visited for more than 10 years!!! ive got a 30 year 'eye' for them! If you would like a challenge try my nephew's cache The Hounds Lair, i will say 'WET' is the word for that one! Have a great trip.

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