DetectingWales.com

got this via email tonight


Dear Detector Users,
 
Many of you will already be aware that Prince Charles ‘owns’ much of the land in and around Cornwall under the title ‘Duchy of Cornwall’. More importantly, he also owns most of the beach foreshore in Cornwall.

If you are about to book a  holiday in the SW of England then you should be aware of the following fact.

In all other counties you are able to obtain a licence from the Crown Estate allowing you to detect on a beach under certain restrictions. This licence is absolutely free and can be obtained online. However, Prince Charles has decided to charge everyone a minimum of £60.00 to detect on ‘his’ beaches!! This figure can, and will be increased depending on how many of you want to detect and on how many beaches. Furthermore, they have not stipulated whether you may keep any of your finds, so you could send off for this permit and then find that you have to ‘donate’ everything that you find.

I would have thought that Prince Charles would probably already have enough money without asking for this huge sum. There is no mention of any family discounts, so a family of four could end up paying a minimum of £240.00 to detect on a beach in Cornwall.

If you agree with me that this is totally unfair, then you could always write to Prince Charles via the ‘Duchy of Cornwall’, but I would have thought that a few emails to the Cornish Tourist Board would have more effect as who of you are going to holiday in Cornwall when you can detect for free in a neighbouring county.

I wonder if any other Hobbies on his beaches are going to be charged e.g

Swimming
Kite flying
Surfing
beach Volleyball
Sandcastle building
Fishing
Littering
Drinking Alcohol and leaving glass bottles behind.
Dog Walking

ect ect ect......................................

Perhaps that is His way of letting you know how He feels about detecting.!!!! ::)
Feelings can run both ways. They are, after all, only 'Royal' because thier ancestors were bigger bullies than ours.

Yes quite and lets not forget that no Royal ever took another Countries Valuables in the name of the King  ::)

 ;D  £60.00 for beach detcting lol thats stupid ,  ::) humm wondering if people on the dole get a discount . Is metal detecting will survive ? that will be the next episode.Nap.

The guy doesn't live in the real world - none of them do.

They believe every building smells of fresh paint and everybody get a four course meal and waiter service in the
works canteen.

Thats why is so upseting Mike, well time will tell where the hobby of metal detecting will go .

If Fishing is allowed from the beach (and other activities) but it is only detecting that has to have a paid
permit, surely this is discrimination against a section of the community.

I am led to believe that discrimination against a minority group is illegal and a breach of a persons rights.

I can see that it could be legally challenged. I think the NCMD should look into this.

Doddy, you aren't having much luck.............

Banned from detetcing in Spain and now Cornwall !  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

i'll have to go around and play with his ears

He ought to be charged for his ears taking up air space!  ;D    (Charles I'm on about, not Doddy)  ;)

lol.he could sell advertising space on them

You have got to be kidding...
I'm a motorcyclist and were one of the most discriminated against groups on today's roads.
You ever seen a lay-by were 'every single car passing' is pulled in and given a twenty minute check over by the police?
I don't think so... This 'has' happened to motorcyclists in Brecon. You go out for a Sunday bimble and end up sitting in a lay-by for ages
waiting your turn to have your bike examined (usually by a bobby with no experience of motorbikes) he's just checking tax, insurance, tyres,
measuring the number plate, asking the proverbial question 'where are you going - where have you been'  I quite often feel like telling them
its none of your business but they'd only get stroppy and make it more difficult for you.

Coming back to the subject at hand... They'll do pretty much anything they want to with no recriminations.

at the end of day the although its absolutely not on charging 60 squid for detecting beaches in cornwall its a drop in the ocean to what you will pick up down there ,those beaches are crammed in the summer. spread the cost over a year and its nothing.i get charged 4 squid a time for parking at beaches in pembrokeshire.
 you will make 60 squid back with one ring ,so swings an roundabouts.
 if i lived down there i would pay 60 quid and reap the benefits of the very popular beaches around that area

"as Prince Charles really said to charge £60 or are they using  his name to cash in "!!! ::)

it's easily done just send an e'mail to the cornish tourist board thanking them for the information and say you have changed your mind and will now visit WALES THANK YOU VERY MUCH  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D.viv

Very good answer Viv.  ;D

Nooooooo.. Imagine if everybody came to Wales to detect. You'd have trouble getting into a park let alone a field..  ;D ;D

As someone who lives and detects the beaches in Cornwall, I am waiting to see how this licensing situation evolves.
The Duchy does want to introduce it.The management of the scheme has all been handed over to the general licensing department of The Duchy, which also grants licenses to anyone who wants to make use of the beach (or other Duchy owned land) ie,Festival/competition and event promoters, as well as windsurfing clubs,landboarding groups,etc,etc.
The proposed detecting fee is actually £60 per six months!
I have spoken to them and it appears they have been absolutely bombarded with enquiries on the matter.I don't think they realised how many people have an interest in detecting .I told them I was gobsmacked about the price of the license and would contact them again in a few weeks to see what transpires after they have had time to work out the details, fully,themselves.
I explained how  the free Crown permit scheme worked to the man I spoke to.
The department that has been given the job know nothing at all about metal detecting. A lot of the details of their scheme seem a bit wooly to say the least.I told them that in the main, it is a hobby carried out alone or with a partner perhaps.I think these guys have visions of "beach rallies" starting to happen,which would have an effect of the other people who have purchased a license to carry out their sport or hobby. I explained I would be less of a hindrance to other beach users with my detector,as I would be exercising my 2 dogs!
I was told I would have to list the beaches I wanted to search.It turned out that out of the 11 which I listed, 2 belonged solely to them.
I will obviously avoid those.
I think if they do try to enforce it,they would have to make it clear, in someway or another,which beaches are theirs.
I cannot see how they will be able to afford to patrol 300 miles of coastline either? ???

One point , i think as a organisation or a club going to do a rallie on the beach a fee should be applicable  thats the same inland that can be acceptable if they want £60.00 for the rallie but as a individual i think its the stupid things i ever seen , but like you said Neil the time they will spend to patrol 300 miles  that will never cover the cost so how  :D intelligent is that . Good luck and happy detecting.Nap

If anyones daft enough to pay it let them. More fool them.

Sent a nice long well worded letter to the Cornish Tourist Board written as polite and informative as I could and told them  what I thought of it especially as Cornwall Is the only County doing this and the potential revenue loss etc, etc. Victimization of the worst order.

Remember the Magna Carter you have rites.
Plus its only on un-let beaches witch is not any of the good ones. :)
No one should respond to this or phone councils and let sleeping dogs lie
you will start putting ideas in there heads.
I will detect on regardless and with the crappy court  system in the UK
the fine if any will be less than the license any way.
Plus I will not be metal detecting I will be sand detecting looking for patches of no metal
to dig a hole because I love to dig holes.
Or just practising swinging my detector with it turned of for the health benefits and a work out.
He has all ready had 2.4 million of us in farm  subsidy this year plus what ever else he earns from all the land he owns.
also his Royal money.
They need to do what they did in Russia a few years ago to the Royal family.
It involves a machine gun and a wall lol  >:(     

Ouch, not sure thats even legal to suggest.