Metal detecting around a former Spalding racecourse with Lincolnshire’s Digging History was a dream come true for our Victoria

A morning’s metal detecting sparked a wild set of emotions — with a small beep able to push me from skin-bursting excitement right through to the comedown of dashed hopes. Plus, it was a cracking arm workout.

Metal detecting has long been on my bucket list as I’m fascinated by history and love the idea of uncovering an object which has been hidden for centuries.

I was finally been able to achieve that dream thanks to the Martin Stokes and the lovely team at Digging History, who allowed me to join one of their regular organised sessions around Lincolnshire.

Digging History - which follows strict rules of gaining farmers’ permission and properly recording its finds - was formed a few years ago and has grown in popularity with people travelling from as far as the Lake District on a cold but bright winter’s morning to scour a field on the outskirts of Spalding.

This site in question had an exciting past as it was used as a race course for more than 100 years.

The first races are believed to have been registered in September 1732 by John Cheny and it grew to have a three day programme. Sadly, the last meeting was held there in 1854 and it has been used as an agricultural field for many years.

So, this field had the potential for a lot of exciting finds.

Martin, who was introduced to metal detecting by a friend and has never looked back, explained the draw of this hobby.

He said: “It is lovely being outdoors, the freedom and peace of it and the escape. Not to mention the feeling of pulling a piece of history out of the ground.

“A lot of people think this is about treasure but it’s not - it’s about the history.”

And it was that passion for history is what shone through from the enthusiasts I spoke to on the day.

Tom Harlow, who had travelled from Whittlesey to Spalding to take part, described metal detecting as ‘a moment of joy and hours of boredom’.

He said: “There is nothing like it when you pick up that buzz and don’t realise what you are holding.

“Metal detecting is good fun. You get a lot of horse shoes and nails.

“If you find something you are happy. You will hear hairy builders discussing an Edward I penny.”

He also feels that there is a benefit to farmers for allowing metal detecting on their fields.

Tom said: “If they have a bad crop, they can invite us on and we can make up for that bad crop and they get some money.”

Jonathan Hammer, of Tydd Gote, is an experienced metal detector with decades of experience under his belt.

He said: “I have a big interest in history and it just seemed like a natural step.

“I went out and bought a metal detector. When I look back at what was available at the time, technology has moved a long way forward. We don’t realise until we look back how we ever found anything.”

One of his most impressive finds was a gold Celtic stater, which was used as currency between approximately 200 BC and AD 60.

He said: “You don’t realise when you are walking about in a field what someone has dropped hundreds of years ago and you are the first person to pick it up. It is an amazing feeling.”

Gintaras Beimavicius, of Grantham, had luck a couple of years ago when he found a rare medieval brooch during an event in Weston Hills. The golden brooch remains with Lincoln Museum which is evaluating its value.

At the event in Spalding he said: “I love English history. I have also found Bronze age axes.”

An interest in the Second World War led Martin Sewell, from Grimston near King’s Lynn, to metal detecting.

After roaming around former air fields in this country, Mr Sewell has also been to Latvia where he has worked with an officially sanctioned project to find the bodies of Soviet and German soldiers who were killed in the Second World War.

On one occasion the bodies of 27 Germans were found in a grave.

Mr Sewell said: “It is important work as there are so many lost soldiers from both sides in Latvia. Those families don’t know what happened to them.

“When you look at the landscape the only thing that changes is the farm buildings and houses, not the contours of the land. If you recover an item, you are the first person in hundreds of years to find that object.”

I headed out onto the field with a Minelab 800V detector, a pinpointer and a spade thanks to a generous loan of Martin.

Walking onto the field, I couldn’t help but admire the skill of the experienced detectorists who were able to juggle all of this equipment while also discovering some amazing finds.

The other thing I couldn’t help but admire was the arm strength of the enthusiasts who were able to strongly swing the detector head a short distance over the ground to find the hidden objects.

And it was soon apparent that my weak arms were not up to the task but a ‘ping’ from the detector distracted me.

I had excitedly placed down the metal detector (as I’m missing the female multi-tasking or holding gene) and grabbed the shovel to start to dig a small hole. Then as Martin advised, I’d picked up the metal detector again and waved it over the hole and the pile of mud to locate where the signal was.

It remained in the hole so I pulled out the pinpointer out - with its shrill sound - to help narrow my search further. Once I had pinpointed the location and excitedly pulled out - a piece of old iron.

While it’s not got a monetary value, I have kept it as it was my first find and it didn’t dampen my excitement for metal detecting.

Travelling further up the field, we picked up further signals which resulted in a square headed nail, a bit of lead and a button - although that was Martin’s find rather than mine as I’d handed over the metal detector as my arms were aching.

Neil Burrell, of Sutton Bridge, and Vinny Styles, who lives in March, had much more luck than I did as they discovered cap badges and even a George III half-penny along with golf balls.

Other finds reported by detectorists included a lot of military buttons thanks to the practice of ‘shodding’ when old uniforms - then made of natural fibres - were ploughed back into the soil.

Another thing that struck me during my morning was how incredibly generous this group is. Everyone who booked in were happy to support a football card which was raising money for Combat Stress.

To illustrate this further, its members raised a fantastic £17,000 for Combat Stress last year and have now set themselves the target of £100,000.

I loved my morning metal detecting and it was amazing how I’d lost time while enjoying the fresh air and winter sunshine. Now I’m off to the gym to work on my arm strength.