Letterboxing with Moor Care less Wear 1

Letterboxing with moor care and less wear

For all those who take part in letterboxing please be aware that:

· you can help the Dartmoor environment by parking only in designated car parks to avoid eroding the moor edge; and by car sharing or travelling by bus. Devon Bus Enquiry Line - (01392), (01752), (01803) or (01271) 382800.

· all of Dartmoor is owned by someone. Please respect the interests of those who own the land and those who make their living from it.

· you have the right to walk on common land or other access land in the Dartmoor National Park. These rights were established under the 1985 Dartmoor Commons Act, and Section 39 of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. All of this land is clearly marked on the up--to--date Ordnance Survey Dartmoor Outdoor Leisure Map, with boundaries shown by a purple line.

· you must abide by the by--laws made with respect to common and access land in the Dartmoor National Park; copies are available from Dartmoor National Park Information Centres. The National Park Authority may agree to remove a letterbox if required to do so by the owner of the land.

· Military activity takes place over the northern moor on the Merrivale, Okehampton and Willsworthy Training Areas. You must check whether firing is scheduled by reading the local newspapers, by contacting a Dartmoor National Park Information Centre or by phoning one of the following numbers: (01803) 559782, (01392) 70164, (01752) 501478 or (01837) 52939. Firing details are also shown in the Letterbox 100 Club fortnightly updates. When firing is taking place on the Ranges warning signals (red by day and lights by night) are displayed on prominent tors and it is then dangerous to cross the line of red and white poles. If you do find anything which could be military debris, do not touch it and please contact the Commandant Dartmoor Training Areas on (01837) 52241 or the local police on (0990) 777444, giving as accurate a location as possible.

· dogs must be kept on leads or under close control at all times to prevent the worrying of livestock and disturbance to wildlife. Under the by-laws, a Ranger can require a dog to be put on a lead.

· weather conditions can change very rapidly on Dartmoor. Wear suitable clothing and carry appropriate equipment. Unless you are experienced, do not go out alone in very remote country.

For all letterbox owners, please ensure that:

· you look after and maintain your letterbox.

· all letterboxes are watertight and contain a contact telephone number and/or address in the visitors' book to make sure that you can be easily contacted if the need arises.

· metal containers, such as ammunition boxes, are not used as letterboxes. This is at the request of the Ministry of Defence, because metal containers may become confused with potentially dangerous military debris.

· Letterboxes are placed only in existing natural holes or cavities. Under the by-laws it is an offence to damage land.

· you try as far as possible to position your letterbox at a distance from other existing letterboxes.

· Letterboxes are not cemented or in any other way permanently fixed in place.

For all letterbox hunters, please ensure that:

· you search for the letterbox in a way which does not damage or disturb the land. Do not lift rocks or remove stones from walls.

· you replace the box carefully and leave it as you would hope to find it.

· if you find a box in need of attention, for instance if it is saturated, you contact the owner and/or the Letterbox 100 Club who will report the fact in their fortnightly update.

· you do not search for letterboxes:

If you do find any letterboxes that contravene this guidance please act responsibly and notify the box owner, explaining the circumstances. Help keep letterboxing a Dartmoor friendly pastime!