What hobby should I try? (2024)

  • Date: June 23, 2024
  • Time to read: 5 min.

What hobby can I do?

The benefits of having a hobby and finding the perfect fit in today’s fast paced world, finding time can be challenging and require some thought.

However, choosing the perfect hobby is an excellent way to break away from the routine of daily life and discover your own personal space and time of enjoyment and fulfillment.

Hobbies not only provide fulfillment and happiness, but also offer numerous mental, emotional and even physical benefits.

Hobby list

Forget about needing a huge list of hobbies to choose from. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages of choosing metal detecting as a hobby and provide you with guidance on how to start, the kit you’ll need, where you can go and what to if you find treasure!!

With the economy being like it is, finding a potential hobby that could very easily turn into a great side hustle can’t be ignored. There are some great links throughout this article with more information!

One great entry idea is to find a metal detecting club near you or maybe find farmers who allow metal detecting on their land.

Check out my article on coin collecting as a hobby to compliment metal detecting.

Benefits of a hobby

Hobby meaning

Stress Relief and Relaxation: Engaging in a hobby, especially metal detecting allows you to disconnect from the demands of work and responsibilities.

This promotes relaxation and reduces stress as you are in your own world. Regardless if it’s gardening, painting, playing an instrument, or any other activity, hobbies provide an outlet for self-expression and an opportunity to unwind.

Personal Development: Hobbies encourage personal growth and development. When you pursue a hobby, you acquire new skills and knowledge, enhancing your cognitive abilities and expanding your horizons.

metal detector harness

By choosing metal detecting as a hobby, you can become super skilled using a metal detector to find the smallest of hidden coins and artefacts.

From finding these these items, your knowledge base and research skills expand as your find out more about the interesting things you find.

Whether you’re learning a new language, cooking exotic cuisines, or delving into photography, hobbies stimulate your mind and promote continuous learning.

Enhanced Creativity: Hobbies often involve creativity, which has a positive impact on overall well-being. Engaging in creative activities, such as researching the history of a farm you want permission for boosts problem-solving skills, fosters innovation and ignites a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.

Hammered penny

Increased Happiness: Hobbies bring joy and happiness into your life. The act of pursuing something you love can release endorphins and trigger a sense of fulfillment, leading to increased happiness and overall satisfaction.

The thrill of finding a buried coin or artefact that has not seen daylight for hundreds or even thousands of years is immense!

Imagine finding a piece of jewellery like a Roman brooch. You are the first person to hold that for what could be up to 2000 years! The happiness of these types of finds is immense.

Social Connections: Hobbies offer opportunities for social interaction and connection. Joining metal detecting clubs, groups, or communities centered around a shared interest provides a platform to meet like minded people.

This brings new friendships and expands your social network. Engaging in hobbies with others can also enhance teamwork and collaboration skills.

What hobby should I try?

Will metal detecting suit you as hobby?

metal detecting clubs near me

Metal detecting is the perfect hobby for someone who wishes to get out there and get some fresh air.

You’ll get a little fitter from gentle walking, a little digging and the swinging of a metal detector.

It’s also the perfect hobby for someone who has an interest in history, old things like coins and artefacts and what they may have been used for.

This extends into sparking an interest for research, either from books, online resources or even talking to people in your village or town about local history.

Researching local land can be one of the most fascinating persuits that can reveal some amazing information and buried items of interest.

Read my article about some essential research tips and 7 online resources here!

These could include old manor houses, medieval fair sites or footpaths leading to medieval churches!

Metal detecting is the perfect hobby for someone wishing to make new friends.

The community is huge and joining a local club or organised rallies is a great way to meet people with similar values.

Finally, of all of the hobbies that could be chosen, metal detecting is one of the only hobbies that could change your life.

Finding a rare coin or artefact could change your life! It has done for many people.

How do I start metal detecting?

There a few things to quickly cover here, luckily, I can help you out with! I have been metal detecting for over 20 years and made all of the mistakes a newbie would make!

Discover Metal Detecting was created by me to be a source of information for anyone new wishing to find out more about how and where to start in this fascinating hobby!

Metal detecting basics!

You obviously need some equipment. This will include a metal detector, something to dig with and some smaller items that can make your detecting day go easier.

Read my article on Metal detecting for beginners – Where to start here.

Read my article on finding the Best metal detector for beginners here.

You need to know what do if you find something of significance or value! Even if you’re not sure, you need to find out if it might be treasure. This has to be declared by law but dont panic!

Read my article on Treasure definition and what it means here.

You also need to know where you can and where can’t go metal detecting. All land in the UK belongs to someone. (You can thank the Norman conquest for that!)

This is either a private land owner or the Crown. Even a play park looked after by local council is ultimately owned by the current monarch. Beaches are included but much relaxed now.

Other places to watch for are SSSI’s (Site of Special Scientific Interest) or SM’s (Scheduled Monument). The consequences of digging on these sites could really ruin your day!

Read my article on metal detecting rules here.

Final thoughts

Underwater metal detector

I hope this short article has maybe raised your eyebrows or even sparked an interest in looking more into the hobby of metal detecting.

If you’re thinking about looking for a second hand machine, read my article on the Pro’s & Con’s of Secondhand machines here.

The one hobby that could change your life or even provide some extra income from finding lost money or jewellery on a beach!

Read my article on earning extra income from beach metal detecting here!

I have included a few links to some more articles that drill down a little deeper on what you need to look for when starting metal detecting.

Good luck and happy hunting!!