DetectingWales.com

Hi everyone,

I'm new to detecting and just want some advice about the best ways to get permission to metal detect on land.

As im new i dont mind if the land is terrible or not, just some practice to get into it :)

How do you all go about getting land permission? and where do you think would be a decent place to get used to my machine etc...?

Its a little daunting thinking about it as you need permission everywhere.

Cheers in advance guys.

join a club,cold calling can be off putting. im lucky where i live i know plenty of farmers i have worked for in the past or helped out but even then some of them can be funny about peeps diggin their fields up.
 i have found that the ones you think will let you on dont and the ones you think wont ,will let you on.
unfortunatly we get a bad press because of a few numbnuts that go night hawking,
 one of our club members tryied phoning farmers for permissions but of about 40 calls he only managed to get one.
dont be put of cos the one you get could be a life times worth of detecting,
 if you go on one of our rallies you pay a fee for the day and meet some headbangers

When I first started detecting I looked for old public footpaths that ran through farmers fields. I would then approach the farmer and ask if it would be ok if I had a go along the path with my machine. If they said yes I would return to the farmer and show the guy what had been found and be grateful for the permission. By returning later in the day ( even if you find rubbish ) its a good way of asking if it would be ok if you came back on other areas of land.

Ive only been refused on one farm. The farmer said this was due to guys going there years ago and not showing him anything they found. I got chatting to a farmer in a pub and he gave me his number and permission so your local pub may be a good place to raise the subject with any land owners. Good luck  ;)

When I first started I looked for possible ancient footpaths etc. then called into the farms in person. Ok you do get a few refusals, but on the whole it's better to meet the land owner face to face, than a voice on the phone.
The problem down where I am, is the better lands were a fare way to travel, so just as a point of getting out I asked a few small farms locally who all said yes but doubted that anything would be found. Well, I now have 6 permissions within 5 miles of where I live which have kept me busy with a load of WW2 bits, through to medieval. Nothing to write home about but fun none the less.
Don't give up buddy, it takes time to gain confidence in asking and in getting use to your unit.
If your ever down in the Neath area drop us a line and we can have a few hours out.

Fantastic advice guys!

I actually don't live too far from Neath, well I live in Tredegar but seeing as I have a car I can travel if it means a good laugh :)

Unfortunately for me most areas where I live are covered in slag and old rubbish which is a nightmare (tried a bit today and didn't get much but it was fun).

I am a keen cyclist so perhaps on some of my local-ish trips I will pop and see a few people about getting some permissions.

I want to do it correctly to save myself hassle but also not give other metal detectors enthusiasts a bad name.

Anyway cheers for the advice guys, I'm already hooked on it although its sometimes a hard decision whether to go out with the detector, cycling or fishing.

Welcome to DW Jfox , You're not in too bad an area in Tredegar, to metal detect, You're not
to far away from Abergavenny, or Caerphilly, Gelligaer, Newport etc where there's quite a bit of history. Do a little research and knock on a few doors and enjoy

Id love to take a crack down aber actually.

I have just asked my mate who has farmers in his family to see if i can have a go on their land.

Lets hope I find someone that will let me. Even if i dont find much (or anything) its still exciting!

Cheers  :)

Hi Jfox.

Welcome mate I'm a newbie too, and it's a bit daunting trying to get some permission at first.
Tell everyone you know that you are looking for land, and sooner or later it will drop in your lap, but meantime, dress decently, get in the car and approach some farmers!
Your in a good area (I'm Caerphilly) so keep at it.
Moose

Next time i get time off you more than welcome to join me for some detecting i am not far from neath too but try to ask few farmers always one will say yes and a bottle of wine as a thanks goes long way had more land by doing this approach a farmer know another farmer and soon u will have more than 1 site to hunt . Good luck.Nap.