+The Hornet Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 After the 'business' with TMA I was heartened to receive this e-mail. Here we have someone who, like us geocachers, enjoys getting out in the country and searching for something utterly pointless When stumbling across someone else's activity rather than acting all defensively he openly welcomes all comers to join in. Some people could learn a lesson here. Here's his e-mail: Hi Peter, came upon your geocache on Morte point over the week end. I'm not sure if you are familiar with letterboxing which is my 'game' A format of orienteering normally played on Dartmoor , but with letterboxes throughout the UK. I have four boxes out on the point, one overlooking your geocache. Next time your down this way if your interested bring a compass and an ink pad ( to take an impression of the rubber stamps ) the clues to my boxes can be found on the internet, just type in The Dartmoor Bounders ( then go to off-Dartmoor clues listing ) A general info site for Dartmoor letterboxing can be found at http://letterboxer.co.uk Maybe i could persuade you to come over to the other side to try something challenging!! We obviously share a love of the great out doors. _________________________________________________________ It is better to regret something you did, rather than to regret something you didn't do. Quote Link to comment
+Faye & Brad Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 shouldn't you be packing? Have a great trip - make sure you tell us about all your new caches! Quote Link to comment
Team Tate Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 I know someone who is a Letterboxer, but she seems keener on us joining their activity than she does on joining ours! Maybe they are trying to infiltrate us to drag some people away!!!! Sarah Team Tate Remember - if it's moving, it's not dead... Quote Link to comment
+Nia Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 My Brother is a Letterboxer, I've tried to get him geocaching, he did help with DTTW, did you know there are over 1000 letterboxes in The New Forest? That does NOT include ones in peoples doors. Tech-no notice Quote Link to comment
+jeremyp Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 Hmmm... 1,000 boxes in the New Forest? Do they have permission for all of those On a more serious note, their web site says that ammo boxes on Dartmoor are being removed by the park rangers due to the possibility of them being confused with military debris. Something to bear in mind when placing caches near military areas. e.g. Salisbury Plain. ------- jeremyp The second ten million caches were the worst too. http://www.jeremyp.net/geocaching Quote Link to comment
+Nia Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 To be more acurate i should have said over 1000 have been placed over the years. Their main problem was the lack of acurate information on the state of each letterbox. In over 100 trips he has only found 22. He never knows wether it was there or not, there is very little feedback. Thats what put us off! Tech-no notice Quote Link to comment
+washboy Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Did you notice that many TMAers were more vehemently opposed to Letterboxing than to Geocaching? I wonder why that would be. ===== There's no such thing as a free lunchbox! Quote Link to comment
el10t Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 I think it was because letterboxes are more likely to be hidden under stones, in cracks, buried etc. On the sliding scale of not-being-liked it seems to go geocachers -> letterboxers -> metal detectorists -> the BBC. Rich mobilis in mobili Quote Link to comment
+naffita Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 quote: Did you notice that many TMAers were more vehemently opposed to Letterboxing than to Geocaching? I wonder why that would be. TMAers are pretty much opposed to anything they don't do. One of their posts complained about a cache in a sand dune, claiming that the dunes could be dangerously eroded by people digging. I'm not sure if that includes buckets and spades but I guess it must. naffita Quote Link to comment
Moss Trooper Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 It's proberbly because there are roughly 50 letterboxes per square mile on Dartmoor alone.. that works out at about 18,000. in 350 square mile area Whilst us have just under 1300 in the whole of the UK.. Moss de Boss... Sorta Quote Link to comment
