The Real Debate?

Ok, I been letterboxing a few years now & know how it works & what stamps I personally enjoy finding.

My problem with it in the last few years (decade) is this. Gift shop stamps. I know you have discussed this before, but isnt it time something was done?
Majority of these boxes aren't looked after, barely ever have a visitors book, to me they are worthless. I dont even dismount the backpack when i find one. The only interaction I have with these boxes is a snippy comment in the book & maybe a bit of sheep dung thrown in for the next visitor.

The solution?
Well they shouldnt be counted towards your hundred club badge, simple as that. I'd even go as far as saying any non-dartmoor related stamp shouldnt be counted.
All it takes is a little effort, why you can buy an eraser for less than these gimmicky/mass produced/nothing to do with dartmoor stamps & just hack the name of a tor into it.
Sorted & for me a much more welcome find.

After all what stops me just walking into clintons card factory & stampin up a sheet of paper, taking it to the meet & declaring myself a member of the once elite one hundred club?

nothing stops you, except your conscience.

The 100 club is not life or death, member ship is not a right or compulsory .Its just a bit of fun.

If you don't like the stamp for what ever reason don't take an imprint, damaging / defecting in / losing the box just spoils the game for someone else who may not be as picky as you.
Even the younger members of my family who would rather have a football stamp over a hand carved " dartmoor name" have realised that they don;t HAVE to take an imprint of stamp they don't like .

You are missing the point.

& the 'oh the kiddies love it' excuse is one i've heard countless times, I've been boxing since i was eight years old & have always had much more joy in finding a box that hasnt been found for a few years or has taken someone time & effort to carve, compared to one that is at the end of a battered scar in the earth with worn boulders 'hiding' a cracked margarine tub with a poxy winnie the pooh stamp in it. Surely this is tantamount to littering & if the DNPA were to have a problem with letterboxing it would be because of such 'stamps'
Is quantity really better than quality?

guess we must be boxing on different bits of the moor , your description of a "worn scar leading to a poxy marge tub" is not one I recognise, I can't tell if it'll be a generic or a nice stamp till I get inside the box. The game is hunting for them.

IF DNPA have an issue with boxes it won't be about quality of stamps, just placement and visual impact of boxes, which can be good or bad regardless of content. Of 6 boxes we found on Sunday the 2 worst hidden ones had Dartmoor specific , quite attractive stamps. Only 1 of 6 was a generic stamp, in a well hidden pot with a dry log book, contact number etc.

Okay, you are distracting from my main point now.

To clarify: I'm stating that if the 100 club didn't accept gift shop stamps towards your total collection people might think twice before siting something that takes no time/effort/thought to put on the moor.
I can guarantee in years to come the stamps that say 'Cosdon Beacon' or 'Wild Tor Well' will strike much clearer memories than a smiley Homer Simpson face. Letterboxing for me is as much a log of my walks & this is the way it was originally intended.

If you want to talk about the lack of effort people put into hiding a box after they find it then maybe another thread should be made, this also riles me & is the main reason I closely guard my clues & try to make sure they are only given to boxers who i feel will put the boxes away properly.

PB has harpenned on a point that has been raised almost as long ago as letterboxing began.
I spend an aweful lot of time hand cutting stamps and putting them out WOM - BECAUSE THEY LAST OUT THERE LONGER THAT WAY!

I do not as a matter of course collect 'micky mouse' boxes ,but have done so in the last few years within reason! Each to their own , collect what you want - do your own thing - I have said this umpteen times already!

TWA

Totally agree with you Frank - the Margie tubs are probably hiding one of those unmentionable GC's. Oh and by the way PB, did you get the owner's permission to use one of his 'stake' stamps as your avatar?????????

Each to their own. Ok i can live with that & have done & will do for the foreseeable.

To be honest all I'm hoping for with this thread is someone who is thinking of siting a box will see this & think twice before going to Mothercare to buy their letterbox & go smiths instead & buy an eraser & lino cutter

SS: Although i dont have his expressed permission I would be sure Richard doesnt mind

A final comment: it may be a child putting out a 'mothercare'(?) or 'micky mouse' stamp today, but sometime tomorrow a perfect hand cut stamp by the next generation of boxers.

