The Accidental Detectorist: Uncovering an Underground Obsession

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It was a journey that would take him to various parts of the country from his local village to the wide skies of Norfolk. He walked in fields that people had walked across hundreds of years ago and lost the items that he would find later. He would share these experiences with one person sweeping the head of their machine across another part of the field and went to big rallies where there would be hundreds of other detectorists who were as obsessed as he was becoming. The one thing that he want to find was an elusive hammered coin. Everyone else seemed to have found them. As a history and archaeology fanatic, I do feel I should tell you where I stand on metal detecting before I share my book review, I know it can be a touchy subject within our community! I have had a bit of an obsession with metal detecting since I was a child and loved reading stories about treasure hoards and ancient items being found. Although, what I once thought was a treasure box was actually a baking tray! Thoroughly enjoyed this journey together with the excellent narration. Having also taken up metal detecting in Spain (I am a British expat) around the start of the Covid pandemic I could relate to pretty much the entire story. What starts as a day out to gather material for an article develops into a surprising passion for writer and journalist Nigel.

The Accidental Detectorist: The Adventures of a Reluctant Metal The Accidental Detectorist: The Adventures of a Reluctant Metal

Soon the author is hooked on this hobby and as restrictions lift, he begins to travel to different parts of the county and country to meet others, learn more and attempt to find a hammered coin.Before he knows it the mysteries of the fields are leading him on, into a world that casts the history of these isles and its people in an intriguing new light. The excitement and passion for the subject matter comes through from the off, and the historical detail and context makes for a more informed read. If you are thinking of starting this hobby- which the writer certainly tempts you with- this would be a great foundation in which to help you on your way. If you are a history geek like me, you'll also enjoy the context and the finds.

The Accidental Detectorist: Uncovering an Underground - WHSmith The Accidental Detectorist: Uncovering an Underground -

This book is also very informative about metal detecting and the detectorists' world. He joins a club of serious like-minded folk who are competitive but supportive. The amount of detail surrounding the laws and regulations on digging, finding, recording and ultimately selling found items is probably all there is to know on this subject. Even the baddies are included: the dreaded nighthawks. These are people who go on illegal digs under the cover of night and keep their finds secret. Exciting stuff. Erm this was okay, but just okay. I think Richardson does his best with a subject that can be interesting up to a point but after reading, a whole book on metal detecting to me seems excessive. Maybe an article or a short book would have been better? A few weeks later he retrieved his new machine from where it was hidden behind the wheelie bins. He was starting on a journey that he never ever thought that he would take.Searchers, seekers, hobbyists, all of them falling captive to the allure of the hunt - once unearthed a journey that seems to find its own path - and one which, for the author, is an unmistakably compelling one. Finding himself in the process, as, over the course of one year (outlined in this book), he grows from awkward novice to a devotee embedded in a close-knit community of, some would say, oddballs, but really more aptly described as dopamine-linked journeymen (for this band of brothers is by-and-large male). An audiobook for my commute to work. A great little tale about a hesitant journalist's foray into the world of detectorists. For obvious reasons, many a nod to The Detectorists TV show but also some very interesting facts about several detectorist led finds and information for would be detectorists also.

The Accidental Detectorist by Nigel Richardson - Audible UK The Accidental Detectorist by Nigel Richardson - Audible UK

The first time that Nigel Richardson met a metal detectorist he was sat eating his lunch by the edge of a field. It wasn’t a hobby that had any appeal to him, and in a slightly sneering way, they have a terse conversation and it wasn’t helped by Richardson’s dog pilfering one of the man’s sandwiches. He had changed his mind a little about the men (and it is mostly men) who pursue this hobby after watching the brilliant TV comedy, The Detectorists. This all piqued my own interest in my local area in North Essex. I went onto the finds.org.uk database and typed in Layer Marney, the name of the village where I live. My house is less than a mile from Layer Marney Tower, England’s tallest Tudor gatehouse, so surely there is treasure in these parts? The database has five finds listed, including this beautiful hammered coin. In the local parish of Messing cum Inworth where I grew up, there are finds from Iron Age, Roman, Medieval and Post Medieval times. We are but a stone’s throw from Colchester or Camulodunum to call it by its Roman name as it is the UK’s oldest recorded city. Boudicca and her armies once razed it to the ground. On the database are many Roman coins in the area, perhaps borne by those fleeing her persecution. I shall walk the local footpaths with a new fascination for what may lie under my feet and the people who walked these fields in years gone by. It’s particularly poignant this week. Today Charles the third will be proclaimed King, as we pass from the Elizabethan age into the Carolean age. History in the making. A fascinating look at an unusual hobby, the people it attracts, the rewards it provides (both to the detectorists, and the heritage world at-large), and yet another example of our shared humanity, and the strange and wonderful ways we can find our inner-most selves a home. Richardson's writing style is easy enough, conversational with some humour thrown in but there are only so many times you can read someone saying "found anything good?!" Richardson also explains the more shady side of this hobby with ‘nighthawks’ and people who don’t adhere to the rules.Loved it. Superbly written account of the world of metal detecting. So many brilliant anecdotes. Will be hard to beat as my Non-fiction book of the year. The beauty of this hobby is that the English landscape is looked at differently. As Richardson says, he would have chosen Albania or Madagascar rather than Hampshire to go treasure hunting, but his local area suddenly appears to be a kind of undiscovered country. There's plenty to learn besides the laws of digging on farmland, from reading old maps and history books to the new jargon and equipment belonging to the detectorists. I learned a lot and enjoyed the stories about metal detectoring. I found it fascinating and liked the style of writing and the storytelling. I love the fact that this book weaves in the history of different areas with the finds that people have made and describes a typical day out with other detectorists. I loved reading about the rallies and it has inspired me to see if there is a local group near to me. Really well written giving an in depth insight into the world of metal detecting from the perspective of a sceptical beginner. Who then becomes a hook line and sinkered adherent of the detectorist divining god, aka as his machine. If you have seen the Detectorists on TV you will be familiar with the sort of characters who pop up like mud covered grots throughout the book. If you are hovering on the edge of a middle age hobby hole , or just like the idea of being a Detectorist then this book is worthy of a read.