‘I first started detecting back in 1976 on the farm where my parents trained racehorses in Ascot in Berkshire. It was during the heat wave that year that a parch mark showed on one of the fields and this turned out to be the course of a Roman road. It was here that I found my first Roman coin, a sestertius of Faustina using a C-Scope BFO detector. From then on I was hooked!’

‘I soon realized that many detectorists experienced difficulty gaining permission to metal detect on farm land. I found that many land owners were happier to grant permission to a professional, well run organization and hence the Weekend Wanderers were born’ 

’The club started back in 1990 with our first ever Sunday dig at Maple Cross with just fifteen people’

The Wanderers is now the largest metal detecting club in the UK and consists of happy enthusiasts of all ages, ability and  walks of life.

’Our second dig took place at Ripley in Surrey and the excellent finds from this prolific site soon saw club membership rapidly increasing’

Several years later, Pete moved to Ashford, Middx. Technology had advanced and detectors now had LCD screens but finding land was hard so he joined the Thames Valley Search Society in Langley. 

‘I met Sarah on a WW dig in 1998 at one of our farms in Islip, Oxfordshire. At the time Sarah was already a very good detectorist & had made plenty of great finds.

Since then, Sarah enjoys helping run the digs and has great affection for our club members’

You will often see Sarah at the gate when you turn up to the digs but not for long. As soon as detecting starts, she is off out with her detector as she can’t wait to join you all for a day full of exciting digging!

This web site was designed by Peter Welch in 2009.

All pages are subject to copyright

‘Hi, my name is Peter Welch and I am the founder & owner of the Weekend Wanderers Metal Detecting Club’