The Accidental Detectorist

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What happens when a middle-aged travel-writer, home-locked due to the Covid pandemic, discovers the world of metal-detecting – initially dismissed as somewhat outlandish, but somehow, an itch that takes hold, and must be satisfied.

Searchers, seekers, hobbyists, all of them falling captive to the allure of the hunt – once unearthed a journey that seems to find its own path – and one which, for the author, is an unmistakably compelling one. Finding himself in the process, as, over the course of one year (outlined in this book), he grows from awkward novice to a devotee embedded in a close-knit community of, some would say, oddballs, but really more aptly described as dopamine-linked journeymen (for this band of brothers is by-and-large male).

Caught up in the in-the-moment with the wide-eyed wonder of reliving history, following in the footsteps of those who have walked, in some cases, centuries before us, on this very field, hill or pasture – perhaps leaving traces, often in the form of coins, buckles or buttons, serving to retell their narratives.

A fascinating look at an unusual hobby, the people it attracts, the rewards it provides (both to the detectorists, and the heritage world at-large), and yet another example of our shared humanity, and the strange and wonderful ways we can find our inner-most selves a home.

My stop today on the @randomttours #blogtour for #TheAccidentalDetectorist

A great big thank you to the author @nigeriwolf and the publisher @octopus_books for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

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