I would hate to see on Dartmoor such things as GC`s taking over because people were not up to putting out Letterboxes as a result of bad Forum criticism and that it was interpreted as an elitist group to collect boxes.

TWA

You know what? I find this thread quite dismaying. I'm 34 years of age and have recently moved to Dartmoor - not really discovered yet it but found a group of people who really savour it. I have lurked here for a while now to get a taste of things and now I'm deeply dissapointed.
I thought "Letterboxing" was for fun? Am wrong or haver I just witnessed on this thread a case of Letterbox snobbery? Does such a thing exist? It would appear so!

Complaining over the standard of stamps?!!! Does the fact anybody went to the trouble of even commisioning / finding / doing their best not tweak anything on your radar?

I'm sorry people ...I really thought I'd found a new hobby with likewise people but from what I've read here I think I'll keep myself to myself.

Sorry if that offends anybody but reading this has really put me off.

Don't worry boris. boxing IS fun.
And so to some people is gripeing about standards slipping...

But this is the internet and the topic has got people talking, it would be dull if we all thought the same, but we don't.

I'll agree with PB that a nice stamp is a better "reward" for the hunt. But at present, I'm not fussy and will take an imprint from any box I find.

Boris wrote:I thought "Letterboxing" was for fun? Am wrong or haver I just witnessed on this thread a case of Letterbox snobbery? Does such a thing exist? It would appear so!

Complaining over the standard of stamps?!!! Does the fact anybody went to the trouble of even commisioning / finding / doing their best not tweak anything on your radar?

I'm sorry people ...I really thought I'd found a new hobby with likewise people but from what I've read here I think I'll keep myself to myself.

Sorry if that offends anybody but reading this has really put me off.

PLEASE DO NOT BE PUT OFF BY THE MEANDERINGS OF ONE PERSON. 99% of letterboxing are very friendly and enjoy this hobby and walking on our beloved Dartmoor. meet any true letterboxer on the moor and you will find them helpful, informative and quite happy to stop a while and pass the time of day. You will find many boxers on other threads on this forum box in many different ways - some chase after every box just to be first. Some just go for a particular series. The children go for childrens boxes - and to get them out on the moors and away from computers, I personally wouldn't care what the stamp was like as long as they found it. I have over 28,000 stamps from all over the moors, but have just completed a lovely little walk in the woods collecting Teddy Bears!!!! So I say, carry on, get out of boxing what YOU want to get out of it, don't take any notice of one persons opinion. If you need help, friedly banter, information etcc - genuine letterboxers are there to offer it.

Sowerby Streaker wrote:

Boris wrote:I thought "Letterboxing" was for fun? Am wrong or haver I just witnessed on this thread a case of Letterbox snobbery? Does such a thing exist? It would appear so!

Complaining over the standard of stamps?!!! Does the fact anybody went to the trouble of even commisioning / finding / doing their best not tweak anything on your radar?

I'm sorry people ...I really thought I'd found a new hobby with likewise people but from what I've read here I think I'll keep myself to myself.

Sorry if that offends anybody but reading this has really put me off.

PLEASE DO NOT BE PUT OFF BY THE MEANDERINGS OF ONE PERSON. 99% of letterboxing are very friendly and enjoy this hobby and walking on our beloved Dartmoor. meet any true letterboxer on the moor and you will find them helpful, informative and quite happy to stop a while and pass the time of day. You will find many boxers on other threads on this forum box in many different ways - some chase after every box just to be first. Some just go for a particular series. The children go for childrens boxes - and to get them out on the moors and away from computers, I personally wouldn't care what the stamp was like as long as they found it. I have over 28,000 stamps from all over the moors, but have just completed a lovely little walk in the woods collecting Teddy Bears!!!! So I say, carry on, get out of boxing what YOU want to get out of it, don't take any notice of one persons opinion. If you need help, friedly banter, information etcc - genuine letterboxers are there to offer it.

