Structured searches – Reading the land
When we talk about metal detecting on open farmland we always imagine walking across fields, hoping to find something old and interesting.
sometimes a structured search can often increase your finds rate and indeed lead to some interesting discoveries.
Structured searches can take on many forms, such as map research, acting on information, looking for signs of habitation, such as tile and pottery.
One of my main forms of structured searching is following hedge lines, as they were very often field boundaries and an easy form of navigation from village to village. Imagine taking your cattle from one place to another, following a hedge line is much safer than an open field and the animals are easier to contain with a hedge on one side……Just my theory !
I have also found that hedgerows running from North to South or East to West have always given me the best results.
Sure you may find a little more junk following a hedgerow, but ancient junk is todays treasure, listen out for a change in ground signals and different soil conditions.
This video below shows how I thought I was on a track and then discovered something interesting, resulting in a couple of nice finds.
Following hedgrows for success
Gary Blackwell