+stu_and_sarah Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 We go letterboxing and caching. They are both quite different, while being a similar idea. The majority of letterboxes we have found have been those large grey cylindrical pill containers you see in pharmacies. They can afford to be smaller than a cache because they only contain a stamp and a log book. The (Dartmoor) letterboxing guidelines say that you must only place on Access Land, in natural cavities, but NOT disturbing animals or any manmade objects including archeological remains. So... they're generally found in cracks between or under rocks. I guess the TMA's problem with letterboxing is the same as with Caching, that we're littering the countryside - but as with caches, (Dartmoor) letterboxes have to be maintained, and they are all catalogued. In fact, you have to re-register your letterbox every 5 years to ensure it stays on the books. We found letterboxing slightly more rewarding that caching - because you have no idea if you're looking anywhere near the right place, but you can also find 10 or more boxes on a short walk. BUT letterboxing only exists in a few 'holiday' locations, so caching keeps us going between times. This isn't meant to denegrate caching in any way - just our preference, maybe it's the quick-fire finding aspect of 'boxing! Quote Link to comment
Morseman Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Team Tate:I know someone who is a Letterboxer, but she seems keener on us joining their activity than she does on joining ours! I have asked this before, but the search facility is down during maintenance and I can't find the replies, if any. In various threads has been a statement along the lines that there are letterboxes across the UK. However, doing a Google or Yahoo (UK only) search only seems to bring up the ones on Dartmoor. Does anyone have a link to other databases please? Thanks. --... ...-- Morseman Quote Link to comment
+Nia Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Morseman: Does anyone have a link to other databases please? Thanks. --... ...-- Morseman Apologies if this is wrong, but after talking to a couple of New Forest letter boxers, they say... It is a lack of a database that causes problems, Dartmore seems well organised, but the New Forest much less so, as it seems to rely on a manually kept list, that is almost certainly always out of date. This might have changed recently, as both their lists are over a year old. Tech-no notice Quote Link to comment
+Teasel Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Nia:It is a lack of a database that causes problems, Strange, I'd have thought the letterboxing fraternity would be packed full of geeks! Quote Link to comment
+Postie Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 I find over 200 letterboxes every day But they are always in the same place (Every one needs a bigger letterbox!) Quote Link to comment
+John Stead Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Yes Postie - and I hope you always use the right stamp! Quote Link to comment
+stu_and_sarah Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 quote:(Every one needs a bigger letterbox!) Haha! You'd hate ours... can't even get an A5 envelope through. Postie has to knock nearly every day... but it's on our list of things to do. As for a letterboxing database... we don't need no stinking database! We just go for a wander in an area that looks like it should contain some boxes. Quote Link to comment
Team Galaxy - Simon Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by el10t: On the sliding scale of not-being-liked it seems to go geocachers -> letterboxers -> metal detectorists -> the BBC. As an avid metal detectorist and geocacher, I won't be taking up letterboxing, as I don't want to be looking over my shoulder for 'quarians everywhere I go! Now where did I put that BBC job application... "The sooner all the animals are extinct, the sooner we'll find their money" Quote Link to comment
+jeremyp Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by el10t: On the sliding scale of not-being-liked it seems to go geocachers -> letterboxers -> metal detectorists -> the BBC. Rich _mobilis in mobili_ Surely it should be: eocachers -> letterboxers -> metal detectorists -> the BBC->Time Team I had an e-mail today from somebody who I assume is a letter boxer about my 1,000 boxes in the New Forest. Basically, the answer is that they do have permission from the relevant agencies but there are lots of rules about access land etc. If letter boxers can get permission for 1,000 plastic containers. It should be easy for us to get permission for a few tens (after which we would regard the area as saturated). Also if there are really 18,000 letter boxes on Dartmoor, it must be hard to go anywhere there without tripping over them. ------- jeremyp The second ten million caches were the worst too. http://www.jeremyp.net/geocaching Quote Link to comment
+Nia Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 We have recieved an e-mail from a letterboxer saying that my brother is out of date and QUOTE It is oragnised It has regular feed back & the state of boxes are known (agree not all). It is also gievn permmission from The Forestry Commission, and a number of "rules" & areas in which NO boxes are allowed. One of the rules is NO PUBLICITY. We have written back as we are interested in having a go at letterboxing ourselves. Tech-no notice Quote Link to comment
