Metal Detecting Clubs You Can Join Across the UK (Contacts, Costs & How to Apply)

Joining a reputable metal detecting club is the fastest way to get legal permissions, learn from experienced diggers, and record your finds responsibly with the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). Many clubs cap numbers for land/insurance reasons, so some operate waiting lists or run pay-per-dig groups instead of fixed memberships. Below is a region-by-region list of established UK clubs and dig groups with direct contact routes and the clearest available joining or fee info (as of 8 September 2025).

Tip: Most UK clubs expect you to hold NCMD membership (or equivalent) for liability insurance. You can join or renew online. National Council for Metal Detecting

South East (Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hants, Bucks, Berks, Oxon)

• Weekend Wanderers (multi-county: Bucks, Hants, Oxon, Northants). Large, long-running club founded 1989; regular weekend digs. Join via their Membership page/contact form. weekendwanderersdetecting.com

• West Kent Detector Club (Kent). Founded 1978/79; community displays and a recovery service. Currently manages enquiries via a contact form; has periodically paused new member intake. wkdc.co.uk

• Mid Kent Metal Detector Club (Kent). Established 1977; active monthly meetings/digs; details and contact on the club website. midkentmdc.org.uk

• Dartford Metal Detecting Club (Kent). Small club, membership limited to 50; contact via site’s form if spaces open. Dartford Detecting

• Swale Search & Recovery MDC (Kent). Club with free “finds recovery” service; contact via site. steve86455.wixsite.com

• White Cliffs MDC (Dover, Kent). Meets first Tuesday monthly (Cricketers, River). Contact via Kent Archaeological Society listing. Kent Archaeological Society

• Searchers Metal Detecting (West Sussex focus). Open group; mid-week & weekend pay-per-dig; contact email/phone published. detecnicks.co.uk

• Midweek Searchers (Sussex/Hants/Wilts/Berks/Surrey). 2–3 digs a week; pre-register via email; NCMD/FID required on the day. midweeksearchers.co.uk

• Sussex Heritage Hunters (Sussex). Local club; meetings, finds of the month; contact via website. sussexheritagehunters.yolasite.com

• South East Detecting / South East Searchers (Sussex/Surrey/Hants). Community dig groups; current activity primarily via Facebook posts/updates. Facebook

• Soil Searchers MDC (Hants/Berks/Oxon/Wilts + occasional Somerset). Day digs and weekenders; details and joining info on site. The Soil Searchers Metal Detecting

• Brentwood & District MDC (BMDC) (Essex). Long-standing club; joining information and contact on official site. brentwoodmetaldetectingclub.co.uk

• Metal Detectives Group (multi-county southern digs). Register for organised pay-per-dig events across many southern counties (inc. Essex, Herts, Norfolk, Oxon). metaldetectives.co.uk

East of England (Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex)

• Dereham & District MDC (DDMDC) (Norfolk). ~50 members; monthly meetings in Mattishall; currently open for 2025 enquiries. ddmdc.co.uk

• King’s Lynn MDC / West Norfolk Search & Recovery Group (Norfolk). Taking new members; contact via website. westnorfolkmetaldetectors.co.uk Metal Detecting Forum

• Norfolk Metal Detecting Community. Active Facebook community for local contacts/digs. Facebook

• Suffolk clubs directory: Ipswich & District DC, Mildenhall & District DC, St Edmunds Searchers, Iceni Searchers, East Coast Searchers — listed via Suffolk Heritage Explorer with FLO liaison. suffolkher.esdm.co.uk

• CAMDC (Cambridgeshire Area MDC). Meets 2nd Monday monthly around Stapleford; contact historically coordinated via forum; see latest directory notes. Metal Detecting Forum

• Brentwood & District MDC (Essex). See above. brentwoodmetaldetectingclub.co.uk

• Colchester Treasure Hunting (Essex). Operates detecting tours/club around Colchester; membership/tours explained on site. (Tours rather than a typical local club.) colchestertreasurehunting.co.uk

