Dartymoor
2011-09-01 06:30:06
From reading on here about Cut Hill I was keen to go and visit this 'Mecca' of boxing to see what the fuss is about and did so yesterday. Long walk, very pretty up the river with the emphasis on 'Up'. I spent two hours roaming around cut hill poking and peering and gathered only one box! I found another in a bank about a mile before the hill, and a new geocache in a hole in Philpott's Passage by randomly sticking my hand where it didn't belong, but that was it!
Convinced I was doing it wrong, I even managed to get a bit of phone signal and google the subject from the top of the hill while I had some lunch, but what was described here and other places just didn't seem to be true any more. Also quite dispiriting to read about "finding dozens of boxes in the north west passage" and me failing to get a single one!
Cut Hill is not frequently visited. It rained heavily last week and every peat face and footing was washed clean, and there was only one set of boxing-type bootprints from somebody else and I even followed those for a while but it seemed they didn't have much luck either. I saw nobody else there at all and the only other prints were along the range pole path heading towards Fur Tor, skirting the top of the hill.
I'm very pleased with the box I did get, simply titled "Cut Hill" but both boxes were wet and dating from 2005/6 with full books so not actively maintained.
It's entirely possible I don't "have the eye" for peat boxing, going solo and not having done it before and without any clues but if anyone else is heading up there similarly on spec, probably not worth it except for the impressive views and the unusual peaty landscape. I think I'll do a few normal boxing honeypots for a while to get my hand back in!
My route, in case you're interested, is here. (Select Satellite Map and zoom in) http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/k-RKrUg55vo - I made a poor choice to return over the tussocky ridges instead of coming back along the river.
So what was I doing wrong? Do you really need WoM clues to be successful on Cut Hill, or is it a fondly forgotten but not actively boxed area now? After heavy driven rain it seems that plugs just melt into their surroundings and weather exactly the same, making it impossible to guess where they are - or is that the point? Secret boxes for friends?
Convinced I was doing it wrong, I even managed to get a bit of phone signal and google the subject from the top of the hill while I had some lunch, but what was described here and other places just didn't seem to be true any more. Also quite dispiriting to read about "finding dozens of boxes in the north west passage" and me failing to get a single one!
Cut Hill is not frequently visited. It rained heavily last week and every peat face and footing was washed clean, and there was only one set of boxing-type bootprints from somebody else and I even followed those for a while but it seemed they didn't have much luck either. I saw nobody else there at all and the only other prints were along the range pole path heading towards Fur Tor, skirting the top of the hill.
I'm very pleased with the box I did get, simply titled "Cut Hill" but both boxes were wet and dating from 2005/6 with full books so not actively maintained.
It's entirely possible I don't "have the eye" for peat boxing, going solo and not having done it before and without any clues but if anyone else is heading up there similarly on spec, probably not worth it except for the impressive views and the unusual peaty landscape. I think I'll do a few normal boxing honeypots for a while to get my hand back in!
My route, in case you're interested, is here. (Select Satellite Map and zoom in) http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/k-RKrUg55vo - I made a poor choice to return over the tussocky ridges instead of coming back along the river.
So what was I doing wrong? Do you really need WoM clues to be successful on Cut Hill, or is it a fondly forgotten but not actively boxed area now? After heavy driven rain it seems that plugs just melt into their surroundings and weather exactly the same, making it impossible to guess where they are - or is that the point? Secret boxes for friends?
Welcome to Cut Hill - that is exactly as you describe it, but most boxers go up there with a fistful of clues and come back with a bagful of boxes and none of them on their list. I went up last year and the place has changed - as you say the peat banks are all overgrown now, but I was successful - over 30 boxes, and only one off my list. In the 'old' days I used to come away with 60+ at a time. The boxes are usually very nice stamps (no kiddies ones) and mostly handcuts. They are still there, some grown in, but you need to know where to look. You need to be on top of the pb's as well as along them. Its not the same sort of boxing elsewhere where there are visible signs of a box - rocks in front of hole etc. You need to get your hands dirty!! Just walkingup the NW passage I got 20+ - so they are all there. Lots more down Cut Lane which is just off the top and also around Cut Hill Outcrop. Hope you have better luck next time.