I agree with Sowerby Streaker Boris. Although I can understand TWA's personal views about the quality of stamps, for goodness sake don't let his comments put you off. People box for all different reasons, but probably mainly for the absolutely beautiful scenery. We are just so very lucky.

Take care and enjoy your new found hobby.

Peter Bank wrote:Okay, you are distracting from my main point now.

To clarify: I'm stating that if the 100 club didn't accept gift shop stamps towards your total collection people might think twice before siting something that takes no time/effort/thought to put on the moor.
I can guarantee in years to come the stamps that say 'Cosdon Beacon' or 'Wild Tor Well' will strike much clearer memories than a smiley Homer Simpson face. Letterboxing for me is as much a log of my walks & this is the way it was originally intended.

If you want to talk about the lack of effort people put into hiding a box after they find it then maybe another thread should be made, this also riles me & is the main reason I closely guard my clues & try to make sure they are only given to boxers who i feel will put the boxes away properly.

Maybe some people just can't cut stamps, so need to buy stamps. I for one are amongst the group of not being able to cut stamps.
NO I CAN'T.
If you get to a box & don't like the stamp, not collect it, move on to the next. Each to their own.

OK folks - this seems to be simmering quite nicely.
A brief history of the modern letterboxing phenominom (before my time) people used to put out boxes - the were all word of mouth and frequently people used to get on the bus to return home only to be given out clues by someone who went out siting them.
The meet first met at Hexworthy on midsummers day, when the catalogue was sold the catalogue consisted of those letterboxers who consented to having their stamps available to all who wanted them, but there was the condition of finding your first 100 boxes, this was to show comitment! WOM boxes didn't count towards the total
The meet moved to Princetown (this is where I come in) for a few years the system remained the same, only catalogue listed boxes counted towards your total. The pressure was on Tony Moore to accept WOM boxes and in 1998 or thereabouts WOM boxes were accepted as part of the total I remember being stood next to him when this was announced for the first time (this in effect doubled my number of collected boxes in an instant).
Not long after that came the flood of cheap commercially available stamps.
It's fine for someone to start with these readily available off the shelf stamps as far as I am concerned. But, as I can see from the above posts, this is grating on the purist boxers. Some of these stamps are really good quality and IMHO worth siting as a box. However with the good also comes the bad there are some awful stamps out there too... but they have numbers attached to them which makes the accountable and collectable.
The kids boxes... well... you decide. I have no objection if they are kept to certain areas like Bonehill Rocks as a training ground for young kids

From a personal point of view the commercial stamps have eroded the fun in the fundimental core of boxing, designing a stamp for a particular area getting made and so on. A couple of years ago I went around Haytor and found 6 identical stamps all registered - it certainly cheapens boxing!

On this forum we will have very little in the say on how boxing is going to go that is down to DNPA and the 100 club themselves, though I suspect the latter would ask for our opinion first.
Personally I would like to see Dartmoor as a geocache free zone but that is another subject entirely.
I believe there is going to be a massive shake up with letterboxes as I agree there is far too much junk being put out on the moor.
I also think unmaintained boxes should be removed permanantly, and anyine siting a box should enter into a contract with the powers that be that they should visit their boxes at least twice a year or have a nominated person visit the box as often, this action would also prevent people siting thousands of boxes without ever going back to maintain them.

The bottom line is - if it doesn't come up to your standards then dont get it

Fulchet

Do not quite understand your reactive comment to my postings on this matter and the inference that my comments may be detremental to anyone taking note of them.

I have been boxing since 1982 and witnessed quite a few changes in attitudes, ideas, ways, communication etc. All that time I have maintained an attitude of 'box for yourself.' I have also learnt that WOM stay on the moor a whole lot longer than catalogue - which is why over 170 of mine are still there after 13 years or more.and that can be said for a lot of other boxers.

Perhaps you can enlighten mean with your years of experience!

TWA

There definitely is a clique within the letterboxing world where certain WOM boxers will not release their clues to many other boxers even long standing boxers! I have no problem with this - they made the effort designing the stamps and it is up to them.
What is definitely harder .. is to get into the clique - over the years I have succeeded with one or two but failed on a few occasions - c'est la vie!
What can be said is Trust is hard earned within the community, but "getting in" with a few of the legends of the letteboxing fraternity does help open a few doors.

