Letterboxing compass bearings

We're fairly new to letterboxing, although we've been geocaching for 5 years and found nearly 1000 of those. We've found a few letterboxes in the Lake District, but next month we're coming to Dartmoor for the first time to try letterboxing in its "natural home".

Now this might seem a silly question, so please be gentle!... when a letterbox has clues/directions such as this:

1) Wanda Witch(6092) - *
Scarey Tor at 320
Winter Tor at 188
Tree at 55
Flag Mast on Hill 300

(Letterbox just chosen at random)

... are you supposed to sight the first landmark and set your compass to the appropriate bearing, and then just wander about randomly until all the others line up or is there a more precise art to it?

As I say, sorry if this sounds a really dumb question! Thanks.

Welcome to the site ----

I usually do it this way ... usng the map Work out the bearings to the box and then from the map get a 6 figure reference - at least then you know where you are going...
When you are in the area you need to be then I get onto one of the bearings and follow it on the bearing (or back bearing until others come into alignment with it

When you get nearer then the "local" bearings can then match up... personally I like this method more than the ten figure references that are so available today. I would happily like to see a return to the six figure references of only a few years ago as this would defeat the dartmoor letterbox thief!

Hi - agree with Nik above. Work out a grid reference then mark it with a cross on the map - when you ar nearing the area, get one bearing on, then move around until the other bearings become correct. The art then is to find the 'tirangular rock with corner missing' or '3'x2' square rock', then 'box plugged under the S end' etcc and so find the box. Near site descriptions are the most important once the bearings are correct. As Nik also says, things have moved on in letterboxing since the old 6 fig grid ref, plotting direct on to large OS map, and carrying sighting compass. Nowadays there are a lot of computer based maps where you plot onto say Memory Map or Track Logs, then print off just the area. You then put that grid into a GPS and follow that directly to the box