Missing Letterbox's

General letterboxing discussion.

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Brinnie
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Post by Brinnie »

There are 4 caches in the Staple Tor area, the nearest two are 0.2 mile apart.
While letterboxing I have found 2 caches in different areas of Dartmoor that were placed but not on the website, on making enquires about these caches one was placed in a cairn and refused by the reviewer and the other was placed too close to another cache and also refused. It is up to the cache owner to remove them.
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Gemma
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Post by Gemma »

Brinnie wrote:There are 4 caches in the Staple Tor area, the nearest two are 0.2 mile apart.
While letterboxing I have found 2 caches in different areas of Dartmoor that were placed but not on the website, on making enquires about these caches one was placed in a cairn and refused by the reviewer and the other was placed too close to another cache and also refused. It is up to the cache owner to remove them.


Guess it will be awhile before they have gone then.!! :D
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Missing Letterbox`s

Post by The Wandering Artist »

From Nik ''.. I found three geocache boxes on Staple Tor within 100 yards of each other - I don't know if they are still there all I know was that due to their size and how they were sited they weren't letterboxes, yet all the established boxes had disappeared from that area.

Well, it seems these are very similar to ones I have found - larger than pill pots for stams since they contain most of the trinket junk sold off by Woolworths I reckon.

Seems strange that letterboxes have gone missing in the same area and close to Geo 'whatsits'.

Maybe Brinnie can explain

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Post by Nik - KOTM »

It is pretty obvious why geocache don't go missing - it is not a letterbox so the Dartmoor letterbox thief isn't interested as it is not a letterbox - nor is it published on a dartmoor letterbox clue format
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Brinnie
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Post by Brinnie »

I think we all know Staple Tors has problems with the LBT as it is so close to the road, there are many more letterboxes in that area than the 4 caches I have mentioned, so chances are if someone goes up there to clear the area, they will find boxes rather than caches.
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Post by The Sly Fox »

I think you would be surprised at how many who visit Dartmoor have no idea what letterboxing is.
When I was doing the RNLI charity walk in the Staple Tors area and was headed towards box 14, my initial thought was it was quite close to the road and could be missing. As it happens it was stolen, but was replaced by the organisers with copies of the stamp.
Brinnie is right about the area, but I am not sure it is targeted otherwise the entire walk would have been sabotaged. Rather the boxes are stumbled across and being taken or moved by people who do not understand.
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Post by Tamerton Chocolates »

I do both boxing & caching. There also seems to be a second caching type activity called opencaching which is especially prevalent on Dartmoor. I think it is set up by people not liking the fact geocaching has a members-only section and they have started their own.

That said, I have found 1500 caches, and about 350 boxes (I usually only scavenge as I can't be bothered with clues only to find the box missing so most of those found are WOM boxes). You may not like the kids rubbish (I don't either), but the quality of the Dartmoor geocaches is FAR superior to the letterbox ones. The number of broken pillpots, unusable or absent logbooks or damaged/disintegrated stamps is over 50% of my finds (perhaps that is because I only scavenge, I seem to find a lot of old boxes and ones that haven't been found for years when I am able to read through the logbooks as well). I sometimes wonder if any box owners ever go back to check up on them.

Geocaches do go missing or take in water, but this is reported through the website and unlike Gemmas suggestion, cache owners normally look after their boxes quite well and any problems are usually quickly fixed.
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Post by Gemma »

Tamerton Chocolates wrote:I do both boxing & caching. There also seems to be a second caching type activity called opencaching which is especially prevalent on Dartmoor. I think it is set up by people not liking the fact geocaching has a members-only section and they have started their own.

That said, I have found 1500 caches, and about 350 boxes (I usually only scavenge as I can't be bothered with clues only to find the box missing so most of those found are WOM boxes). You may not like the kids rubbish (I don't either), but the quality of the Dartmoor geocaches is FAR superior to the letterbox ones. The number of broken pillpots, unusable or absent logbooks or damaged/disintegrated stamps is over 50% of my finds (perhaps that is because I only scavenge, I seem to find a lot of old boxes and ones that haven't been found for years when I am able to read through the logbooks as well). I sometimes wonder if any box owners ever go back to check up on them.

