Letterboxing

Letterboxing is a challenge to find cunningly concealed boxes using clues supplied on sheets and in books. The tradition began in 1854 when James Perrott of Chagford hid a small glass jar in a cairn he had created at Cranmere Pool on northern Dartmoor. The idea was for walkers to leave messages there for the next visitor to collect. The idea caught on and today there are thousands of hidden letterboxes on Dartmoor, each usually containing a visitor’s book to sign and a stamp for recording your achievement. Some say it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack! The best place to start is through the Letterbox 100 Club and accompany an expert letterboxer for a day to learn the skills of searching properly. We hear that it is almost impossible to locate a box without some inside knowledge, or by surreptitiously following someone else, but if you are interested there is an actual newsletter produced for avid followers.

Searching with Moor Care
Letterboxes are only placed in existing cavities or holes and not in or around archaeological remains. Do not damage and by digging around, lifting stones or boulders or removing stones from walls. Avoid disturbing wildlife and ground-nesting birds, particularly during the bird breeding season (1 March to 31 July) by not searching in one spot for too long.

It has a cult following, but there are quite careful rules to ensure that nothing on the moor is damaged in their search. Most "boxers" have their own personal rubber stamps with silly names on, some of which are highly collectable items.