Author Topic: camping and route suggestions  (Read 8548 times)

janeho

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camping and route suggestions
« on: 09:52:16, 24/06/08 »
I'm sure this must have been asked before:
We have about 10 days down in Devon and Cornwall in a couple of weeks time. The vague plan is a few days on the north devon coast, some time in central - to westish cornwall, then home via a few days on dartmoor.
We have two small kids, so it will be a mixture of shortish day walks and child friendly activities.
Any suggestions for campsites please? We prefer the more basic rather than holiday park type sites, and I'd rather not have to book so as to keep flexibility.
Also any must do walks?
I've only been this way a couple of times before - once to climb on the sea cliffs, and once backpacking on Dartmoor, so really it's all a new area to us.
With Thanks
Jane
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Snowman

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #1 on: 12:23:22, 24/06/08 »
Hi Jane,

To be honest, camping isn't my thing if I can help it.    I tend to use Youth Hostels where possible, and only camp if I'm trekking and there really isn't another option.

Anyway, thinking of Dartmoor and where to go with the kids, have you heard of 'Letterboxing'?    This is sort of like treasure hunting, so gives the kids an objective rather than simply tramping across Dartmoor.    If you've backpacked across Dartmoor you know how beautiful it is, but try to get kids enthused with walking?    A bit tricky.    You can find out more at:

http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/index/visiting/vi-enjoyingdartmoor/vi-letterboxing.htm

Some letterboxes are miles away from anywhere, but quite a few are easily accessible.    The basic principle is that you get the letterbox catalogue which gives you clues as to the locations of the letterboxes.   You then attempt to find them, and should find a rubber stamp in them, which you can then use to mark a card, your map, whatever.

S.

janeho

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #2 on: 18:00:25, 24/06/08 »
Hi Thanks
We do a fair bit of geocaching - it's amazing how far a small child will walk in the hope of finding Tupperware with perhaps a pencil sharpener inside  :)
I'd had a look at the letterboxing website, but it seems that you can't get a catalogue until you have proof of having done 100 boxes.
I had thought I would get the kids a notebook each though in case we did find some.

 
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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #3 on: 09:58:13, 25/06/08 »
If you want to cover part of Bodmin moor with kids, I would highly recommend heading for Minnions in the south-east of the moor. There are several good circular walks here across moorland and take in a few things to spark the kids curiousity, taking you past the cheesering (natural stone outcrop in a balancing act), ruins of tin and silver mine engine houses and the hurlers (stone circles, said to be the petrifide participants of a hurling game who god turned to stone for playing on a sunday). At Minions there is also a tourist info centre. Another place which is a must with children is Landsend, this has some breath taking walks along the cliffs added with a leasure park. Kids also always seem captivated by being at the end of a country.

As for camping, in the Summer there is always a campsite near-by that can squeeze you in. But if you prefer the basic camping, head for a pub, inside you will find a farmer (or someone who knows one) they will usually be happy to find you a spot.
God gave us these things, not in tranquility.

Snowman

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #4 on: 09:37:10, 27/06/08 »
Quote
I'd had a look at the letterboxing website, but it seems that you can't get a catalogue until you have proof of having done 100 boxes.

I think you got the wrong end of the stick.    You can order the catalogue, but you need to have proof of the 100 letterboxes to become a member and receive the '100' badge.    Simply 'stumbling' across 100 letterboxes is highly unlikely.

S.

janeho

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #5 on: 16:36:49, 27/06/08 »
I'm confused then. This is a quote from one of the sites about letterboxing on dartmoor:

"Well now, after you have collected 100 you will be given a special ID card, which will allow you to purchase the annual letterbox catalogue list in book form."

Can anyone clarify please?
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Snowman

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #6 on: 12:17:08, 02/07/08 »
Not sure which website you were looking at, but neither the Dartmoor National Park website or the 100 club website say that.

S.

kirbstones

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #7 on: 21:44:22, 03/07/08 »
Hi Jane

I've not been down that way for a few years but if you get as far as St. Ives, Trevalgan camp site http://www.ayrholidaypark.co.uk/touring-park.php used to be very good.  It's on a working farm and close to the costal path (easy walk to Zennor and the Tinners Arms).  It's not too big and quite friendly.
Phil
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www.windermere-way.co.uk - a walk around England's largest lake.

Snowman

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #8 on: 11:25:22, 04/07/08 »
By the way I forgot to mention, if you are only supposed to get the catalogue if you're a member, just send off for it anyway.    On the principle that I don't know how you're supposed to get 100 boxes if you don't know where to look, I sent off for a copy and duly received it about a week later.

S.

Skinny Walker

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #9 on: 12:20:54, 04/07/08 »
As a proud(ish) member of the 100 club of letterboxers (from many years ago) a couple of words of advise.

1) Avoid (or don't spent too much time) searching for the letterboxes that are very close to roads or very easily accessible, many a time I have hunted high and low for letterboxes only to find the place where they should have been!

2) Take an ink pad and some blank postcards with you. The pads are often either missing or dry.

3) I know that quite a few pubs have letter boxes behind the bar! A great opportunity to mix Adult and Child pursuits! ;D I think the Plume of Feathers in Princetown has one. http://www.plympton.info/dartmoor/dartpubs.html

You need special shoes for hiking - and a bit of a special soul as well.  ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche

Snowman

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #10 on: 10:59:51, 07/07/08 »
Quote
I know that quite a few pubs have letter boxes behind the bar! A great opportunity to mix Adult and Child pursuits!  I think the Plume of Feathers in Princetown has one

Absolutely right, and I like to set a target of a pub with a few letterboxes en route so you can keep the kids happy until you can make yourself happy.    Actually I think just about all the pubs in Dartmoor have a letterbox as far as I can see from the catalogue.   The only trouble is that a lot of Dartmoor pubs seem to have a tendency to close during the afternoon, although The Warren House Inn is a notable exception (and also has a letterbox).

S.

Skinny Walker

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #11 on: 13:28:29, 07/07/08 »
Or leave the kids behind and link a bunch of pubs together..... :o
You need special shoes for hiking - and a bit of a special soul as well.  ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche

janeho

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #12 on: 14:05:02, 07/07/08 »
Thanks everyone - I'm looking forward to it.
I've got the kids a notebook each for letterboxes, but I hadn't thought about a stamp. I'm sure we have one around somewhere.....
Had a look at the Bodmin map the other day - looks good
So does the idea of a week long pub crawl  :D
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janeho

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Re: camping and route suggestions
« Reply #13 on: 10:14:33, 24/07/08 »
Thanks again everyone for your advice.
We have had a great ten days - enjoyed bodmin moor which is somewhere we had not visited before, then a few days near the coast, the kids got some beach time whilst we took it in turns to run bits of the coastal path. Came back via dartmoor and gave the kids their first taste of backpacking. Not too successful on the letterboxing front, apart from the ones in the pubs, those we found we either waterlogged or the stamp was missing, found plenty of geocaches though.
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