Geocaches do go missing or take in water, but this is reported through the website and unlike Gemmas suggestion, cache owners normally look after their boxes quite well and any problems are usually quickly fixed.
If only!!!!
I agree that there are a number of abandoned boxes but DO NOT agree that caches are FAR superior. There are a number of abandoned caches also. If the owner does not respond to the report the reviewer archives the cache, cache still on site. No difference there then!!
There are far more boxes on the Moor so in the scheme of things there will be more abandoned boxes, unless I am missing something.
If you can't be bothered with the clues why be bothered to scavenge??
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Post by Brinnie »

Tamerton Chocolates wrote:I do both boxing & caching. There also seems to be a second caching type activity called opencaching which is especially prevalent on Dartmoor. I think it is set up by people not liking the fact geocaching has a members-only section and they have started their own.

That said, I have found 1500 caches, and about 350 boxes (I usually only scavenge as I can't be bothered with clues only to find the box missing so most of those found are WOM boxes). You may not like the kids rubbish (I don't either), but the quality of the Dartmoor geocaches is FAR superior to the letterbox ones. The number of broken pillpots, unusable or absent logbooks or damaged/disintegrated stamps is over 50% of my finds (perhaps that is because I only scavenge, I seem to find a lot of old boxes and ones that haven't been found for years when I am able to read through the logbooks as well). I sometimes wonder if any box owners ever go back to check up on them.

Geocaches do go missing or take in water, but this is reported through the website and unlike Gemmas suggestion, cache owners normally look after their boxes quite well and any problems are usually quickly fixed.
My goodness you are brave coming on here and saying that! LOL
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Post by Tamerton Chocolates »

Sorry, I have to disagree. I know almost all the geocaches on Dartmoor. I have visited most of them - I keep an eye on the logs of the ones I have not yet. And there is currently only one that has been archived by the reviewer but is still on site that I know off and there is one that got lost while the trees where cut down at Burrator that was never found again so I presume that is in bits somewhere. Incidentally, the first one was a combined letterbox/geocache and it was sited in a wall (and it still is).

I don't want to stir up anything but I find that the system of a website to quickly report broken or waterlogged caches works very well. I can only speak from personal experience and I am not a seasoned letterboxer but as I said there are a lot of boxes that I find that are damaged. And it is very rare that they have contact details in them.

As for your last question, I am simply not much into fannying around in a general area with a compass (how do you guys box when it is foggy anyway?). It also takes a lot of time and I rather use the little time I do have to do some miles. But I like collecting stamps, so just keeping my eyes open while I am out seems a good compromise :)
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Post by The Merry Wives of Lode »

:!: I thought the Letterbox code of conduct states that Letterboxes should not be placed in walls. So could you check that and correct the placing of the joint geocache/letterbox.
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Post by Brinnie »

Tamerton Chocolates wrote:Sorry, I have to disagree. I know almost all the geocaches on Dartmoor. I have visited most of them - I keep an eye on the logs of the ones I have not yet. And there is currently only one that has been archived by the reviewer but is still on site that I know off and there is one that got lost while the trees where cut down at Burrator that was never found again so I presume that is in bits somewhere. Incidentally, the first one was a combined letterbox/geocache and it was sited in a wall (and it still is).

I don't want to stir up anything but I find that the system of a website to quickly report broken or waterlogged caches works very well. I can only speak from personal experience and I am not a seasoned letterboxer but as I said there are a lot of boxes that I find that are damaged. And it is very rare that they have contact details in them.

As for your last question, I am simply not much into fannying around in a general area with a compass (how do you guys box when it is foggy anyway?). It also takes a lot of time and I rather use the little time I do have to do some miles. But I like collecting stamps, so just keeping my eyes open while I am out seems a good compromise :)
Are you talking about "Our Friend Fern"?
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Post by Tamerton Chocolates »

No, there were some comments about that letterbox/cache but apparently the cache owner was a long time letterboxer and the dry wall he/she placed it in was his/her own.

I was referring to a box called "holey cache" which was sited on the bridlepath near the ruins of Middleworth farm.
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Post by Brinnie »

That one should have been removed ages ago, I complained to the reviewer about it, it should never have been allowed. From what I gather they put it in a hole in the farm building at Deancombe Farm, then someone moved it to the wall on the opposite side of the road, it was reported missing, the owner when to check it but couldn't find it, as he didn't know it was on the other side of the road. Ages after I found it by chance, posted photos of where the cache was, to give the owner a chance to retrieve his property, if it is still there when I am passing next I will remove it myself.
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Post by Tamerton Chocolates »

It was still there last week ....
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