Deborah-
Thanks for compiling this information ! Very interesting.
Sheila




At 02:54 PM 4/9/99 EDT, you wrote:
>I queried privately about this subject with Rob and Graham,
>and they were kind enough to reply in detail! We thought it might
>be helpful for others as well, to see their answers compiled into
>one post, so...
>Following are some of the questions I asked and their answers,
>which they have so graciously given me permission to share!
>
> *********
>What is a charity walk?
>
>And for me, the real question was what _isn't_ a charity walk!
>I was getting confused thinking that the "walk" part was like
>Walk/Runs for Charity in the US, where lots of people start
>at the same place and time and end up at a finish line somewhere.
>So, thanks to Rob and Graham, I now know that a letterboxing
>charity walk is an event in which clues for a specific number of
>letterboxes which are hidden for a certain amount of time along
>a specific route, and the people who purchase the clues go
>a-hunting at their own time and pace.
>>From Graham:
> >>...a set of clues usually in a circle or figure of eight ...
> from a good car park..ideally with a diner / coffee stop ...and
> you just have a ready made afternoon or days outing...
> and if the planner has done a good job..it will take you
> (typically) between 5 and 10 miles over some nice countryside../
> locations..and you'll find between six and 26 stamps ..! ...
>
> The charity thing is that the organiser charges say $3 for a copy
> of the list to raise money for some good cause...You usually get
> a special extra stamp..on a post card as the "bonus" stamp...
> The Scouts do it quite a bit..also one last season was for a
> Marching Band to get new instruments.often its for Health
> things like childrens care..or cancer research etc...<<
>
>>From Rob:
> >>In the UK there are loads of Dartmoor charity letterbox
> walks and many of them will be on sale at the six monthly
> meeting of the Letterbox Club...
> At the last meeting, I sold about 200 copies of the walk,
> so it can be very good for charities.<<
>
> ******
>I asked Graham about what goes into making a good walk...
>and he replied with several factors that should be considered to
>make the walk successful.
>
>1) Who?
> The walk should be designed with a specific participant in mind,
> or at least with consideration for the groups/people that might
> be most interested in participating.
>
> >>*maybe just for kids.. (If it's for kids they need success
> and if the boxes are too hard then they'll get disillusioned.)
> *maybe family groups ..
> *maybe cryptic hounds..
> *maybe mobility disadvantaged folk...
> *maybe its a "rainy day walk"..so the clues are / can
> be done from a car ..only a short distance from legal
> parking spots..say.. or
> *maybe its for real top of the tree smarty boxers.....
> who are really into a long trek with difficult finds and a
> great whole day out in wind and rain and all !
>
>2.) Once you've decided which participants will most enjoy
>the walk, you must decide other factors based on this decision....
>
> A. How long? (distance, time needed)
>
> B. Where? What terrain?
> >>If you like a long walk in the open air a two mile walk is poor...
> if you have arthritis it's a good effort!<<
> >>If its a rainy day walk ..well it must actually work and be
> fun from a car too ! <<
>
> D. Refreshment stops?
> >> I have done one walk that is all in local shops !..
> Not actually *counted* in Moor stamps though !!!!
> It's done for the local tourist board and you get a free
> coke or ice cream if you get three shoe shops or two pubs
> or similar..its a fun idea for the week of the local county show...<<
>
> E. The letterboxes?
> With the prospective participants in mind....
> >>...how are they hidden...
> are they plugged or stone covered or just plain
> in funny places..<<
>
> F. The clues?
> >>are they easy, cryptic, with grid references or without..
> written as a "recipe" for kids to follow or some other
> dimension...<<
>
>3. What other considerations or options are there?
>
> A. Themes for boxes and clues
> >>...you need a theme and all the stamps need to comply..
> eg I'm putting out a "Creepy Crawl" of insects on Dartmoor
> this week, also an "Easter Bunnies Hop" with silly rabbit
> cartoons..only for the holiday 2 weeks that one..there are
> boxes in pairs..one at 90 degrees to the other...hence "HOP"..
> but clues to only one and no suggestion which 90 degrees
> it is ! eg N-S-E-W...My son is doing "Little Lost Sheep"...all
> the stamps are sheep in various reposes....cartoons again ...<<
>
> (The description for this one of Graham's is not for a walk....
> but I thought the theme and the "process" for letterboxing
> in general so fascinating I repeat it here!)
> >>I am working on a history of the "Dartmoor Ponies" for a
> summer *set* in August when I check all my boxes eg...
> with pit ponies and those working pulling trains and those
> going around and around all day working stone crushers etc
> etc..I expect to build this up over say 3 years and then
> collect em in... <<
>
> B. A reward for completion
> >>Is there a prize?! maybe if you send in all the stamps
> on a special card you buy with your own stamp you will get
> a patch...some do that too ! and maybe a special bonus
> stamp in the centre of your own card which is returned...<<
>
> C. Length of time boxes are out
> >>Time is a dimension because the Moor will get worn
> if they are out too long..so 3 to 6 months is average..though
> there are Easter walks and Christmas walks just out for a few
> days..12 days of Xmas walk for example...
> Also if the walk is limited the stamp values are quite
> special...not in money only rarity value to other boxers to look
> at and go ooohh ! the famous 1999 L-USA set.... <<
>
> C. The fate of the stamps
> >>...they are nearly always taken in ...and destroyed !<<
>
> D. The pitfalls and some solutions
> Rob wrote: >> ....charity walks are not always plain sailing.
> There are some individuals over here who take delight in
> stealing one of the boxes on a walk. I guess it's to ensure
> that no one else ever completes it. I've already heard that one
> of my boxes is missing after only 2 weeks on the moor.
> I'll be out this weekend to verify it. It pays to have 2 copies
> of each stamp so that you have a backup if any go missing.
> At the very least, we keep hard copies of each so that we can
> send one to anyone who hasen't completed a walk.<<
>
> *********
>Here is an excerpt from a description for a current walk
>organized by Rob that he sent as an attachment to those
>who asked (I left out the locale and the clues):
>
>>>...ICE SKATING CLUB WALK SPRING 1999...
>....about 2 miles long and is suitable for children.
>The boxes have all been hidden in existing holes or natural
>places of concealment with minimal extra camouflage in order
>to protect the environment. The boxes are not near any Hut Circles,
>Cairns or other monuments in the area. Please avoid over zealous
>searching and replace boxes where you find them. The bearings
>were all taken using a hand compass so may not be accurate.
>All proceeds from this walk will go to....<<
>[There are a total of 20 boxes]
>>>Thank you for your support. This walk will be taken off the
>moor in October... If you have any problems please contact... <<
>
>About the walk, Rob later wrote to me to say that they had made
>for the club almost 300; which translated into 150 groups going out
>on the walk with more to come after advertising in a weekly Letterbox
>Newsletter.
>
>Respectfully submitted,
> Deborah
>
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