Bad Practice

At Saddle Tor today I was scouring the area for some easy pickings but kept coming across empty box sites. Imagine my amazement when I saw a family around the back of the main tor having a picnic with about eight boxes and their contents spread out all over their picnic blanket! I challenged them about what they were doing but they didn't see what the problem was. They said they were going to put them back................but in what box sites I replied!

I have little sympathy for boxes that get vandalised if they are placed at popular tourist spots (Three clearly visible under Buckland Beacon's Ten Commandments stone springs to mind) but again today, the contents of a couple of boxes were spread all around the North side of Saddle Tor. In some gorse I found a notebook from one, but unfortunately there were no proper contact details in it.

Someone called Abbie from Suffolk who has 4 dogs, a rabbit, a hampster and 2 goldfish.........no longer has a box!

I know what you mean - went out with the family one day and we met a group who had found 6 boxes and left them there for me to find out where they all came from - it was a good job I had the catalogue with me - they left with me muttering a few choice words in theior direction

Why the heck do people do things like that? I admit that on the odd occassion if there's a bonus box a few paces away I will collect it and take it to the first stamp where my bag is to save moving the bags and so on. Some people are unbelieveable!

Paul

Shocking!!!

I came across the same thing last year. A group of Girl Guides had amassed eight stamps together on Middle Staple Tor, and spread them around for each other to stamp. I challenged them and they called me a miserable old man (at 29 lol). Anyway, they left them there for me to resite.

I think visitors books should contain some basic information though. Firstly I had to work out which stamps went with which book, and in which container. Three of them had no info whatsoever inside. The owners are probably on the moor trying to find them as I write.

Grumble ... grumble ...

you would have thought the girl guide leader would have known better
________
P-120

Well that is the trouble of putting boxes in a tourist area...
Mind you I have lost count of the number of times I have unpacked my kit stamped up, packed up an the walk about 6 feet to do it all over again!

I did exactly the same thing many times today Nik, My bag is heavy!

Paul

I must admit, Nik and Dizzy, that it is not uncommon to unpack - pack - unpack - pack .... when boxes are close together. But I do not doubt for one second that you ensure the boxes are put back in the correct place with the right contents.

I tend to leave my bag in a central area while I go off on a scouting mission. With just my postcards, inkpad and stamp in my pocket. So if you see a rucksack being circled, fifty yards away, by what appears to be an aimlessly lost idiot ... it'll be mine.

I tried that once and my circle got bigger and bigger and the bag got further and further away and it took me nearly ten minutes to find it again, cos I tend to get carried away by looking under this rock and that rock and oh that rock over there - you know what I mean

It's all to easy to wander off - that tree over there looks like it probably has a box under it.....

I do it all the time to. I see a large clump of rocks then head for it, nothing there but wait........there's another large obvious rock a few yards away "I'll just check around that one, looks like a good hiding place. Before you know it you have covered another half a mile and gone completely off track for the box you are looking for on your clues and compass readings!

Dizzy