Happy holidays!

I'll start by saying that I hope that all my blog readers had an enjoyable and peaceful Christmas.  

Boxing Day is a day we usually set aside for a day letterboxing on the moors.  Unfortunately, this year, our Boxing Day plans were someone dampened by the weather.  With yet more rainfall and strong winds piling in from the Atlantic, we had to make do with a stroll down the River Dart between New Bridge and Holne, watching the canoeists and marvel at the force of a mighty river in spate.

Heres hoping that the new year will bring us drier weather, and happy days on the high moor.  Happy holidays everyone!

New clues: Christmas 2012 letterbox walk

Whoisthechallenger's Christmas walk has now been sited in the Leedon Tor/Ingra Tor area.  It will be on site until the end of January 2013.  Mayan apocolypse dependant...

No.1

Contains visitors book.

No.2

No.3

No.4

Contains visitors book.

No.5

No.6

No.7

Contains visitors book.

The Christmas walk has now been removed from the Moor.  New series to follow in 2013.

Missing boxes will not be replaced.  Please hide the boxes well, and ensure the pot lids are secure - some of the stamps are single potted.

Ingra Tor and the Princetown Branch Line

It has been some time since we've walked around Ingra Tor. This diminutive peak looks up to far loftier places such as Harford Moor Gate and Two Bridges. Yet at just 339 metres, this lowly spot is perfect for short Winter days, when the weather could turn bad suddenly.  Yet perched far above the Walkham valley, Ingra Tor's position feels airy and dramatic.

And so with less than perfect weather forecast, WITC set their sights on Ingra Tor and Leedon Tor last weekend. Though foggy at the Devon coast, the sun was shining at Goadstone Pond, with little sign of cloud or rain (or snow!). In fact, it wasn't so cold either, and the hat and gloves remained in the bag.

Below us the crowds, on bikes or walking dogs streamed up and down the old track bed of the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway. This railway provided regular transport links between Princetown and Yelverton between 1883 and 1952 for passengers and freight. Seven trains per day made the return journey in 1952, though none on Sundays.

As we followed the line of the railway gently uphill, the clouds rolled in. With regular diversions for letterboxes, our route took us on a loop of Ingra Tor and up the Yes Tor Brook towards North Hessary. It was about this point on our walk that the rain started to fall.

But we were satisfied with the day's progress and turning for home, we were blessed with some late sunshine.  8 miles travelled and 14 boxes found. 

Floody hell

The West country is suffering after recent rains, videos uploaded to Youtube (removed Apr 2013) showed surface water flowing down Station Road in Bovey Tracey after several days - perhaps weeks - of excessive rain.  More than 5 inches of rain has fallen on Dartmoor in the past 4 days - according to Dartcom.

One Youtube video shows a Land Rover heading towards, and returning from, the swollen River Bovey passing a crowd of onlookers gathered outside letterboxer's favourite - The Dolphin Hotel - late last night.

The weather this past week has been bad enough to keep WITC away, and we are still to site our Christmas walk.  More news to follow.

Christmas shopping

There are 42 sleeps till Santa, but we are still shopping for gear.

A new compass was the first thing on our list.  On Dartmoor days when the temperature was anything less than 'hot', a large bubble appeared inside the capsule of our old Silva Expedition 54, which was not just irritating, but bearing inhibitive too.  Fair play to the thing - it was well over a decade old and is well used and abused.  It's replacement is shiny, and certainly performs in lower temperatures!

We have been looking at other Winter bargains too.  The waterproof and grippy Regatta Mid X-LT boots at Gaynor Sports in Ambleside are reduced to clear:  Were £75, now £19.99.   www.gaynors.co.uk

Trespass's knitted Thinsulate gloves from Play.com.  £2 off, so now just £4.99.  www.play.com

"Engineered for optimal moisture management during stop-and-go activities", the Arc'teryx phase AR thermal long sleeve top seems purpose made for letterboxing in Winter.  And Kountry Kit in Tavistock have it at the most competitive price.  £46.  shop.kountrykit.com

Dry feet are a bonus this time of year, and containing both Coolmax (for dry feet) and insect repellent,  Bugsox do the trick.  These socks are discounted by 35% at Above & Beyond.  www.aboveandbeyond.co.uk

And while you're there, update your OS Explorer map.  £5.59 with free delivery is considerably cheaper than WHSmith or Millets...  www.aboveandbeyond.co.uk

The WITC Christmas Walk should be sited in the next week or so - weather dependant!

Flag up: The Mires Project

Something caught our eye on our last walk between Sandy Hole Pass and Lade Hill.  Small flags fluttering in the breeze, on the slopes beneath Statts House.

This is the Dartmoor Mires Project in action again.  Part of the same National Park Authority/Environment Agency/Exeter University collaboration reported previously at Flat Tor Pool.  This area of Winneys Down is now covered in unnaturally shaped ponds and these little boundary flags.  The marks on the moor are obvious.  The digger tracks on Winneys Down are still visible more than a year after the work was completed.

This attempt at re-wetting Dartmoor slopes has been described by the Dartmoor Society, and Dr Tom Greeves as interfering with pristine landscape, the expenditure of thousands of pounds unnecessarily  and the subsequent hazard to humans and wildlife.  The Environment Agency highlights the benefits of peat bog creation: namely providing a carbon sink, improving water quality and increased biodiversity.

Two 'Youtube' videos exist, with both sides of the argument explained.  I'd love to hear some opinions.

The case FOR: c/o Dartmoor National Park Authority

And then AGAINST: The Dartmoor Society

Just checking!

Today, WITC followed in our footsteps in order to check our Rangale of deer series. Sited in April, the set has been on the moor during one of the wettest Summers on record, and we were conscious how many of the main stamps (if not the books) were not double-potted, risking damage if any moisture got in. Conditions under foot were ‘spongy’, and we were forced to walk upstream to Kit Rocks in order to cross the East Dart.

We walked our series in reverse, in the hope of gathering information of the previous boxes through visitor book comments.  We were aware of at least one box in trouble, and were keen to check that they were all on site, and dry.  Today’s forecast of sunshine was the only motivation we needed to get out there.  Firing in Okehampton Military Range would not affect us.

The Rangale clues have been visible, and accessible via this blog, and we were curious about who had visited the stamps also.  Numbers varied between individual boxes, but we have had approximately 25 letterboxers complete the set, and that is pleasing.

Unfortunately, Broad Marsh and Lade Hill boxes were water damaged.  In both cases we removed them from the moor.  Our original blog post has been amended accordingly.  We will probably now take the entire set off the moor in early 2013.  I guess we have learnt lessons in stamp manufacturing, and box construction.  To their credit, the actual rubber Tanda Stamps have remained in one piece, so they are a ‘recommend’.  Find them at www.TandaStamps.com.

All the other boxes and stamps are in reasonable or good condition, which delights us.  We hope to site our Christmas walk in the next 4-6 weeks.   

More details to follow!

Overall, including a diversion to Braddon Tor and Kit Rocks, 13.4 miles walked, and 9 other boxes found.