Dartmoor

Dartmoor is a National Park in the centre of the English county of Devon. It covers 368 square miles (953 km²).

Walking and letterboxing

The definitive guide to walking on Dartmoor was written by the Victorian walker William Crossing.

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Dartmoor is the birthplace of the popular outdoor pursuit of letterboxing, which has become increasingly popular in recent decades. Watertight containers, or 'letterboxes' are hidden throughout Dartmoor, each containing a visitor's book and a rubber stamp. The original intention was for walkers to leave a letter or postcard, which would then be collected and posted by the next person to visit the site.

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Until the 1970s there were no more than a dozen such sites around the moor, usually in the most inaccessible locations. Today there are thousands of letterboxes, many within easy walking distance of the road. Clues to their locations are placed in other letterboxes or on the Internet.

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