Thinking of having a play with a metal detector.

Looking for a good starting point for guidance, especially regards legality and permissions etc.

Are there any recommendations for good starter books?

Also, I live on the coast and the beach would seem an obvious starting point but as I understand it, that wet sand is an issue and I may need quite an expensive detector to work in it. Is this correct? Is the beach complicated with permissions etc?

Any pointers would be welcome.

OP
Are there any Detectorist clubs near you ?

the beach would seem an obvious starting point

Bloke on my local beach used to be there in full on McKenzie Crook get-up in the middle of summer. Looked like he’d stab you if you invaded his patch. Either that or run away, crying.

find a local club if you can.

My 12 yr old daughter loves detecting – we’re in the countryside down the SE and aside from the beaches it’s very difficult to get permission to get on any land. We have real issues locally with ‘night-hawking’ and consequently landowners are (rightly) very suspicious / protective of letting people onto their land. Council property is a no-no by policy and you even have to be careful then that you’re allowed as on some it’s forbidden. Both her and myself have joined the NCMD as it offers nice templates for letters etc.

Clubs offer a solution as they typically have permissions but they can be oversubscribed.

Good luck!

..oh, and depends on the beach and what you’re looking for as to how successful you’ll be. My grandfather would bring his detector on our family holidays and find a lot of loose change after a busy day on the beach. Not much in the way of old stuff though.

We have pebble beaches down our way which makes digging ‘interesting’…

I’ve got one, taken it on a few beaches. Gets very boring very quickly unless you’ve a thing for bits of ali and the odd copper coin.

Do not forget about your local finds liaison officer. Have a quick google to see who they are and where they are.

I took it up a year ago. Got a Garrett Ace 250,cheap but effective. Don’t invest in anything more expensive until you have some permissions. I cant detect at weekends so I’m unlikely to get into a club. I had one permission but the landowner’s gardener didnt like me digging up his lawn. He couldn’t see where I’d been digging as I was always careful when filling the holes in but I still got kicked off. Ive tried getting permissions from local farmers but have had the door slammed in my face. So the detector is sitting in the garage. Shame really as all I want to do is add to the historical record, not even keep anything I found.

Ive tried getting permissions from local farmers but have had the door slammed in my face.

Same our way but it’s wholly understandable – one chap near us regularly finds his fields full of holes from nighthawks (as are a couple of patches of council owned common land that seem to be done with a depressing regularity). I know someone else who gave permission to what he thought was a pair of retired detectorists, only to be faced with van-loads of people turning up and ripping through his farmland with scant regard for anything. If I were in their shoes I’d not risk it.