| Dartmoor letterboxing |
| A favourite Dartmoor pastime and one that occupies many people, from Plymouth University students to Plymouth pensioners, is letterboxing. Letterboxing originated in 1854 when James Perrott, a Dartmoor guide, left a bottle at Cranmere Pool for people to leave visiting cards (some of the old Cranmere Pool logbooks are now stored at Plymouth Museum). This developed into a system where hikers would leave a letter or postcard in a box somewhere on their route, often addressed to themselves, and whoever found it would post it on to them ... and that is how letterboxing got its name! |
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| Letterboxing developed from this, with additional boxes being placed in the heart of the moor at Taw Marsh in 1894, Ducks Pool in 1938 (in commemoration of William Crossing who wrote the original ‘Guide to Dartmoor’), Fur Tor in 1951, and Crow Tor in 1962. In the 70s there was a sudden upsurge in placing letterboxes, often in much more accessible locations, and today there are between 3000 and 5000 watertight boxes concealed all over Dartmoor, each containing a unique rubber stamp and a visitors’ book or logbook. Finders use the stamp to make an imprint in their own book to prove they found the box, and also use their own personal stamp to mark their visit in the visitors’ book. This exchanging of stamp impressions has replaced the tradition of leaving a letter or postcard in the box. |
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| Originally only determined hikers were involved in letterboxing and many boxes were extremely well-hidden, with cryptic clues given as to their whereabouts. Nowadays, letterboxes are much easier to find and many Plymouth youngsters have spent several happy hours searching under rocks and in old rabbit holes for this ‘treasure’. Clues can be as straightforward as a set of grid references or a simple explanation of the position of the letterbox relative to a well-known tor, and they can be provided in several ways, such as in specialist catalogues, on websites designed for the purpose, or just spread by word of mouth. The letterboxes for which the clues are only passed on by word of mouth are known as secret boxes and these are often shared between serious letterboxers when they meet in Dartmoor pubs. |
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| Over the years, letterboxing has spread all over the United Kingdom and the world, especially Holland, Germany, New Zealand and the USA. Now it has moved into the 21st century through geocaching, which uses GPS coordinates to locate the boxes. This was begun in the USA in May 2000 and is now practised all over the world. However, many letterboxing enthusiasts prefer the traditional Dartmoor letterboxing. |
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| Although there is no official committee which manages letterboxing, there is an informal group for those who take letterboxing seriously, known as the 100 Club. Anyone can gain membership simply by locating at least 100 letterboxes on Dartmoor and having the proof to back up their assertion. Members receive a badge proclaiming their achievement, a regular newsletter, and are invited to ‘meets’, usually somewhere on Dartmoor, where they discuss new letterboxes and the publication of their biannual catalogue of clues. These ‘meets’ are held twice a year in March and October, on the Sundays when the clocks go back or forward. 100 Club members can go on to gain badges for the collection of 1000 letterbox impressions. |
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| It is simple to make a letterbox stamp, either to set up your own letterbox, or to use to stamp your imprint in the logbook of someone else’s letterbox. Start by choosing or creating a black and white image, the simpler the better, and not too large. It should be related to Dartmoor in some way. Your picture needs to fit onto an average-sized rubber/eraser, which will be the stamp, so that should dictate the size of the image. Make a photocopy of your image and place this face down on top of the eraser. Then iron over the back of the image with a warm iron to transfer it to the eraser. Following the lines of the picture, use a sharp knife or scalpel to carve out the picture, angling the cuts away from the design. You can check how the picture is taking shape by using a pale ink to make impressions as you go. Alternatively, you can have the stamps made professionally as there are many commercial organisations which provide this service. If you’d like to place a letterbox on the moor, you’ll need to think about whether you want to limit yourself to a single box or whether you’d prefer to put out a series. Many letterboxers like to lay a trail of anywhere between 6 and 12 boxes on a specific theme. The theme should be related to Dartmoor, such as rivers on Dartmoor. The stamp should also include the intended location of the letterbox. Whether you are placing a single letterbox or you are laying a trail, you need to research where it will be and what clues you will give to help people find the boxes. |
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| To actually place the box or boxes, you will first need to put the stamp itself and a small notepad into a watertight container. The notepad will be used as the logbook and should have your contact phone number or email address on the front page. It should be stored in a sealable plastic bag before being put into the watertight container. For many years, people used old ammunition cans but the MOD strongly advise against this, so these days the most common containers are large round pill pots and the type of oblong plastic box often used for storing food at home. There are codes of conduct for letterboxing on Dartmoor which apply to those placing letterboxes as well as those seeking them. They comprise common sense rules such as avoiding areas near natural habitats for protected species, not placing letterboxes on privately-owned land, leaving the area the same way as you found it. Letterboxing truly is an enjoyable and healthy leisure pursuit which encourages the young to learn more about Dartmoor and to help look after it so that it can be enjoyed by generations to come.So if you live in Plymouth or just have a day off from your job in Plymouth, why not take yourself and the family for a day out on Dartmoor.It's free, it's healthy and it's good fun. You'll build up an appetite so think about visiting one of the many restaurants in Plymouth.If you are on holiday then most Plymouth hotels should be able to give you guidance on how and where to start your Dartmoor experience.It would also be a good idea to inform someone that you are going on the moor and tell them when they should expect you back. |
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