DetectingWales.com

Hello, first post..several questions,hope someone can help.
    O.K here we go...Im a complete novice,in fact my first metal detector doesnt get here till next week.Ive tried to find a club of some kind in caernarfon n.wales ,but there doesnt seem to be one,unless,of course ,if someone here knows different :-\ Id be obliged if anyone could help in that regard.
          Secondly Im a bit dismayed that apparently one needs to seek permission EVERYWHERE you explore.{obviously i wouldnt go round digging in peoples back gardens }but i thought that it be ok on footpaths through woodland areas {theres plenty of that here} but apparently its not ok without permission.but permission from who? the local council if its not private land?I could imagine one might spend more time seeking permission than actually detecting ;D
  O.K  so I thought of the beach,theres a long stretch near to me   Dinas dinlle to pwhelli I guess if i want to go to extremes. I read that crown estates owned most of coast line ,so i applied for permit online,and it was granted,surprisingly in around 15 minutes. Of course even that seemed to be a waste of time as _{iunless ive read their map wrongly}  they {crown estates} DONT own any coast line along here.so what now indeed? just who do i apply to? the council again?....ive got to admit allready that im getting disheartened a little ...and the metal detector hasnt even arrived yet  ::) So advice on these points would be most welcome .kind regards Douglas

Douglas gey yourself to the local farms in your area ask politely they can only say yes or no, we are a new club in prestatyn called NorthWalesDirtDiggers and theres about 12 of us we go out once or twice a month when conditions allow it,we are a new club iam sure your welcome to join us contact Will and ask him,as long as youve got your insurence and a detector and spade your ready to go,we gather once a month on the 4th of that month for a chat and to have a bit of banter.

welcome aboard dug,we have a few members from n wales i'm sure someone will help you out .mike

Thanks for your replies jay hay and dance with badgers..im 64 by the way dont know if that matters or not  :) But yes tks for invite,as soon as my detector arrives I ll certainly contact  Will and see whats what. Having said that Where do i find him? but tks again its apptreciated

welcome to the forum Douglas

Welcome Doug, and don't get disheartened this is a great hobby. As Jay said find a local farm and ask there. Beach work can be a bit confusing at first, but it is a good place to start.
The council in my area are dead against detecting, but i found that local canal societies were all for it and the tow paths can hold many finds.  Researching your areas can also be fun, and I bet you will find old forts and other sites right on your door step.
Good luck Doug, happy swinging

Sorry to be a pest but I noted the insurance comment just now....shows how inexperienced I am I didnt realise,or think uou needed it. ::)Do I just contact any insurance company,or are there only particular companies that provide that kind of cover? and of course how much is it usually? regards

Hi Douglas.  If you join a club the membership fee usualy includes membership of NCMD (National Council For Metal Detecting)  but you can joun independantly. Heres the link

http://www.ncmd.co.uk/membership.htm (http://www.ncmd.co.uk/membership.htm)

Most of agree it's better to be covered than not. You never know and for what it costs it's worth the peace of mind.  You wont get it from the usual sorces, it's specialist.

Val

ok val tks..found the link,after a short reading of the items it appears this nmdc crowd are anti metal detecting rather than pro metal detecting....the things they are proposing or rules they are passing would seem first glance to make it pointless for the enthusiast ,at least as regards taking any finds home with him/her.I must say my initial enthusiasm has waned a bit,because reading about all the must dos and donts,if one follows the rules to the letter the only people that benefit are the landowner and the antiquities mob.added to that the permissions required for every where you go.thats .if you can even discover who owns the bit of wasteland  or path way or even the beach or whatever.....even then anything you find it seems must be offered to the owner ,so whats the point if the enthusiast can only take home any coke tins or nuts and bolts he finds?   Methinks when my detector comes it will be going on ebay,so sorry for all these questions and wasting everyones time ,at the time it thought it might be fun and if lucky perhaps something of value ,either monetary or historical or whatever.....regards