The Ogley dirt farmer.: Don't be afraid to ask, it's not a crime.

The Ogley dirt farmer.: Don't be afraid to ask, it's not a crime.: For those who know very little about metal detecting, I will tell you what the most difficult aspect of it is. It's gaining permission to ...

Don't be afraid to ask, it's not a crime.

For those who know very little about metal detecting, I will tell you what the most difficult aspect of it is. It's gaining permission to detect on peoples land. 

You have to have some steel about you to knock on a farmer’s door and ask if you can detect on their land.

But ask yourself this "why is it such a traumatic challenge"? Well most detectorists know that there used to be some seriously bad sentiment passed about regarding metal detecting. You might be knocking on a farmer’s door who really don't like detectorists. Well what’s the worst that could happen? He might say "no, I hate and detest detectorists; I think they are scum of the earth". Well that is exactly what the farmer who owns the fields where the Staffordshire hoard was found said to me. I had known the farmer Fred since I was a kid, and my family always attended his farm shop......if only I had tried harder!

My local farm is owned by an elderly farmer who I have known since I was knee high to a grasshopper.

I have tried many times to gain access on the said farm to no avail. That won’t stop me though; I am made of sterner stuff than that.

I called at his house two years on the run, but failed miserably as he was reluctant to talk. The next year I sent him a letter reminiscing about when I used to conker pick on his farm. To my amazement he replied, because he remembered one occasion when I got stung by wasps up my trouser leg! He was however unmoved on the giving of permission to detect. This year again I sent a letter, to which he again replied with a negative on the permission. This will not perturb me, and more attempts will follow.

Some farmers actually like you to have a chat. 

Right or wrong, when I go out to seek permission I always carry a £5 in my pocket. I go directly to the farmers house knock the door and introduce myself. I don't mess around, I ask for permission within the first minute. If the farmer hums and hars, I quickly produce the £5, and state that I am willing to part with it for the chance to go on their land. In my opinion, they will there and then say yes or no. I always make them take the cash if they say yes, saying "buy yourself a drink or give it to your kids or grand-kids, I am so grateful you have kindly allowed me access to your land". Once you have finished go back and see the farmer, and show him what you have found, even if they are not interested, it will help establish trust.

I can spend a fiver in fuel driving around or give it to a farmer for permission.

Have some cards printed, and hand them out freely to farmers. These cards have lead me to many a contact with new farmers who have lost keys etc. They only cost about £5 for 100, which will surely be a good investment. Just remember, no one ever got hurt by asking for permission. A few people get a little crest fallen on a refusal, but the rush you get when the farmer say "why not" is unbelievable.
Don't forget to take a consent form with you, just in case they demand this on the initial visit. You can find a few versions on metaldetecting forms, link at top of page.

Just remember this; it’s not a crime to ask.

God bless and good luck.

Whats in an accolade?

Today i got to thinking about what the Olympics is really about. There will be millions of people tuning in, or turning up, for world’s greatest display of athletes and sports men/women. Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis, Michael Phelps, Bradley Wigins,  Tashmina  Kohistani to name but a few.


 But wait a minute.... Bolt, yes we all know him world 100 meter record holder. Ennis, the babe of British athletics and world champion Heptathlete (and may I say a bit of alright). Phelps is a legend in the world of swimming and a multi millionaire to boot. Bradley Wiggins the name on every cyclist lips this last week after winning the highest accolade in road cycling the Tour De France. And finally  Tashmina  Kohistan ........who? Yes I said Tashmina  Kohistan, Afghanistan's only female athlete. Well why not throw her name into the hat? She trains as hard as the others, in fact for Tashmina, I would say training is far more difficult  than all of the others. Her best time is 15 seconds for the 100 meters, which is 4 seconds slower than the world record, and in 100 meter terms that is an absolute chasm.



 But wait a minute.....which of the above named athletes will be thinking this is the pinnacle of their careers? I would again say that it’s Tashmina. She has a dream of making the Final of the 100 meters, no not to win the 100 meters but to merely make the final. In reality she has not got a prayer, but the Olympic dream is there none the less. I don’t want to seem like I have disrespect for the richer ethletes. This is not the case. Wiggins winning gold would be great for him I am sure, but it won’t compare with the winning of the Tour De France. If Roger Federer  wins the Olympic gold medal, it will merely be the icing on a very large cake.



 In my opinion for the big names of the Olympics, money talks. And winning the Olympics is a way to enhance their earning potential. OK so it may be the highest accolade in some of the sports, but other sports hardly ever mention Olympic winners. Take football for instance, now who were the last Olympic champions?? We know who won the world cup, but no idea who are reigning Olympic champions? I mention again Tennis, the height of a tennis players career is a win at Wimbledon I would say. And finally Basketball, playing in the NBA is the height of any player’s career. In fact one of the British teams NBA players couldn't even be bothered to turn up for the Olympic squads training camps.



 This brings me to my point what’s in an accolade? Well for some, the Olympic champion accolade is the absolute height of their careers. Nothing they could ever do afterwards would surpass what they achieved. For others the Olympic Games is a break from them earning their usual £70,000 per week wages. Their coaches/teams think it’s an inconvenience that they compete in the games.

