looking for someone to help me learn

Hi all, I am a pretty inexperienced boxer and will be visiting the area on the weekend of the 2nd - 4th November, I am wondering if there is anyone who will be out boxing that weekend that wouldnt mind an extra person tagging along to try to learn the knack of finding boxes. Plus knowing the dartmoor weather I dont fancy venturing out on the moor alone.

Welcome to the bounds of Dartmoor.... I hope you have a great time, but I would offer this advice.

Plan your boxing area and start simply, I would suggest parking up at Pork hill Car park (the first car park on the right on the Tavistock - Princetown road after the cattle grid) and walk south to Pew Tor, you should find lots of boxes and it is easy to escape from.
The area is what I would call a "safe area" where there various ways to get off the moor if you have to, but safe enough to go back to your car if needs be.
Do go beyond Pew Tor down to Sampford Tor and with careful poking and looking you should be able to find 30+ boxes.
Use your map and compass as this should also give you training in navigating the moor and give you more confidence in your abilities.

Good luck and good hunting

Thanks for the advice nik, pew tor is one of the few I have been to before, only found about 10 boxes though, not sure if im being too careful or just looking in the wrong places, also been to hound, hay, saddle, brai, hunters, belever and a few others (all those very touristy tors and still no hundred club entry), last time I was on dartmoor I did a really nice walk around grimmspound and the nearby stone rows to practice using a map, I think I did ok (we found the car again) but I did get a little lost a couple of times. I think I have probably learned about all im going to on my own.

Ok, give yourself a bit more a challenge, go from Princetown to Fox Tor, I admit it is a bit touristy, but it will give you good experience in navigating around a large bog. Work out a route to get there - if in doubt publish it on here and see if you get the thumbs up, it might sound silly but it is better to be safe than sinking in a bog, you might even get a few suggestions too

Hi there, welcome to the forum. A good way to get started is to come along to the letterbox meet this Sunday. There you can chat to other boxers and pick up tips on how to find the boxes etc.. Also it will give you the chance to buy some of the charity walks on sale. These walks cost as little as £2.50 but are set out in a circular route out from your car and back again. This will help you develope your map reading skills and also get you using the compass. I have already done some of the walks (I was asked to test drive them for the owners prior to publication) the stamps are lovely. Three of the walks are short ones in a fairly easy area and can be done in a couple of hours. One is a bit longer and goes down from Older Bridge along the Newlycombe River and back. I would recommend you do that one with someone as it is a bit further from the road and once in those deep gullies, especially in mist and fog, if you are not fully up to speed on how to use a compass and map, you could find yourself in trouble. Any other info you require, just ask - all on here are helpful and friendly.

Princetown to fox tor sounds like a good idea, I'll start looking into my route tomorrow, I would love to do a couple of charity walks but as I am not yet in the hundred club I need to keep looking the unaided way for now. (I figure if im gonna do it then I should do it right, you only get one chance to find your first hundred)
I wish I could be down there this weekend but I live in Essex and I dont get an awful lot of free time, im only getting down there next week because my work are sending me to help out at another club in our company.
Hoping to reach 100 on this visit though it blows my plans to make cranmere pool number 100

Just a tip on that route... work out a way around the bog, I have been through it twice, and don't particularly want to do it again...
Fox Tor mire is more famous for being known as the Great Grimpen Mire from The Hound of the Baskervilles.

phox and foenix wrote:Princetown to fox tor sounds like a good idea, I'll start looking into my route tomorrow, I would love to do a couple of charity walks but as I am not yet in the hundred club I need to keep looking the unaided way for now.

You don't need to be in the 100club to buy the charity walks. They are on general sale to anyone.

Thanks again for the advice guys, my plans got thrown off a bit and I now only get to go out in the more on Monday, the grimpen mire whilst tempting is a little too intimidating for me at the moment, I think I might go for either a few of the smaller tors over near brai, or maybe chinkwell and honeybag,
Thanks for the info on the charity walks but as far as I can gather the catalogue is available to anyone now, in my opinion that still doesnt make it ok to get it,early.