Getting started
How to Research Land Before Metal Detecting
Learn a practical, repeatable way to investigate a permission before visiting.
Read guide →Free learning resources
Research the ground.
Understand its history.
Practical, beginner-friendly guides to historical mapping, forgotten routes and research intelligence. Learn how to investigate an area before you head out detecting.
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Start with Research Intelligence or choose a topic you want to learn about.
Research intelligence
How Research Intelligence Helps You Investigate an Area
See how combining historical clues can make pre-detecting research more focused.
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Historic maps
How to Find Lost Settlements Using Historic Maps
Spot former buildings and settlement patterns without confusing map symbols with confirmed remains.
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Historic routes
How to Identify Forgotten Footpaths and Historic Routes
Understand labelled and unlabelled routes and why old paths matter to landscape research.
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Roman Britain
How Roman Roads Can Help Your Metal Detecting Research
Use mapped Roman routes as historical context while recognising uncertainty in route reconstructions.
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Map comparison
How to Compare Historic Maps with Modern Satellite Imagery
A beginner-friendly method for finding changes while avoiding common interpretation mistakes.
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Evidence analysis
How to Use Historical Evidence to Prioritise Research Areas
Learn what overlapping evidence can and cannot tell you about a potential research area.
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DetectraPro tutorials
How to Use DetectraPro’s Analyse This Area Tool
A step-by-step introduction to examining mapped historical evidence in a selected area.
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