Cranmere Pool letterbox

Finding a letterbox buried on Dartmoor isn't something you'd normally plan a walk around, but Cranmere Pool is different. This high moorland tarn sits at 1,800 feet on one of Devon's wildest plateaus, and inside the weathered box visitors scribble their names in a ledger that's been passed around since 1874. It's genuinely strange - a tradition born from boredom that somehow became proper folklore.

The walk itself is the main event. From near Okehampton, you're looking at a serious trek across open moorland with few landmarks, which makes it trickier than it sounds. Allow four to five hours for the round trip depending on fitness and navigation skills. The reward isn't the letterbox itself - it's the isolation. You'll see moorland proper: gorse, granite, the kind of light that changes everything about ten minutes into the walk.

This works best for walkers confident with map and compass, not families with small children. The terrain's unforgiving and there's nowhere to shelter if weather turns, which it does frequently. Summer's the sensible window, though even then come prepared.

If you're staying at Lydford Caravan and Camping Park nearby, Cranmere makes a proper day out rather than a quick diversion. Pair it with Dartmoor's other high moorland walks - the plateau rewards serious rambling rather than casual strolling. It's not Instagram moments; it's landscape that reminds you why people leave cities.