Perhaps the biggest change in letterboxing is the introduction of the GPS for me it is a curse and a blessing - the curse makes it stupidly easy to find boxes and the blessing is to find my way back to the car in a pea souper!

The Wandering Artist wrote:Fulchet

Do not quite understand your reactive comment to my postings on this matter and the inference that my comments may be detremental to anyone taking note of them.

I have been boxing since 1982 and witnessed quite a few changes in attitudes, ideas, ways, communication etc. All that time I have maintained an attitude of 'box for yourself.' I have also learnt that WOM stay on the moor a whole lot longer than catalogue - which is why over 170 of mine are still there after 13 years or more.and that can be said for a lot of other boxers.

Perhaps you can enlighten mean with your years of experience!

TWA

I think if you read further up the threads TWA I was just pointing out you had a view as we all do and that although Boris had been upset by your comments, he should not let your views put him off either enjoying this site or the hobby of letterboxing. I don't believe I was being "reactive" as you put it.

As to my experience, I've been letterboxing on and off since the early 1990s, have many boxes out on the moors (although obviously not as many as yourself) and enjoy it for the atmosphere, the fact you can get totally lost in your own world, and picking up some superb stamps. I believe I found one of your's out at the Sheepfold at Standon Tor last week (beautiful stamp). Of course those stamps that have been made with care are brilliant, and some tors are overrun with shop bought stamps, but as has been mentioned by others, each to their own and it is a start for young children.

Apologies if you felt I was being offensive. I certainly didn't set out to be so, as that is certainly not my way.

I have to say I couldn't agree more with Boris. I have been lurking here for a long time as well.

I walk the moors a lot, found boxes every now and then. Then I stumbled upon Geocaching. I did that for a while but as I have no interest in doing roadside caches I thought I'd give letterboxing a go. I just scavenge. I could join the 100 club if I wanted - with so called "real" stamps as well. But people like the original poster put me off and I keep to myself. I do get the impression that a lot of letterboxers are too full of themselves. I have never found Mickey mouse stamps further then 500 yards from a carpark. If you so hate the fact that a kid (or adult?) hides a box with a supermarket stamp, don't go to places like Haytor.

Another point he makes is that the only real stamps are Dartmoor ones. Can I just say that I have found several stamps on Bodmin moor, in Wales and in the Lake District that would put a lot of Dartmoor ones to shame.

Rant over, the incrowd can be at ease as this is another "newbie" that won't infiltrate your little world.

I am really sorry to hear that TC as every hobby needs new blood as well as the very many experienced people who can pass on their words of wisdom, little tips, etc.

I hope one day you are able to change your mind and enjoy what the vast majority of people boxing and using this site do. Please do not let one or two people's comments put you off. There are many wonderful people on this site whose help and advice I could not have done without over the years.

The main thing is though, keep enjoying Dartmoor (or wherever you walk), for which we are so lucky.

.<snip>
I believe there is going to be a massive shake up with letterboxes as I agree there is far too much junk being put out on the moor.
I also think unmaintained boxes should be removed permanantly, and anyine siting a box should enter into a contract with the powers that be that they should visit their boxes at least twice a year or have a nominated person visit the box as often, this action would also prevent people siting thousands of boxes without ever going back to maintain them.

The bottom line is - if it doesn't come up to your standards then dont get it

100% agree.

Nik - KOTM wrote:There definitely is a clique within the letterboxing world where certain WOM boxers will not release their clues to many other boxers even long standing boxers! I have no problem with this - they made the effort designing the stamps and it is up to them.
What is definitely harder .. is to get into the clique - over the years I have succeeded with one or two but failed on a few occasions - c'est la vie!
What can be said is Trust is hard earned within the community, but "getting in" with a few of the legends of the letteboxing fraternity does help open a few doors.

Perhaps the biggest change in letterboxing is the introduction of the GPS for me it is a curse and a blessing - the curse makes it stupidly easy to find boxes and the blessing is to find my way back to the car in a pea souper!

