I have mentioned on this blog, once or twice before, that I am a fan of geocaching: finding little boxes hidden in a wide variety of locations. It is a great hobby, particularly in terms of getting out and about, as well as in engaging in unearthing local history on the doorstep. This hobby owes its existence to an earlier past-time that developed in the Victorian era: letter-boxing. And so, when a friend of mine – George – suggested that I join him on an expedition to locate the world’s very first letter-box – first hidden in 1854 – I quickly agreed.

Cranmere Pool is located south of Okehampton on Dartmoor. We enjoyed a walk toward the hiding spot, before it became tough going after leaving a settled path. It is crazy to think that the Victorian James Perrott headed out into the empty moorland space with a bottle to leave behind for others to find! It was satisfying to eventually find the final spot, where a shrine of sorts has been erected to commemorate its history.

George put together a video for his excellent YouTube series ‘The Dartmoor Podcast’, which is most definitely worth a watch. Not only will you be soothed by George’s warming voice and fantastic sense of humour, you will also have the pleasure of listening to my comments about my love of geocaching!