I would love to go mudlarking when I visit England this spring - but there don’t appear to be many opportunities to do it legally in London. Does anybody know of a good place to go outside of London? Or just good places to beachcomb. I love to walk the strand line anywhere I go.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3649 posts
You need a special permit to mudlark on the Thames and is very difficult to get one even for UK residents. But I believe you can do guided tours with a permitted person (here's an example: https://thames-explorer.org.uk/guided-tours/). You can't keep any of the artifacts though.
Hopefully some of our UK forum folk will weigh in on other options for you.
Posted by
London
1063 posts
CL is correct- you need a permit to do this in London and they're harder to get now. However, I have done one of those tours where they take you down to the foreshore- as CL says you can't keep anything but it's still fun and great to have a guide who can explain what things are. If you're looking for more beachcombing opportunities, the main place to do this is Lyme Regis, along the Jurassic coast, where you can find fossils.
Posted by
London
2263 posts
It immediately made me think of the famous Lego shipwreck. There's still Lego pieces washing up on a beach in Cornwall 28 years after the ship carrying them sunk.
Posted by
UK (London - Chelsea Harbour)
490 posts
Advice here is excellent!
I would only add that if you do go beachcombing anywhere, PLEASE be super careful and check the tide tables. I am sure you know this, but not only are finds much more exposed at low tide, but in many places, tides rise and fall dramatically (up to 10m in some places) and can trap you in bays or against cliffs: so know your exit routes! Only 6 inches of rising water can sweep an adult right off their feet. Again, I know you know this… but I would be remiss to not mention it.
Personal (bad) experience makes this a compelling topic for me. :-)
Posted by
London
2263 posts
I'm not sure of the legality, but if you don't keep stuff you find by The Thames you're fine? Cat made me consider this with her post. When I worked at Bankside, I'd go down to the shore sometimes at low tide and you can find clay pipe fragments without really looking. Not very interesting, but once you know they're there, you see lots of them.
I would be cautious around The Thames without knowing what you're doing. It's quite a scary river at times. It's ferociously tidal for one thing. Big difference between high and low tide even right up through Westminster and beyond.
Posted by
London
1063 posts
Gerry is correct- I should clarify- the permit is required only if you want to take what you find with you. Anyone can go down to the foreshore, you don't need a permit for that, tho keep in mind Volva's excellent point about being mindful of the tide times and knowing your nearest exit. If you were to get a permit and take things with you, it's also important to know you're only allowed to take what you can see lying on the foreshore, you're not allowed to dig.
For a lot more info on this and the kind of things you can find, definitely read Mudlarking by Lara Maiklam. She also has a great Instagram account where she shows her finds, as does the account "Jason Mudlark."
Posted by
London
2263 posts
I am subscribed to the channel "nicola white mudlark - Tideline Art" on YouTube.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3649 posts
Thanks locals for clarifying that the mudlarking permit is only required to keep artifacts, I made an assumption that the OP would be pocketing items to bring home. If you just want to stroll and look there are many places to access the Thames shoreline but some are a little precarious (e.g. ladders) and can be slippery. On a trip in late June I got down to the river at this spot, but had to traverse quite a lot of mud on the steps https://maps.app.goo.gl/JWgwj83jNdYXHXNo6
I second the suggestion to check out Lara Maiklam's Instagram account. She posts "spot the find" videos that are mesmerizing.