I think that's really sad. It has obviously put a few people off joining and I can't say I blame them one bit, it does sound very unwelcoming to newbies!

I saw letterboxing as a fun thing to do on Dartmoor while enjoying the stunning surroundings, giving a purpose for getting out for those who don't find it easy and possibly encouraging people to venture a bit further than they otherwise might, and at the same time giving a feeling of being part of something that we all enjoy.

Of course there are naturally going to be groups of friends, but it does seem sad if that extends to cliques and the 'in crowd', which by definition means that the rest are 'kept out'.

I won't let it spoil my new interest in letterboxing, but maybe I should be aware that not all avid boxers are as friendly as I thought they'd be.

But there are lots of WOM owners that will let "you join" their "club" there are some that are very un-friendly but hay there are Zillions of boxes out there. Go enjoy.

My wife and I letterboxed from the 70s (me as a scout) until somewhere around the mid 90s and recently as our children have become old enough we have taken them out on their first trip. We decided on Saddle Tor as an easy first trip for their little legs, with a good chance of bagging quite a few stamps.

My have things changed! we got around 20 boxes, only one or two of which seemed to be registered stamps, but the two things that really annoyed me were firstly, that the vast majority of boxes were wet, books ruined. Margarine tubs and cheap sandwich boxes just do not work. Secondly that the vast majority of stamps had absolutely no link to the moor, they were 'off the shelf' rubbish, such a disappointment. I believe that it used to be a pre-requisite that the stamps had some kind of link to the moor, obviously this isn't the case any more?

Most of the decent stamps are disappearing due to the activities of the Dartmoor Letterbox Thief. Around the more popular areas you will find a lot of the "off the shelf" stamps. With accident a few years back when someone found live ammo in a bang box DNPA have asked no more letterboxes to be put in the old bang boxes.
Ice cream tubs... as effective as a wet f... pill pots are now getting harder to obtain as nearly everything these days comes in blister packs.
A lot of the old school have given up or passed away, though there are still quite a few around.
Wait until you try Haytor... I found 5 registered boxes with an identical stamp in them...

For better boxes - you need to go further into the Moors and away from the tourist areas

Nik - KOTM wrote:Most of the decent stamps are disappearing due to the activities of the Dartmoor Letterbox Thief.

I have nine really old letterboxes in my possession. I would love to put them out in or around their original sites, but I am worried thay may disappear. I would hate for 9 of the first 30 letterboxes to be stolen.
That said, there is no joy to be had for anybody with them sat in a box in my house.
What to do!

The Sly Fox:
I have nine really old letterboxes in my possession. I would love to put them out in or around their original sites, but I am worried thay may disappear. I would hate for 9 of the first 30 letterboxes to be stolen.
That said, there is no joy to be had for anybody with them sat in a box in my house.
What to do.

Well, you can keep them at home and look at them every ten years or so like I have, or re issue them for the benefit of the 'nubbies' (no disrespect to those new to letterboxing intended - got to be PC these days hey?) which I have and been well appreciated. Even re cut originals that 'went missing' (long before the LBT was given any accreditation.)

At the last Meet a very good friend had boxes of stamps from the past laid out on a table for all and sundry to stamp up - his table was the most congested!

When I put out stamps, (and I have said this umpteen times) my work is complete - the benefit is for others. It can take from 3 to 5 hours to hand cut a decent stamp. Put that in terms of minimum wage (or Benefits!) and it counts as a lot of cost! If some a------- decides to 'borrow' the stamp there is nothing I or anyone can do to stop it. That person is not depriving me of anything but he is depriving all other boxers!

TWA

The Sly Fox wrote:

Nik - KOTM wrote:Most of the decent stamps are disappearing due to the activities of the Dartmoor Letterbox Thief.

I have nine really old letterboxes in my possession. I would love to put them out in or around their original sites, but I am worried thay may disappear. I would hate for 9 of the first 30 letterboxes to be stolen.
That said, there is no joy to be had for anybody with them sat in a box in my house.
What to do!

You are damned if you do and damned if you don't...

