The Big Dig Metal Detecting Rally 2026 | Metal Detecting UK

Last weekend, The Bearded Bleepers headed to The Big Dig for our very first metal detecting rally and what an introduction to the wider detecting community it turned out to be! #TheBigDig2026 #MetalDetectingUK #MetalDetectingRally We filmed our first three days at the rally, with an incredible 700 acres of pasture and arable land available to detect. A massive thank you has to go to Niall and the whole Big Dig team. The event was brilliantly put together, everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and they couldn't have been better hosts. Did we find our fortune? Not quite! 😂 We didn't have much luck with the finds this time. My personal best was an 18th–19th century clog clasp, but I was more than happy to take that home. That's metal detecting. Finds can never be guaranteed, but a good time can be and we certainly had that. What really made The Big Dig special were the people. We met so many amazing detectorists, made new friends and spent hours sharing stories about detecting, finds and life in general. As our first ever rally, we couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the wider metal detecting community. We came for the detecting, but the people and atmosphere ended up being just as memorable as the fields themselves. Needless to say, The Bearded Bleepers will be back for The Big Dig 2027. See you there! 😁 In the meantime, enjoy our video covering our three days at The Big Dig and make sure you stay to the end for our photo gallery featuring some of the brilliant people we shared the fields with. We salute you! 🫡 ⏱️ THREE DAYS AT THE BIG DIG 00:00 The Big Dig 2026 – Our First Metal Detecting Rally 01:27 Day 1 – Evening Entertainment at The Big Dig 01:36 Day 1 – Sleeping Bag Diary 01:54 Day 2 – Wakey Wakey! 02:06 Day 2 – Metal Detecting UK | Morning Session 04:26 Day 2 – Lunch Break 04:52 Day 2 – HAMMERED! X 2 05:23 Day 2 – Edward VII Coin Find 05:42 Day 2 – Metal Detecting at The Big Dig 08:13 Day 2 – Tomik’s Metal Detecting Finds 09:26 Day 2 – End of the Day 09:53 Day 2 – Sleeping Bag Diary 10:25 Day 3 – Wakey Wakey! 10:34 Day 3 – Morning Metal Detecting at The Big Dig 12:29 Day 3 – Lee’s Metal Detecting Find 13:10 Day 3 – Lunch Break 13:34 Day 3 – Composite Cleaning Pencils 16:06 The Big Dig – Our Rally Comes to an End 16:31 The Big Dig 2026 – Photo Gallery 🧔 ABOUT THE BEARDED BLEEPERS We are a small team of detectorists dedicated to metal detecting UK landscapes, with a strong focus on the historic fields of the Surrey Hills. Led by Murray, who regularly uses the Minelab Equinox 900, we uncover and share the hidden history beneath our feet. We share our detecting adventures through weekly YouTube videos and our website, which includes our online museum showcasing our finds, along with the Bleepers Blog. Our group promotes responsible detecting while bringing the stories of past communities back to life. 🏛️ MUSEUM Check out our finds at the Shere Museum: https://beardedbleepers.co.uk/metal-d... Website: https://beardedbleepers.co.uk TikTok:   / beardedbleepers   Facebook:   / beardedbleepers   X: https://x.com/BeardedBleepers Instagram:   / beardedbleepers