Sherlock, Dartmoor, and letterboxing

If it weren't for the evil winter that soon follows, autumn would be my favourite season.  The beautiful colours, the comfy temperatures, the perfection of letterboxing, and snuggling up with a hot cup of tea with your favourite blanket to carve the afternoon away... I love autumn.

And as I usually sit with something on the television (sometimes radio), I have been watching and re-watching the Sherlock series.  Love it.  Waiting very impatiently for season series three.

If you don't watch the show, and you're a letterboxer, you should get yourself out and buy season series two, just for the second episode: the Hounds of Baskerville.  The majority of the episode takes place in Dartmoor (although mostly inside, gah).  Beautiful shots of the moor, fantastic to watch even if you're not a fan of the series (although you will be after you watch the episode).

In this particular episode, Sherlock and Watson are investigating Henry Knight's witnessing of a gigantic hound in Dewer's Hollow in Dartmoor.  Conspiracy theories abound due to the presence of Ministry of Defence facilities close by in Dartmoor.  I won't spoil it completely for you, so go watch it (but Sherlock does figure it out).

Anyways, I love seeing Dartmoor in the episode, even if it's in the stylized form portrayed by a television show.  I was really interested in the idea that there are Ministry of Defence activities in the park, and apparently it is true.  This Dartmoor letterboxer here, Who Is the Challenger, talked in a recent post about the changing use by the MOD of military training areas in Dartmoor.  Who'd'a'thunk?  Amazing.  Also, check out that awesome map at the top of the post; the most amazing things are labelled on it with all seriousness, like the aqueduct* in the second from top, second from left square.

But have a look at some of the screencaps from the episode below.  Warning: like me, this episode and these pictures will give you the overwhelming urge to make the letterboxer's pilgrimage out to Dartmoor. Soon. You have been warned.

Night boxing! I'm sure that's what they're doing here.

Looking for letterboxes. I'm sure of it.

But clearly Watson doesn't know where he's looking...

...and apparently Sherlock does.

*But what have the Romans ever done for us? Oh, shut up.