The Wandering Artist wrote: At the last Meet a very good friend had boxes of stamps from the past laid out on a table for all and sundry to stamp up - his table was the most congested!

I too noticed that Richard's table was very popular. I stamped more than a few myself. It was nice to get the Very Lone Trees that I missed on the moor. Although I wouldn't dream of counting these towards my tally of finds.

Anyway, I like your idea of remaking the stamps. I may copy the stamp AND the visitors books. I think a copy of the original books would make fascinating reading. For example, Godfrey Swinscow was the first finder of the Crow Tor box. Richard crops up numerous times in all of the books. He has clearly been letterboxing since the 70s.

I have some of the old cluebooks so may site them as close to the original spot as possible. I'll wait to next year I think.

Hi everyone!

I suppose everyone has, and is, entitled to their own opinion. I have just made a return to letterboxing after a break of about 25 years and the bug has bitten me well and truly again.

When I used to letterbox with my Dad, it was all really serious stuff! The stamps were special, the meets had to be attended. New boxes had to be found ASAP and you just had to be a member of the 100 club.

It has changed quite a bit since then! But I'm not complaining as it's still as much fun as it used to be. And now my girlfriend and dog also have the bug it's even more fun!

I think that if you go hunting somewhere like Haytor, you have to expect to find childrens boxes. We do collect these as it's a bit of fun, it's nice for the kids involved and ultimately they will go in to my collection as 'kid's boxes'.

But, finding stamps from the catalogue does feel a lot more fulfilling and is more fun, specially if you have to spend a while getting your head around the clues. If it's a really nice stamp then all the better! We have just completed the PDSA charity walk around Row Tor and Yes Tor. Lovely stamps, lovely walk, grimm weather. On the way round we found a few extra boxes and collected the stamps. This was the best of all! Now I am home I am looking forward to seeing if these are from the book or not

The point of this is, I can pick up the catalouge and go as far out into the Moor as I like, thats my choice. I can can chose to hunt round road side Tors, thats also my choice. I just enjoy the whole experience. I do understand that some people get really serious about it and may not be that friendly, but I will avoid them. All you nice people out there, I will look forward to maybe meeting you on the Moor one day

The Sly Fox,

Thank you very much!

I can see this debate from all angles, although the opinion I posted is my own, and I do understand that people can be really passionate about their hobbies. In everything we do there will always be purists and sometimes people will verge on the fanatical. One of the things some people really don't like is change. I do wish to add though, that I wasn't having a dig at the serious letterboxer, but people who's personality traits may not be so desirable! If someone really takes delight in putting sheep dung in childrens boxes for the next person (who could be me, or you, or some poor unsuspecting child) then this isn't a person I would want to know.

You always get people who will mention 'the good old days', (I can remember them, but, as most of them were spent as a child, wearing a heavy Navy surplus storm jacket and ill fitting army boots, being traipsed for miles around the Moor in all weathers, they were not always 'good!') it was certainly different then, more serious.

Letterboxing has definitely evolved since then. Just the sheer amount of boxes listed is testament to that. Add in WOM boxes and kiddies boxes, then this list is huge! Maybe letterboxing is a victim of it's own success. I, for one, will definitely be putting some boxes out at some point and add to this total. However, they will be designed, well hidden and hopefully worth the effort to find. But, I have a friend coming down from Wales tomorrow and we are taking his 3yr old daughter out letterboxing. So we will be hunting around roadside Tors for kiddies boxes and hopefully this will be the start of a life long hobby for her.

Oh, and while I am here, could someone please enlighten me? Wandering boxes. Do I just randomly go up to people on the Moor and ask them if they have a stamp? If this is the case, I had better get one of my own!

Very interesting reading this topic

'Wandering Boxes This made me smile They are called 'Travellers' and as such have their very own catalogue. Yes it is O.K. to walk up to a fellow letterboxer and ask them if they have a 'Traveller'. Usually the answer is yes. It is at this point that it is nice to offer yours in exchange. I always carry copies of my traveller - I stamp a few up at home - then just offer those up if asked. Some days when its pouring with rain, at least the recipient can have a nice dry copy.

