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What is Lettering Boxing? A fabulous pastime, very much like treasure hunt, highly recommended to all visitors to Dartmoor. |
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A Dartmoor Letterbox is generally a plastic sandwich box or large pill box, containing a rubber stamp, visitor’s book and pencil. These boxes are hidden all over the moor, generally atop a Tor or its surrounding stones.
Once found, visitors and collectors are invited to stamp or sign the visitors’ book, stamp their own log book and if so inclined leave a postcard for the next collector to find and conventionally post back to you. Days, months or even years can pass before the next Letterboxer finds you card. |
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Many people enjoy collecting the Letterbox stamps, it is estimated that there are many thousands of stamps now on the moor. James Perrot has been proclaimed as starting this tradition back in 1854. James, a Dartmoor guide at the time, placed a sweet jar in a peat bank at Cranmere Pool. His guest where invited to leave postcards when they arrived. Latterly this jar has been replaced by a granite post box, one of only two on the moor. James’s simple gesture has grown into a challenge to find as many stamps as possible. Groups have been set up to follow this hobby. The 100 club is an example of one. With over 12,000 members worldwide, this club attempts to document where each box resides, and provides clues to finding boxes. To become a member you need to have evidence of visiting 100 boxes!!!! |
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Moorgate the Dartmoor Experience will start you on your way, but beware Letterboxing can get addictive! |
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