South West (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset)

• Kernow Search & Recovery (Hayle, Cornwall). ~40 members; monthly club digs when land permits; currently full with a reserve list — contact the Secretary via site. Kernow Search and Rescue Metal Detecting Forum

• Torbay Metal Detecting Club (South Devon). Membership capped (max ~30) with a waiting list; contact through the site or public Facebook page. Torbay Metal Detecting Club

• Weymouth & Portland MDC (Dorset). Monthly meets; membership £20/year (includes AMDS liability cover at time of publication) — email contact on site. Weymouth & Portland Metal Detecting Club

• Bournemouth MDC. Community group with local finds/recovery; activity coordinated via Facebook. Bournemouth Detecting Club

Midlands (Derbyshire, Notts, Leics, Northants, Staffs, Warks)

• Derby Artefacts Recovery Club (DARC) (Derby). Founded 1974; monthly meeting first Thursday (Feb–Dec); membership limited (~80); NCMD required; waiting list via contact form. New Project

• High Peak MDC (Derbyshire). Small friendly club; meets a couple of Thursdays per month in Chinley; email contact published. ukdetectornet.co.uk

• Crewe & Nantwich Metal Detecting Society (Cheshire/Staffs fringe). Active society; membership application & contact via official site. canmds

• Leicestershire Metal Detecting Society (LMDS). Monthly programme; memberships currently closed with a waiting list; contact via published email on community listing. barrowuponsoar.org.uk

• Loughborough Coin & Search Society (LCSS) (Leicestershire). Club digs Aug–May; membership windows & joining process via website. lcss.org.uk

• Central Searchers (Northants/Beds/Cambs). Membership £25/year; members’ dig fee ~£8; non-members ~£12; aims for a dig most weekends; details via UK Detector Net listing. ukdetectornet.co.uk

• Cotswold Heritage & Detecting Society (CHADS) (Glos/Cotswolds). Guide for members; individual membership £24/year; couples £35 (latest published guidance); digs charge a small fee toward landowner/club costs; contact membership@… on site. yourcircle.org.uk chadsdetecting.org.uk chadsdetecting.org.uk

North West, Yorkshire & North East

• South Lancs & Cheshire MDC (SLC) (Widnes area). One of the UK’s older, larger clubs (founded 1978); meets first Wednesday monthly; membership £36/year incl. £10 NCMD (club forum post, 2025). haltonsthelensvca.org.uk Metal Detecting Forum

• South Ribble MDC (Preston). Meets first Monday monthly (Bridge Inn, Walton-le-Dale); regular rallies; check website/waiting list status. ukdetectornet.co.uk

• West Kirby MDC (Wirral). Local club; meeting cadence and venue published across listings; contact via club email/Facebook group. detecnicks.co.uk Facebook

• Two Dales MDC (Wharfedale & Airedale, West Yorkshire). Meets first Tuesday monthly at Addingham Memorial Hall; contact via site. twodales.comdetecting.org.uk

• Bridlington Quay Detecting Society (East Yorkshire). Meets second Wednesday monthly; contact secretary via published phone/email (directory listing). detecting.org.uk

• Freedomsearchers MDC (Darlington / North Yorkshire & NE England). Small newer club; membership capped (25); email for waiting list. ukdetectornet.co.uk

• North Detecting Events (North Yorkshire & NE). Organised, capped-numbers pay-per-digs; book/register via website. northdetectingevents.co.uk

Wales

• Pembrokeshire Prospectors Metal Detecting Society. Monthly meetings and club searches; contact/apply via site. pembrokeshireprospectors.org.uk

• Swansea MDC (“SMDC”). Active club communications via Facebook (email published for joining enquiries). Facebook

• Heritage MDC Swansea (HMDC). Separate Swansea-area club; membership capped (~70) with occasional waiting list; contact via website. heritagemdc-swansea.co.uk heritagemdc-swansea.co.uk

