Hello,
We have been letterboxing a few times and have the catalogue but losing motivation because we are struggling to find any .
Any hints and tips would be greatly received!
Losing Motivation
Moderator: Moderators
- Sowerby Streaker
- Site Admin
- Posts: 713
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:15 pm
- Location: Brixham
pick a grid square with lots of catalogued boxes AND a object ( like a tor or cross) to walk to.
As well as having a few catalogued boxes in mind to hunt for, do hunt under rocks as you walk to and more importantly around object of your walk. You do get an eye for it eventually, but for the first several trips even finding 3 or 4 is good.
Good luck. we started in Feb, first few trips we would think we had done very well if we found 4. Most recent walk we found 24 ( in 5 hours around Brat tor)
As well as having a few catalogued boxes in mind to hunt for, do hunt under rocks as you walk to and more importantly around object of your walk. You do get an eye for it eventually, but for the first several trips even finding 3 or 4 is good.
Good luck. we started in Feb, first few trips we would think we had done very well if we found 4. Most recent walk we found 24 ( in 5 hours around Brat tor)
Wheres it to ?
- The Thinkers
- Ambler
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sun Aug 01, 2010 6:52 pm
- Location: Somerset & Devon
Finding boxes
Hello Heatherwalkers,
I have 'pasted part of a reply I recently sent to another new boxer below;
I don't know if our strategy would help; but we tend to plan a walk that happens to include a search for boxes at various points, rather than to just arrive at a venue in the hope of finding. I recently purchased a copy of 'Exploring Dartmoor' by Harry Starkey. This outlines some excellent walks (short and longer) and is full of history and other facts which make the walk fascinating. We did one of these last Sunday and discovered many artefacts that we would have had no prior knowledge of. We also discovered some boxes on route - which was an added bonus!
We are relative new to boxing,but have enjoyed moorland walks for many years and combine the two. We don't have the catalogue, and rely mostly on educated guess work and a keen eye - not always successfully!
As advised - you will gain much from perusing many of the posts on the forum, and following the hints, eg avoiding the very tops of Tors. Most of our finds have been made during the climb, usually when the eye spots something that is slightly out of place such as small stones hiding a box in a crevice. The area on the slopes of Bray/Brat Tor gave us our most successful finds to date.
Good luck.
K&A (The Thinkers)
I have 'pasted part of a reply I recently sent to another new boxer below;
I don't know if our strategy would help; but we tend to plan a walk that happens to include a search for boxes at various points, rather than to just arrive at a venue in the hope of finding. I recently purchased a copy of 'Exploring Dartmoor' by Harry Starkey. This outlines some excellent walks (short and longer) and is full of history and other facts which make the walk fascinating. We did one of these last Sunday and discovered many artefacts that we would have had no prior knowledge of. We also discovered some boxes on route - which was an added bonus!
We are relative new to boxing,but have enjoyed moorland walks for many years and combine the two. We don't have the catalogue, and rely mostly on educated guess work and a keen eye - not always successfully!
As advised - you will gain much from perusing many of the posts on the forum, and following the hints, eg avoiding the very tops of Tors. Most of our finds have been made during the climb, usually when the eye spots something that is slightly out of place such as small stones hiding a box in a crevice. The area on the slopes of Bray/Brat Tor gave us our most successful finds to date.
Good luck.
K&A (The Thinkers)
Take time to think. The world will be a better place for it.
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2615
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:21 pm
- Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Don't feel disheartened with not finding many boxes - I had an opportunity to come down this weekend and only found one box! I knew the area I was looking in wasn't going to have many boxes anyway - it was more about walking the moor and I was breaking in a new set of boots too.
The thing with boxing you have put yourself in the mind of the person who put it out and how they hide their boxes - it takes time so bear with it
The thing with boxing you have put yourself in the mind of the person who put it out and how they hide their boxes - it takes time so bear with it
-
- Trekker
- Posts: 259
- Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2009 9:13 am
Losing Motivation
There is a wealth of information on this site alone to start the intrepid boxer off, with an expanse of experience in the areas to box and what to look for.
Learning a new craft has never been easy for anyone, but from my own point of view stick with it and the rewards are never ending. Been at it now since the '80`s and still loving every moment on the Moors.
I walk the moors,climb it, talk it, paint it, letterbox it, read it, WWW it and what ever else! Once in your blood it stays!
TWA
Learning a new craft has never been easy for anyone, but from my own point of view stick with it and the rewards are never ending. Been at it now since the '80`s and still loving every moment on the Moors.
I walk the moors,climb it, talk it, paint it, letterbox it, read it, WWW it and what ever else! Once in your blood it stays!
TWA
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2615
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:21 pm
- Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Re: Losing Motivation
Excellent answer done all that except paint it but then I do that with words!The Wandering Artist wrote:There is a wealth of information on this site alone to start the intrepid boxer off, with an expanse of experience in the areas to box and what to look for.
Learning a new craft has never been easy for anyone, but from my own point of view stick with it and the rewards are never ending. Been at it now since the '80`s and still loving every moment on the Moors.
I walk the moors,climb it, talk it, paint it, letterbox it, read it, WWW it and what ever else! Once in your blood it stays!
TWA
I gain energy from walking on the moors energy for my soul
-
- Drifter
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:52 pm
- Location: Cambridgeshire
We have taken about 8 years to get about 70 registered letterboxes. we have about 200 in all. We can only get to Devon for 7 to 14 days once a year, then it is weather dependant as to being able to go letterboxing.
We found a note in one letterbox saying the people had at last got their one hundredth letterbox and it took them 13 years, but like most letterboxers, the fun is all about being on the moors and discovering a letterbox no matter how long the gap between finding any.
One of us Merry Wives of Lode would not walk five kilometres on a Sunday afternoon but put a letterbox at the ned of it and they would be off like a shot. They would love to live in Devon and letterbox any day.
Have fun.
We found a note in one letterbox saying the people had at last got their one hundredth letterbox and it took them 13 years, but like most letterboxers, the fun is all about being on the moors and discovering a letterbox no matter how long the gap between finding any.
One of us Merry Wives of Lode would not walk five kilometres on a Sunday afternoon but put a letterbox at the ned of it and they would be off like a shot. They would love to live in Devon and letterbox any day.
Have fun.
Forever Dartmoor Letterboxing
Re: Losing Motivation
The standard reply that was given to this was have a look around Pew tor (530,730). You can if you wish park at Barnhill car park and walk across to Pew tor taking in Feather tor and Heckwood tor on the way, if you dont want the walk (why are you letterboxing) try the road past Moortown (next to pew tor) around 528, 737 (furse cottage area)heatherwalkers wrote:Hello,
We have been letterboxing a few times and have the catalogue but losing motivation because we are struggling to find any .
Any hints and tips would be greatly received!
Failing that just check under every rock with your stick for that lovely plastic thunk that tells you you have found one.
Then theres the Staple tor over the road from Barnhill but rightish
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2615
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:21 pm
- Location: Somewhere over the rainbow