I started out in 2002 and only did a bit of my own land when i had it or the occasional rally .
From 2005 i did a lot more land and joined clubs but certain commitments and the lack of finds turned me to the beaches .
From 2006 i started beaches and it became easier for me just to get the bus to the beach , from 2010 i got very into the beaches and from 2013 almost exclusively . Now its just 1 or 2 digs a year and the rest is beaches .
I dont get bothered much on the beach , if you have eye contact with people they will bother you one way or the other . They might be nice or just silly or sometimes stupid but i never get fed up .
I usually find lots on the beaches though not much Gold , coinage helps pay for the hobby and any Gold gets kept for a rainy day .
Beach detecting has a lot of variables other than people bothering you . You have to consider the weather , wind conditions , tides , ability to read the beach , Detector type , dry or wet beach detecting , settings far more than land detecting , a lot more different finds types , times to detect , sometimes permission and crown estate permission and the right digging tools and on many beaches patients .
If you get all those right then beach detecting can be very profitable if you have the right beaches .
But be warned there are a few things that will affect beach detecting in the future .
These are the fact that people are paying for their wares by card or phone these days , parking charges are getting higher , coins are being minted of coated Iron and they are very iffy signals sometimes and they rust and next year the Pound changes . If you search by numbers then that coin will be different numbers . Probably the same as the Euro coin .
For me the beach is where i will stay for the next few years . its too good .
Unless you have a field producing lots of Staters or something.