Letterboxing (hobby)

Individual letterboxes contain a notebook and a rubber stamp, preferably hand carved or custom made.

[4] From this hikers on the moors began to leave a letter or postcard inside a box along the trail (sometimes addressed to themselves, sometimes a friend or relative)—hence the name "letterboxing".

[5][6][7] The first Dartmoor letterboxes were so remote and well-hidden that only the most determined walkers would find them, allowing weeks to pass before the letter made its way home.

Some letterboxes however remain "word of mouth" and the clues to their location can only be obtained from the person who placed the box.

Letterboxes can be found in other areas of the United Kingdom including the North York Moors and have spread all over the world.

The Scottish artist Alec Finlay[9] has placed letterboxes with rubber stamp circle poems at locations around the world, including Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Interest in letterboxing in the US is generally considered to have started with a feature article in the Smithsonian magazine[10] in April 1998.

The first gathering in North America was held in November, 1999, at The Inn at Long Trail in Killington, Vermont.

Originally coined in the US, it is similar to the concept of letterboxing where clues lead to sealed boxes to be found in a type of treasure hunt.