Unmaintained letterboxes...

To quote regular forum contributor NUMBER 70:

'unmaintained letterboxes are litterboxes'

I could not agree more. Yet this statement raises some interesting questions.

If the owner can/will/do not take responsibility for their boxes, who can? Should we have a letterbox amnesty? If you find any box in poor condition or over, say, 5 years old (Cranmere/Ducks Pools excempt!) should you remove it for the sake of the moor and maintaining good relations with our fellow moor users, then contacting the box owner IF the details can be found (and frankly, this forum could track the owner down if necessary)?

But finding a box that hasn't been found for years adds a certain something to a day, doesn't it?

As I was picking my way thru the burnt wastes of Crane Hill a few weeks back, I discovered boxes which had been absent of visits for over a decade. But they were dry, and the contents weren't falling apart. Can't they remain hidden?

Should carrying spare books, pill pots and plastic bags be mandatory for all 'Boxers, or should unmaintained boxes be plucked from the moor like litter?

Makes me wonder how many other boxes are out there that have not been maintained by their owners for over 5 years...

Do you know if these were catalogue boxes or WOM boxes? If they are catalogue boxes and are no longer in the catalogue they should be removed IMO

Either that owners should get someone to collect them in

I am confident they are WOM boxes. I have scoured the old catalogues for them.

If the box found is in good condition with book and stamp intact then it should be left where it is. I recently visited one of my boxes out in Vergyland Combe which I put out in 1999. It was last visited in 2004 and was in as good condition as the day I put it out. After taking a GPS, I put it back to safely stay there until the next visitor finds it. I would be very annoyed if someone decided to remove it without my permission. However, I found another box nearby that was in a desperate state. Book was mulch, stamp disintegrated and pot lid with hole in. No owners details could be seen, so no contact could be made. This I considered to be a litterbox, so took it off.

I would sugget if you find a box in a bad condition that you take it off the Moor & contact Tony Moore with the box name/number. I would futher suggest if the box is in poor condition the owner ha lost intrest. there are far too may boxes left abandened out there. One day this situation will bite us on the bum.

theres so many boxes out there that are in a terrible state, i probably see more than most cause i tend to go to the sites near the car parks and roads cause of the kids....

there are many boxes here that have lids missing and pulp books etc .... there is no way of tracing these owners... most of these boxes dont last more than a few months...
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Extreme Q

Back from holiday on the moor and I have removed several litterboxes fom the pew tor area including one that was part of a charity walk from last year, the stamp was un-useable. all the others where badly damaged boxes no contact details or vandalised boxes, one had the stamp mount and an empty container congratulations to the person who found it before me and put it back!

Also removed one from Hound tor which was made up of a lid with the book sat on it again no contact details thats in the bin.

I was thinking of producing a guide to Litterboxes for other forum members so that they feel confident about removing them.

I agree Number 70, I think a guide would be a good idea. I have found a few boxes in bad states of repair with no contact details and not listed in the catalogue over the past few weeks. I really didn't know if i should have taken it in or not.

The trouble is, if it is a WOM box and you are not privvy to the clues, then you don't know if someone is looking for or looking after it!!!!

Starter for 10

Registered box – un-maintained
If you are out boxing and are looking for a box from the catalogue you should know what it is called, make a note of its condition, when you get home check the updates to see if it has been listed in the 'boxes in need of attention', if not you can let the powers that be know that this box is in need of attention, then go and give yourself a pat on the back for helping the owner and the rest of us out.

WOM box - un-maintained
Again if you are looking for this you may have the owners contact details as you may have been given the clues, or this should be in the box somewhere, let them know. If you have stumbled on it and it has WOM on the box make a note of it and put a post in the ‘missing or damaged letterboxes’ room on the forum even stick a picture of the stamp (if any) on as well someone somewhere may know who owns it.

As for the other/unregistered boxes without contact details on, if there is no stamp in the box and/or the book is that wet you can not read them, and/or the box is that damaged its past it remove it.

generally use your common sense

I look forward to your comments

The solution is simple, regardless of the age of the box.
If its in good condition, leave it.
If its damaged, take it off the moor and return it to its owner (contact details in the book). If the book is paper mash then bin it (its litter at this point).

NUMBER 70 wrote:Starter for 10

Registered box – un-maintained
If you are out boxing and are looking for a box from the catalogue you should know what it is called, make a note of its condition, when you get home check the updates to see if it has been listed in the 'boxes in need of attention', if not you can let the powers that be know that this box is in need of attention, then go and give yourself a pat on the back for helping the owner and the rest of us out.

WOM box - un-maintained
Again if you are looking for this you may have the owners contact details as you may have been given the clues, or this should be in the box somewhere, let them know. If you have stumbled on it and it has WOM on the box make a note of it and put a post in the ‘missing or damaged letterboxes’ room on the forum even stick a picture of the stamp (if any) on as well someone somewhere may know who owns it.

As for the other/unregistered boxes without contact details on, if there is no stamp in the box and/or the book is that wet you can not read them, and/or the box is that damaged its past it remove it.

generally use your common sense

I look forward to your comments

Totally Agree with the quote above.
This is the approach we take.

It really is a matter of common sense - keeping the rubbish off the moors is what it is all about - there are many out there who think letterboxing is nothing but litter.
Keeping boxes tidy and well maintained is good for the hobby of letterboxing. Removing the boxes from the moor that are in very poor condition is also good for the moor and the hobby - it just goes to show that the hobbiests can police their own hobby.

I have in the past removed boxes that have had been damaged beyond repair and no stamp the book being papier-maché, those of the books I have mamnaged to dry out I reported to the owner to let them know where it is and what did they want doing with it.

One of the problems with some of the boxes is the owner passing away, unless friends and/or family can collect them in these boxes will stay out until they are stolen.

During the 1990`s I put out well over 400 boxes - hand cut and WOM.
In the year 2000 I suffered an accident that wiped out my letterboxing pleasure, though since then I have managed a few walks accompanied by my son in law and grandsons.

Having talked to my neighbour, KK, he has re kindled my interest in letterboxing, in deed a lot of other 'boxers' already known to me and newcomers are seeking my old clues. There are a lot of my old boxes still out on the moor because I am unable to go out and retrieve them all and because of the compass bearing difference the clues are slightly out of alignment.

Some of the 'boxers' I know, and those KK knows, are collating latest GPS on my boxes and it appears a lot are still out there and worth collecting. By request I am cutting copies of some old ones and reissuing them for the benefit of those who did not get them first time around.

Therefore I will say that old boxes are not 'litterboxes'. Anyone finding an 'old' box and contacting its owner, if possible, and giving up to date info (clues / GPS) as to its location will certainly benefit not only the owner of the box but other boxers in the long run. Who has not experienced the thrill of finding a 'lost' box not stamped in for .... years?
I am new to this forum but I can already see its attributes.

i still have some out, but havnt had time to bring them in yet, being posted away from the plymouth area, but hopefully this year il lbe able to bring them in... hopefully