Newbie question

We are new to letterboxing and are trying to use it to encourage the kids to discover walking and Dartmoor. I have the guidebook. Can anyone recommend a few 'good' areas with plenty of easy and accessible letterboxes to get us started?

pew tor

If you are looking for family friendly, easy boxing areas try the Bonehill Rocks and Bell Tor area. Also consider Brat Tor and Arms Tor (Widgery Cross makes a great visible target for the day's walk too); Sheepstor has a lot of boxes, but can be tricky going for short legs! I've also had lots of success around Buckland Beacon, though the fires there last year destroyed a few, i'm sure plenty survived.

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy your letterboxing - let us know how you get on!

Welcome to the site Snimmo

For easy non registered boxes - Bonehill Rocks as there are a lot of what we call "kids boxes" there - for registered boxes Park at Pork Hill Car Park South of Cox Tor and work your way down to Pew Tor and come back via Feather Tor finish the day with an ice cream or some kite flying or both!
The terrain is easy but be warned there are a few old quarries there around the approaches to Pew Tor, the best time of the year is spring and early summer before the bracken starts to swamp everything

Belstone common/ watchet hill.
LOTS of boxes. Out there with a bunch of nieces and nephs the other week and kids found most of the our 10 grandchildren set as I used them to plan a walk.

Round by Bowermans nose
we found a lot of boxes we were not looking for and some ( but not all) we were. not a busy as hound tor, just as nice and close to the hound tor car park.

Hartland Tor has quite a few boxes, you also have the benefit of good parking, and the Dartmoor Visitors Center.

Nearby is also the walks to Belever Tor with its ancient relics surrounding - stone rows, kists, hut circles etc. I have taken my grandchildren on these walks many times and they have always loved it.

The old bridge at postbridge has also been an attraction and subject of a painting by F Widgery - a well known Dartmoor Artist.

TWA

After careful consideration, my husband and I have decided to take up letterboxing as a hobby. My husband did it as a child and enjoyed it so much.
We have been after a challenge for some time and this just might fill that gap!
The information you have provided here is excellent in terms of a place to start. We are just in the process of checking all of the terms etc, arranging a stamp and book before we get going.
We help to run three ten tors teams in dartmoor each year and we have plenty of other opportunities to visit........any priceless pieces of wisdom to pass on to us newbies???

Lucie

Enjoy Lucie... We have been letterboxing for a year & have loved every minute of it, rain or shine
Be warned though...you probably won't ever be able to walk over The Moors again without poking in holes and under rocks
We're hoping to get up on The Moors this coming weekend....fingers crossed for dry weather.
Emma one of The Nesty Crew

We have been in Dartmoor this weekend staying on the camping and caravan site at Tavistock (Highly Recomended by the way!) It was during this weekend that we finally made the decision.......considering an overnight stay this coming weekend aswell!!
We haven't even started and I think we are addicted.....
What sort of area will you be covering do you think? We are going to start on the recommended areas first, get our collection off to a flying start.

Lucie

Not sure yet.... I have the new catalogue and have spent many nights curled up in bed with the map planning the best routes etc
I shall have my girls with me this visit and they're not really keen walkers (16 & 12!) so won't go too far!
I read somewhere tonight on this forum that Hartland was good....so might head over that way.
I have my own box out not too far from there, i put it out on New Years Eve, so will def be in that area checking on it.
I bought my husband a GPS for his birthday so im hoping to take really accurate bearings from our box and maybe pass the details on WOM
You'll find so many just poking around. My mum lives in Teignmouth, so we only get to the Moors when we're down visiting her, we live in Bedfordshire so its quite a way just to pop down at wkends.
Have fun Lucie....don't forget to stop every now & then and take a good look at the views.
Emma one of The Nesty Crew