News from Dartmoor!

While Dartmoor remains just a memory from our recent trip, we continually hear about happenings there through an invaluable network of friends we've made there during the past two UK visits. Emails have been winging their way via cyberspace with some very special friends we made there so the news about all things Dartmoor continues to flow our way.

The Fall Meet was once again a success and the retirement of several key Dartmoor 100 club executives was announced. The twice annual UK Letterboxing Meets, which happen on the equinox in spring and fall, are like a gathering in this country but it is done on a much, much wider scale - booths set up selling letterboxing wares, tons of people, etc. These events are so big that there are pre-meet events the day and night before! A proliferation of new, special stamps appear and excitement is truly in the air.

We heard from Stephanie Paul, who with her husband Roger, met with us in Dartmoor. You'll read more about that as we delve into our Dartmoor Diary but we spent a wonderful evening with them and Godfrey & Anne Swinscow at Blackadon Barn Cottages. Godfrey, through Malcolm Allderidge, had asked if we minded if the Pauls came along to the dinner since they would be taking the helm for Godfrey in the membership portion of the Dartmoor 100 club. Malcolm and his wife Angela would be taking over for Tony and Silvia Moore handling the updates to the Dartmoor Catalogue of Clues as well. While all of this was unofficial, we can now talk about it since at the just-finished Fall Meet this new guard was officially announced.

It seems that Roger & Stephanie have been quite busy! They are featured on a German website and also are on a BBC radio show done by John Govier. The photo at the left shows Roger and Steph (second and third from the left) while taking Kevin on a letterboxing adventure from the radio show. You can read the story about the show here. The radio link is located at the end of the article. You'll find a reference to the Moor Tor-ists when Roger answers a question about where else there are letterboxes. There is also a clue to a new box that they planted especially for the radio show. The clue is located on the left portion of the page.

Our thanks go to Godfrey & Anne Swinscow and to Tony & Silvia Moore for all of the individual achievements and contributions they have made to Dartmoor letterboxing. Sue & I are most appreciative to both couples who met with the Baker's Dozen in 2004 and with the Swinscow's who met with the Moor Tor-ists in 2007. These are 4 people that typify the spirit of Dartmoor letterboxing.

Godfrey was responsible for the Dartmoor 100 Club, for meeting with the national parks authority when those in charge wanted to remove all but the two Dartmoor letterboxes housed in permanent structures - Cranmere Pool and Ducks Pool. As a result of negotiations and some give-and-take, permission was granted to leave boxes within the Dartmoor National Park. One of the results of those negotiations was the development of the Code of Ethics to which all who letterbox on the moor must follow.

We received two wonderful poems from Noddy, the Toytown Trekker, who we had the pleasure to meet at the Plymouth monthly meeting when the Moor Tor-ists were in town. Again, you'll hear more about Noddy in an upcoming edition of our Dartmoor Diary. Not only did Noddy, whose real name is Mark, make a special one day stamp tribute to The Moor Tor-ists, but Mark sent us 2 poems that are dedicated to Godfrey and The Moores upon their retirement from their letterboxing positions. These 2 poems commemorating the achievements of Godfrey and the Moore's are part of his rhyming Thank You Boxes. With Mark's permission, we are pleased to reproduce the poems below for your enjoyment.


Mournful Moor
by M. A. Fenlon

Mist, languishing lace like, knotted around the tor,
Tears of dew, distressed on moorland floor,
Chorus of dawn sings a much sadder song,
Sunshine pretending nothing is wrong.

Rivers, tearful, flush away their emotion,
Shadows, disturbed, creating commotion,
Distraught wind hurries aimlessly by,
Willow tree, alone, continues to cry.

Humans, inky, bid farewell to their sage,
Reluctantly, Visitor book, turns a new page,
Unofficial President's retirement is true,
Godfrey Swinscow. THANK YOU.




Ode to the Moore (s)
by M.A. Fenlon

There once was a time,
When all was not fine,
Whilst collecting the stamps on the moor.

When a new box was sited,
Our knowledge was blighted,
Knowing not, of new stamps on the moor.

For miles we would trek,
Then shout out "Oh Heck,"
When a stamp had been moved off the moor.

From South Brent, a pair,
Soon eased our despair,
Making updates of stamps on the moor.

Packed full of the news,
Of new letterbox clues,
It helped us find stamps on the moor.

A catalogue followed,
Their names became hallowed,
By all who found stamps on the moor.

Now they must retire,
In armchair, by fire,
Whilst we're wet and cold on the moor.

Now somebody new,
Will fill an old shoe,
To aid us find stamps on the moor.

What we must now do,
is say a heartfelt - THANK YOU!
To Tony & Sylvia Moore



Noddy
The Toytown Trekker