visit to Dartmoor - Dartmoor Letterboxing Archive

jhatter

2008-08-27 10:17:45

Hi,

I'm staying near Lustleigh next week and want to take my eldest daughter on a walk to find some letterboxes. I have been before (I'll endeavour not to lose my compass this time) but it is my daughters first outing.

I think I have left it a bit too late to put a cheque in the post for the letterbox catalogue and I don't want to rely on my 2006 edition. Can I buy one at a Tourist Info Centre? Where would be a good spot to go letterboxing, with a high density of boxes close to Lustleigh?

I plan to take my daughter to see Bowerman's Nose and Hound Tor could I combine it with this trip?

Thank you in anticipation

The Sly Fox

2008-08-27 12:39:22

Hi there jhatter

First of all, welcome to the forum. I wonderful letterboxing site.

Lustleigh is a good choice of base for letterboxing. There are quite a few areas nearby with boxes galore. If you are planning to visit Bowerman's Nose and Hound Tor then you will be pleased to hear that there are many boxes in both areas.
Also, just down the road, you will find Honeybag, Chinkwell and Bell Tors as well as Bonehill Rocks. These places have loads of boxes too. And slightly further you have Haytor, Holwell and Saddle Tors. One of the most popular places for boxes on the moor.

Unfortunately you cannot buy a new catalogue in the shops. They are only available to 100 Club members. You may find that your 2006 edition is not so out of date. Remember that most of the boxes are not actually on the tors but nearby. Usually in the clutter. Lone trees are real favourites with box owners.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Rob

Nik - KOTM

2008-08-27 18:44:02

You will find the 2006 catalogue suitable for about 80% of the boxes that are out there, you will no doubt find others and some will be missing. If you can wait until October the new catalogue will be released... oh I miss the catalogue being released every meet.

If you did get the catalogue it is essential to get the updates whjich are (or were) 40p per emailed version the printed one has since gone up in price

If you are any good at creating a database on a computer (which is quite easy really) during the winter months enter the catalogue intot a computer (and the updates) If you do ten pages a day you will fly through them.

The Sly Fox

2008-08-27 22:33:41

I did hear somewhere that they are no longer doing an Autumn catalogue

jhatter

2008-08-28 09:58:03

Many thanks for all your responses.

So based on your replies I'm going to be searching in the the following grid locations, using my Spring 2006 catalogue as a guide:

74 78, 74 79 & 74 80

The Sly Fox

2008-08-28 22:02:59

There are 28 boxes listed in the 2008 catalogue for those grids. There will inevitably be more out there due to boxes without specific GRs in the catalogue, updates and non-listed boxes. Good luck and have fun

jhatter

2008-08-29 08:12:01

That's interesting as there's 20 in total in the Spring 2006 catalogue. There are only 3 listed in 74/80, are there anymore in the most recent catalogue?

The Sly Fox

2008-08-29 22:09:16

The Spring 2008 catalogue is the most recent one mate

jhatter

2008-09-11 15:04:32

Apart from the weather, which prevented my daughter coming with me, I had a good couple of hours on Hound Tor. I got about 5 stamps and enjoyed a mug of builders tea from the Hound of the Basket Meals, where I got a few more stamps.

I couldn't find "Mellifera - the bee". I found the tree all, right but could only find a blinking GeoCache there.

Also I searched around every holly tree for "All at Sea on Dartmoor No.3".

Lots of kids boxes around there, none with stamps.

Duckpool

2008-09-12 14:38:37

If I remember correctly the 'All at Sea' clue gave me great difficulty, and it eventually turned out that one of the bearings in the clue was a long way out! The one onto Hound Tor I think. Made a big difference!

Duckpool