 I hope and pray that some of the lesser know athletes of the world can reach their pinnacle and stand on the podium to collect a medal. As for Tashmina, i hope she gets her Olympic dream, but reality will be that she will not. She will however always have the accolade that she competed in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Good luck and god bless.

The Ogley dirt farmer.: Metal Detecting Wales, Prestatyn and Kinmel bay.

The Ogley dirt farmer.: Metal Detecting Wales, Prestatyn and Kinmel bay.

Metal Detecting Wales, Prestatyn and Kinmel bay.

After my day out earlier this year in Kinmel bay, I thought I might re-visit, and re-double my efforts.

I set out at 5.30am, thinking that an early start would allow me to avoid the traffic which would be heading for the sunshine. I hit the M6 and looked up at the first overhead sign which read "road ahead closed"! Was this a sign of my luck for the day? Anyway a diversion which took me through to Stoke on Trent and almost 2 hrs later i arrived at the beach in Kinmel bay. It was not deserted as there were a couple of dog walkers there. Again the car park was free, which is a bonus after using £15 in fuel to get there. The tide was way out and offered acres of hard flat sand for me to scan. I set the F75 SE up in the basic program with the sensitivity at 85. I quickly found the chatter caused by the wet beach was not helping me identify targets. I ended up knocking the sensitivity down to 55 to get it to a bearable level.

Well to say it was a letdown would be an understatement. It wasn't that i was digging loads of junk up because I wasn't. It was just devoid of signals, (maybe due to sensitivity being very low?) with only three ring-pulls coming up in almost two hours.

The shingle did not give up many items worth keeping, in fact only two. A couple of sea fishing weights, which by the way are not cheap to buy! I put them on a wall while I was getting a cup of tea from the refreshment hut on the car park, when I returned to my car the weights had gone. It was my intention to give them to a fisherman any way, if I happened across one.

promenade with tea hut in left corner.  © W.PARRY 2012

I then moved on to the beach at Colwyn bay, however by the time I got there the tide was fully up to the sea wall.

I drove on to Llandudno, passing through Rhos on sea. On arrival at Llandudno, i discovered there was little sand available to have a go at. I decided to turn back and head for Prestatyn. On the way back I noted the old decaying Victorian pier at Colwyn. Now that is somewhere worth a visit in the right conditions. I stopped off for a cup of tea at a refreshment stall and had a few minutes’ people watching. There were a couple of eastern European fellas running it, they were pleasant enough and made a bostin good cup of tea, served in a china mug. A guy joined the queue, I imagined he was some sort of Russian agent as he had dark glasses a coat and a hold all. Unfortunately they did not exchange cases and my agent departed with a 99 and two flakes!

KGB agent front center. © W.PARRY 2012

Victorian pier. © W.PARRY 2012

I finally arrived at Prestatyn and the tide was retreating like a French army. There were mounds of sand showing in the corners of the stone Groin's. People were on there in a flash digging holes and burying one and other. The tide is very quick in North Wales which allowed me some room on the beach within minutes.

 © W.PARRY 2012

The sand in the corners of the groin was fluffy and fresh which I presumed would be non conducive to finding anything. This I later found to be correct as the only things I found (a £1.00 coin a 20p coin and a 1p coin) came up about 20 meters from the high tide mark.

I love speaking to people when they enquirer how I’m doing, it often leads into offers of land to detect on. One local fell asked what I had found; I said not a lot and showed him. He pointed up to the ruins and said that's where you want to be, in those fields there. i explained the somewhat difficult process of gaining permission. He said go up there and if anyone comes along, tell them Bryn Cerrideg said it was ok. I said do you own the fields then? He said no but they won't say anything if you tell them my name. If only it was that easy lol.

I had a wonderful day out and caught a bit of sun. I will say that it’s hard going on the North Wales resort beaches. Don't go there expecting to come out with a pocket full of jewellery and coins because it won't happen. Go there for the love of detecting and to get some fresh air and exercise, anything else is a bonus.

Happy hunting, god bless and goodbye.

woz.

Here comes the sun do do do do, here comes the sun.

After a very wet and bleak summer so far, there is a crack of light appearing. Apparently the jet stream has moved North with higher temperatures and sunshine hot on its heels.

I would say it’s time to dust the BBQ off, however it’s highly unlikely that there is any dust anywhere in the country after the damping down we have had.

It’s too late for my Mesembryanthemum's they have been washed out after giving it their best shot to open between rain storms over the last month. On the plus side, my hanging baskets are thriving, they have been watered far more often by Mother Nature than they would ever have been by myself.

wife's blooms  © W.PARRY 2012

I have not managed to get out with my metal detector for about 5 weeks now! This is seriously annoying. I have had work issues which have took up lots of time, and then the weather has put the boot in for any other chances. The fields are waterlogged, and the rain is not a good companion while detecting.

So far I have plans to get out and do some searching this weekend; hopefully I will blog my adventure early next week.

Here comes the sun der de doo doo here comes the sun, I say, it’s alright.....................