• Cardiff Scan Club (Cardiff). Membership status managed via public Facebook page; contact email provided. Facebook

• Historical Search Society (Mold) (Flintshire). Established 1976; ~120 members noted on club info page; activities in NE Wales. Geocities

Scotland

• Scottish Detector Club (Edinburgh/Lothians). Formed 1977 — Scotland’s oldest detecting club; promotes the hobby and responsible practice; contact via site. scottishdetectorclub.com

• Lothian Relics (digs & rallies). Runs regular events each month (pay-per-dig model) across Lothians; details and sign-ups via site. Lothian Relics

• Scottish Artefact Recovery Group (SARG) (Bonnybridge/Falkirk base). Club comms via Facebook page. Facebook

• (Regional pointers): There are active communities in Fife/Tayside/West of Scotland that announce digs via Facebook/forums; see round-ups and local guides for pointers to current groups. Live Breathe Scotland The Courier

Northern Ireland

Formal clubs are fewer and rules differ (see NI government guidance on “treasure” and archaeology). Most activity is coordinated via Facebook groups and small permission-sharing communities:

• Metal Detecting Ulster (community group). Facebook

• Ground Searcher – Metal Detecting Northern Ireland (community page). Facebook

Read NI guidance before you start: Advice for finders of treasure in Northern Ireland and related archaeology pages. Also note National Trust land policy (UK-wide) prohibits detecting except under an approved research agreement. Department for Communities nidirect National Trust

Costs, Insurance & Recording — What to Expect

• Membership and dig fees vary. Examples: Central Searchers (Northants/Beds/Cambs) lists £25/year membership with typical £8 member dig fee and £12 non-member (stated on its UK Detector Net listing). CHADS (Cotswolds) lists £24/year individual/£35 couples, with modest per-dig contributions for land/club costs. Several South-West/South-East clubs publish their own fee notes or cap numbers with waiting lists. Always check the latest on each site or by email. ukdetectornet.co.uk yourcircle.org.uk

• Insurance: Most clubs require NCMD (or recognised equivalent) membership for public liability cover; Scotland sometimes operates differently through Scottish clubs and local frameworks, so still ask your club what they accept. National Council for Metal Detecting

• Finds recording: Clubs typically encourage/require reporting to the PAS via your local Finds Liaison Officer; Dorset and Suffolk pages also show how clubs coordinate with their FLOs. Weymouth & Portland Metal Detecting Clubsuffolkher.esdm.co.uk

How to Choose a Club (and Get Accepted)

1. Start local, but look at dig coverage. Many clubs roam across several counties; pick one that schedules digs you can actually attend. (See Weekend Wanderers, Metal Detectives, Midweek Searchers.) weekendwanderersdetecting.com metaldetectives.co.uk midweeksearchers.co.uk

2. Check membership caps & waiting lists (common in Kent, Devon, Leicestershire, Swansea). Put your name down early. Dartford Detecting Torbay Metal Detecting Clubbarrowuponsoar.org.uk heritagemdc-swansea.co.uk

3. Confirm insurance (NCMD), code of conduct, rally rules, and landowner agreements before your first dig. National Council for Metal Detecting

4. Prefer clubs that work with FLOs and publish meeting/dig etiquette. (Good signs of a well-run club.) Weymouth & Portland Metal Detecting Club

Big Metal Detecting Clubs UK: Directories You Can Browse

If none of the above are ideal, these national directories list dozens of additional metal detecting clubs UK with contact details:

• Joan Allen UK Club Directory — regularly updated list of 100+ clubs nationwide. joanallen.co.uk

• UK Detector Net — UK Clubs (county-by-county) — long-running index; includes fee notes for some clubs. ukdetectornet.co.uk

• Metal Detecting Forum (Clubs & Groups section) — live threads with emails/meeting times and new-club announcements. Metal Detecting Forum

• Detectorist Diary UK Club Directory — curated list by region with contact pointers. Detectorist Diary