+Team Galaxy Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 If letterboxers have finally settled on this policy, surely there is something in it? I know there are other threads that have done this subject to death, but as an advocate of this policy, I would be interested to know what led to the letterboxers instigating this rule. Quote Link to comment
+SimonG Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Team Galaxy:I would be interested to know what led to the letterboxers instigating this rule. I think it's because the Forestry Commission insisted on it. SimonG.org Quote Link to comment
+Team Galaxy Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 SimonG, out of curiosity, I clicked on your link - you are a very funny man! Pass on my regards to J Mosthem. Quote Link to comment
+SimonG Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Team Galaxy:Pass on my regards to J Mosthem. Heh heh. My mum came across that story a few weeks ago and couldn't see the funny side at all. From the way she sounded on the phone, you'd think she'd just learnt that I once spent three years selling my body to tourists in the backstreets of Calcutta. And I'm not putting that story on my web site... SimonG.org Quote Link to comment
megalithic Posted February 15, 2003 Share Posted February 15, 2003 > We go letterboxing and caching. They are both quite different, while being a similar idea. Perhaps I'm a bit dense but can you expand on this a bit. To my untrained eye they seem virtually identical, except that one has been around 150 years and doesn't involve so much technology. A bit like writing an address book using pen and paper vs using an electronic organiser? Interesting that none of the Dartmoor letterboxing web sites mention caching. Cheers Andy Responsible cachers are welcome at http://www.megalithic.co.uk Prehistoric sites in the UK, Ireland and beyond Thousands of Images, Links, Downloads, Maps, Web Search, Members Features Quote Link to comment
+jeb and co Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by jeremyp:-------------------------------------------------- Also if there are really 18,000 letter boxes on Dartmoor, it must be hard to go anywhere there without tripping over them. -------------------------------------------------- A friend of ours who was suffering for acute letterboxitis was out seaching on Dartmoor for boxes, sat down on a granite slab to eat his sandwiches and looking round realized he could spot where five boxes were hidden within four or five paces and then found a box under each end of the rock he was sitting on. Quote Link to comment
MCL Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 quote:Originally posted by jeb and co:A friend of ours who was suffering for acute letterboxitis was out seaching on Dartmoor for boxes, sat down on a granite slab to eat his sandwiches and looking round realized he could spot where five boxes were hidden within four or five paces and then found a box under each end of the rock he was sitting on. Now *that* probably explains in part why the Mod Ants were so hostile to us if they thought for one moment that caches might get as proliferate as that. I think *I* would become hostile if I thought our sport was going that way... No trees were harmed during the production of this posting, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.... Quote Link to comment
+The Northumbrian Posted February 17, 2003 Share Posted February 17, 2003 I think it may get that way, especialy in the south as there are a lot more cacher's, up in the North they will be more thinned out as not as many cachers up here. Mind you , in a couple of years it may be different. I think that in the south the government may have to apply congestion charges When I first started there were only around 45 cachers' and only a total of 25 caches in the whole country 6 of them were within 40 miles of Newcastle.Thanks to Moss Trooper and Jason W. Nige Quote Link to comment
+Tim & June Posted February 17, 2003 Share Posted February 17, 2003 quote:Originally posted by The Northumbrian:I think it may get that way, especialy in the south ... Nige Caches have to be at least 0.1 of a mile apart now. Though it's true to say that there is room for manoever in that because circumstance might prevail. For example, each side of a river or ravine where the actual distance is less than 0.1 mile but to reach it might involve a much longer journey. I don't think caching would benifit from being flooded like that, and neither would the environment. Tim & June (Winchester) See June, I told you that sign which said 'Unsuitable for Motor Vehicles' was wrong ! Quote Link to comment
No More Posted February 17, 2003 Share Posted February 17, 2003 On the face of it, it would seem that the Moor is covered in Letterboxes, but there are very many places with no boxes. The 18000 number quoted is, I suggest, a little tonge in cheek. The popular Tor's do have a high penertration, but they do not stay out there long. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.