Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Accidental Detectorist

  • Uncovering an Underground Obsession
  • By: Nigel Richardson
  • Narrated by: Patrick Warner
  • Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (73 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Accidental Detectorist

By: Nigel Richardson
Narrated by: Patrick Warner
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

When a travel writer is stuck on home soil in the middle of a pandemic, he meets Kris Rodgers, one of Britain's eminent metal detectorists. Dipping a toe in the hobby, Nigel quickly finds himself swept up in the world beneath the surface. Above the ground are a cast of fascinating and passionate people who open Nigel's eyes to a subterranean world of treasure and stories that bring the history of the island to life.

Scouring the country from Cornwall to Scotland in search of treasure and the best detectorists, Nigel finds himself more immersed in the culture than he bargained for and makes his own personal journey from cynicism to obsession in his trail through the heartlands of metal detecting. From women's groups who react against the hobby's male bias, to the 'Nighthawks' who risk jail-time in their pursuits, he finds his preconceptions disabused and gets to the heart of what makes this quiet community so obsessed with happy beeps.

©2022 Nigel Richardson (P)2022 Octopus Publishing Group
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Full English cover art
Bibliomaniac cover art
One Man and His Bike cover art
How We Fish cover art
The Farmer's Wife cover art
Bothy Tales cover art
Walking the Great North Line cover art
Ancestors cover art
Confessions of a Bookseller cover art
Buried cover art
Ring the Hill cover art
Next to Nature cover art
The Road cover art
Liquid Gold cover art
Help the Witch cover art
The Backyard Adventurer cover art

What listeners say about The Accidental Detectorist

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    62
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    56
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    54
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Makes you Smile

It’s a very realistic view of the people within the hobby.Excellent book for a detectorist or beginner of the hobby.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

As a new Detectorist this rang so true

I've been detecting for around 9 months and I kept finding myself saying, that sounds like me, that's just what happens to me.
Apart from the author seeming to be able to get invited to permissions without much trouble, I put this down to being a journalist and knowing how to write the right things in emails, it's an accurate account of the trials and tribulations of detecting and trying to find something interesting
I would highly recommend reading/listening if you're wanting to dip your toe in becoming a metal detector .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great account of starting a fantastic hobby

I really hope Nigel writes a second book to take us through his next phase of detecting. Thoroughly good account and certainly reminds me of my first year in this amazing hobby.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspirational listen

After an accidental purchase of “muddlarking”, and subsequent 3 x listen I felt envious of those fortunate enough to be close to them Thames… I live in the darks of Cornwall..then this treasure of a book was recommended! I have already listen twice and still feel I haven’t absorbed all the wisdom contained within it. This book has been written with intelligence, looking at both sides of argument around historical finds and how they are discovered. I truly appreciate the trouble the author had gone to speak with each stakeholder involved in the ‘conflict’. Now when I go sea glass collecting with my 2 & 6 yo boys, I can tell why some of those red stones have corners have right angles.

But what I took from this book mainly is it’s about finding our place in the world, feeling connected within that space and most importantly connecting with others. I feel really feel not just for myself but for society as a-whole that isolation is at an epidemic point and only increasing One day, IF the pennies ever add up, I hope to have the pleasure of joining you on the beach or field

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A thoroughly good listen

Funny and informative. As an amateur detectorist myself I enjoyed listening to Nigel’s journey. I could identify with some of his frustrations and picked up a few tips as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Honest & Useful Insight Into Metal Detecting

As a middle aged man looking for a hobby to get me away from my desk at home, the post pandemic world we now live in, this was the ideal story to give me that push I need. I wonder how many people have watched “Detectorists” and thought I wouldn’t mind a go at that. Well this book is an honest account of one persons journey into this world. I enjoyed it and am now saving for my first metal detector. Bring on the hammered!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent, but too short

excellent, but not long enough, more information is needed please. thank you enough words now?!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Some nice moments

I enjoyed this very gentle book. The journey that we are taken on let's us see the world from a privileged position in life. If only we all could freely roam around Britain just detecting to our hearts content and live in cottages with history. It was a good book, if just a little saccharine

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A familiar and pleasant book

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.


During my learning process, I often watched Youtube videos in order to get a grasp of the hobby, the frequent references to 'Digger Dawn' and the TV series 'The Detectorists' were very welcome to me and very familiar.


Great listen, story and narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mesmerising!

Having absolutely no interest in the hobby, other than watching the TV series I thought I would take a punt and I was so glad that I did.
Excellent story, well written and kept me interested with well balanced facts and narrative, been back and listened several times and the narration was excellent, I couldn’t believe that it was not read by the author such was the narrators tone and pace.
I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!