Losing Motivation

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!

Hi, there are lots and lots of helpful hints on here, you just need to read through the posts and you will find the answers. Try the very first topic 'Beginning Letterboxing' -everything you need to know is covered there. Good luck

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)

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)

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

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

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

Excellent answer done all that except paint it but then I do that with words!
I gain energy from walking on the moors energy for my soul

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.

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!

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)

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

Don't go to Hound tor....

Had a very disappointing day up there with kids this week. enjoyed the walk, clambering, muddy puddles etc but found 1 letter box, and a 4 or 5 litter boxes ( no stamps) I cleared 2 off the moor as the log book was sodden/ missing and box broken.

Hound tor... did you go to the Food van where there are loads of boxes - a few of them used to be sited around the tor now in safe keeping because of the thieves