Sowerby Streaker,

Ok, you got me on that one!

I did, as you so politely corrected me, mean travelling stamps. I got a copy of the travellers catalogue from the meet and just wanted to be sure of protocol while trying to collect these. I shall get my own stamp before I go enthusiatically bounding up to complete strangers on the Moor!

Thanks you for the reply.

Perhaps we shall meet one day on the moors and exchange Travellers - look forward to that SS

SS,

Me too! I will get a stamp designed, and registered ASAP

Well, we spent the day around Haytor and Saddle Tor yesterday and found huge amounts of kiddies boxes. This was great as we had a 3yr old in tow who now seems to be addicted! She wants to get her own stamp made now so she can stamp the books when found. I do have to admit though that it was a bit 'littered' with them on Saddle Tor.

I was champing at the bit to go for some of the cluebook ones, but it wasn't about me yesterday, (well, I did look for one, but couldn't find it!)

I didn't approach anyone to ask for a traveller, I felt a bit self-concious about that! If I was out somewhere less busy then I may have considered asking though, as I know I wouldn't mind being asked myself.

Thought I'd read this thread again.
How very sad that Boris and TC only made the one post and never returned
I wonder if they were at the Meet today?

I am hoping to go down to the Moor soon and thought I would drop by this forum and see what is going on. I have mainly boxed in other parts of the country where the density of boxes is far, far less than Dartmoor, and have now achieved more than 500 boxes.

Last year I was at Hound Tor and saw a very excited young boy with a sandwich box he was going to plant with his dad. We stamped each others logbooks. His stamp was a store bought image of a dog, the box was in memory of his beloved pet. That box was probably dismissed by purists as a kid's box and of little worth. By now is has probably been vandalised or stolen, but at that time it was one of the most precious possessions of that lad.

There is nothing wrong with a commercial stamp if it is appropriate. My signature stamp was bought from a shop. It is exactly what I tried to achieve myself by carving, but failed dismally.

Also I am a Geocacher. Reading some of the comments on these boards that ranks me somewhere between a slug and an estate agent. I box and cache to visit and explore new places and to see old places from a different perspective. The aims of both hobbies are the same. Both are played at different levels by different people. A geocache hidden beside a main road does little to excite me, but then neither does a letterbox planted beside dual carriageway, and yes, I have found one of those.

The lack of tolerence shown by some boxers on this forum leads me to ignore this community it and box and cache on my own to my own standards. They may not be everyone's ideal but they suit me.

DM

Dilton Martian wrote:Also I am a Geocacher. Reading some of the comments on these boards that ranks me somewhere between a slug and an estate agent. I box and cache to visit and explore new places and to see old places from a different perspective. The aims of both hobbies are the same. Both are played at different levels by different people. A geocache hidden beside a main road does little to excite me, but then neither does a letterbox planted beside dual carriageway, and yes, I have found one of those.

The lack of tolerence shown by some boxers on this forum leads me to ignore this community it and box and cache on my own to my own standards. They may not be everyone's ideal but they suit me.

DM

Hi DM,

There will always be a difference of opinion in everything in life.
This forum is a friendly place and everyone has, and is entitled to, their own opinions. However, the views of some should not put all off. Read Thor's post on page 2 and that sums up the opinions of the majority of letterboxers I know. This is not a website full of "purists" and is generally a very friendly community.

Dilton Martian wrote: Also I am a Geocacher. Reading some of the comments on these boards that ranks me somewhere between a slug and an estate agent. I box and cache to visit and explore new places and to see old places from a different perspective. The aims of both hobbies are the same. Both are played at different levels by different people. A geocache hidden beside a main road does little to excite me, but then neither does a letterbox planted beside dual carriageway, and yes, I have found one of those.

The lack of tolerence shown by some boxers on this forum leads me to ignore this community it and box and cache on my own to my own standards. They may not be everyone's ideal but they suit me.DM

Perhaps you should read some of the posts on the Geocaching Forum,then perhaps you may get a feel for why lots, but not all, what Geocaches think about Letterboxers.

You are of course right you do it your way.