There are so many fun and exciting ways to discover Dartmoor. While many will hike its incredible tors, there are different sides of the moor to discover when walking, cycling, or even birdwatching.
If you love the idea of venturing into the wilderness of Dartmoor, then letterboxing might be the perfect activity. This classic Dartmoor pastime has been going strong for over 100 years, and you’ll soon discover how to get into the spirit of this age-old activity.
What is Letterboxing?
Letterboxing is a tradition on Dartmoor where small boxes are hidden across the moor. Letterboxers then seek out these little treasure troves, which contain a stamp and a visitor’s book so people can prove their visit. There are thousands of letterboxes across Dartmoor, but they’re all hidden away, and finding them often requires map-reading skills.
Letterboxing is a fun activity that can be used as an excuse to venture into lesser-travelled areas of Dartmoor, while also putting your orienteering abilities to the test. Some Letterboxers take it more seriously, spending years trying to find as many as they can and building impressive stamp collections.
Letterboxing is a community-led activity organised by the Dartmoor Letterboxing Club.
Letterboxing Vs Geocaching
Geocaching is a more recent development which is very similar to letterboxing. It is essentially a digital version of letterboxing, where you follow a GPS on your phone instead of map coordinates, and log your finds online instead of in a stamp book.
Both geocaching and letterboxing are available on Dartmoor. If you’re not experienced with maps, geocaching can be a more straightforward alternative.
See the geocaching website for more information on signing up and getting involved.
The Tradition of Letterboxing in Dartmoor
Letterboxing is an activity enjoyed in natural lands across the world, but Dartmoor is its spiritual home.
The practice can be traced all the way back to 1854 and James Perrott, a Dartmoor guide from Chagford, home of our Mill End Hotel. Perrott created the first letterbox – a glass jar protected by stones – at Cranmere Pool; at the time, this was one of Dartmoor’s most isolated places and a true challenge to reach. This letterbox remains to this day, although the area is easier to reach nowadays.
At first, people who reached the point would put postcards in the jar, and then the next person who reached it would put their postcard in, take the previous ones out, and post them – hence the term letterboxing.
There were only a few letterboxes at the beginning, often in the hardest places in Dartmoor to reach. However, the hobby became particularly popular in the late 20th century, which led to an explosion of new letterboxes across Dartmoor. At this point, the tradition of leaving postcards was phased out and replaced with the stamps and visitor books seen today.
Nowadays, there are thousands of letterboxes to be found – some are very easy and great for children, while there remain some incredibly challenging finds that require serious orienteering skills.
Image Credit: Cranmere Pool and the first moorland letterbox on Dartmoor by Pete Cruse, CC BY-SA 2.0
How to Start Letterboxing: What You’ll Need
Letterboxing is designed to be a fun family activity that everyone can get involved with. While there remain some very challenging letterboxes, there are plenty in more accessible locations that anyone can discover.
Whether you consider yourself a master of the wilds or just want some cool stamps from your holiday in Dartmoor, here are some things you’ll need to start letterboxing:
- Appropriate Clothing: You’ll need good hiking clothes and boots to reach most letterboxes.
- Map & Compass: You’ll need a level of map-reading skills to find most letterboxes.
- Clue Sheet: These help you find letterboxes. Details on purchasing them are available on the official site.
- Stamp Book & Ink Pad: So you can keep a record of letterboxes you’ve found.
- A Unique Personal Stamp: You can use this to stamp the visitor’s book.
It’s also recommended you read letterboxing’s code of conduct before you set off on your adventure.
Tips for Finding Dartmoor’s Letterboxes
Some letterboxes can be found by chance by thoroughly exploring Dartmoor’s most famous locations. However, most of them require some skill, knowledge and a little bit of help.
- Buy a Clue Sheet: It’s much easier to find letterboxes with the official catalogue and clue sheets.
- Practice Map Reading: Many letterboxing clues will provide rough map coordinates or compass readings from surrounding landmarks, so being able to use a map and compass is essential.
- Know How Letterboxes are Hidden: Letterboxes tend to be placed under rocks or in crevices where they’re protected from the elements but also not disturbing the natural environment.
- Learn About Dartmoor: Some of the more fiendish letterboxes only provide cryptic clues that require knowledge of the area and its history. Letterboxing is a good excuse to brush up on your knowledge of Dartmoor!
Whether you’re visiting Dartmoor for the first time or are an intrepid rambler looking for a challenge, letterboxing has something for everyone! You can get even more into the spirit with a stay in a hotel in Chagford like ours, where this fantastic pastime was first created.
