An Introduction to Gold Panning in Wanlockhead, Scotland

Kai enjoying the sun

As the 2018 season draws to a close and the mining museum shuts its doors for the winter; now is a good time to do a little introduction to gold panning in Wanlockhead, and some of the do's and don't's associated with it.

As some of you know 2018 was my first season "on the water". I'm telling you this first because I don't want anyone to think it has made me rich, or that there is a single thing in my house worth stealing. For a whole season I don't have much to show yet - but I have learned enough in those few short months to know where to find it, how to find it and how to get it out of the dang'd water to boot.

All that being said if you are looking for an old pro to guide you I am not the one. If you are a noob just starting out then pay attention, there are probably a few things you can learn from my (many) mistakes.

So first off there are a few rules to follow when you are gold panning in Scotland. First and foremost you must do no damage to flora and fauna, or to natural habitats. It is OK to dig into things as long as you fill your hole back in - and I can't stress this enough... ALWAYS fill your hole back in. It's the best way to let the reserves replenish and to ensure you don't change the flow of the whole river. as for the flora and fauna thing that means rinse the moss, don't pull it out at the roots. That moss took years to get there. While we are on the subject don't go digging into the banks either, keep it around the water and respect the land.

One of many waterways near Leadhills

Another very important rule is about location. There are rivers in Scotland that harbour a protected species of shellfish called the Freshwater Mussel. I don't have a photo because I have never come across one. You cannot pan in rivers known to home this species under any circumstances. You should also avoid any areas where salmon or other freshwater fish populate. Disturbing the silt in the river bed can upset their eggs, so be thoughtful about where you pan. A good way to get around this is to only work streams, although your chances of finding gold are higher in a river. Hence why the Leadhills area is quite so popular.

When you choose to pan in Wanlockhead you eliminate the problem of permission. You can buy a license from the Lead Mining Museum for as little as £3.50 for a day and you can rent a pan for about a fiver, so one day to have a shot and see if you like it really doesn't cost you much. I should also mention that there are some good maps out there that show where the gold veins run in Scotland. This one from GeoCache goes some way to explaining why Wanlockhead is such a popular mining area.

If you choose to go to other places to pan then this is reasonable. You need to get permission from the landowner - never poach for gold. If you have the landowner's permission and someone complains to you, you are in the right and you do not need to move on. However, the crown has already claimed all of the gold in Scotland - so if you do find a £50K nugget you need to formally ask the Queen if you can keep it. I'm only half kidding.

Exposed Bedrock is a good place to hunt for gold.

So: you have got the license, you have got your gold pan, you brought a shovel... where do you start looking? It's not as simple as picking any spot and digging, rather you need to examine the river for the best places to dig into. The river will have what is called a 'gold stream' which is the path that the gold slides down while it works its way through the water. If you dig down and get no gold you might not be on a gold stream and you may have just wasted two hours digging. Trust the voice of experience and learn how to test pan before you commit to a giant, fruitless, hole. I may do an article on that in the future, for now let's keep going.

Where the stream meets the river is another good place.

So the gold stream will generally build up around bends and it can be fairly easy to work it out when you get the hang of things. Imagine you are going down the river in a boat and riding the current. Which parts of the river would you hit? Look in those places for silt banks and that's where you dig. Another important thing to learn is that an open hole usually means whoever was digging it is coming back to finish it then fill it in. You should never jump into someone else's hole. It's rude. Likewise digging three foot downstream from them is cheeky as hell. Find your own spot so nobody questions you.

So once you have picked a place you want to look for clues. Things like quartz crystals, pyrite, other interesting mineral presences in the first pan you pull out. If the signs are looking good dig deeper. If you still don't find anything dig deeper some more. If you find anything like lead shot, nails or old steel bolts you are on the right track. Wear gloves because there are a lot of ignorant people that camp on the Mennock and leave their rubbish behind. There are smashed up bottles and all sorts, so be careful (and while we're at it don't be one of them).

Like my wellies?

Pyrite will fool you. If you can swirl water in the pan and the fleck of gold moves then it's generally pyrite. If you can't move it then it might be gold. You will find gold where you find fine black sand, which usually means you need to be right down to the bedrock level. The idea of using the pan is to shake it to trap the heavier debris in the bottom, then to wash away the top layers one layer at a time until you are left with only those heavier pieces. Prepare to have a sore neck and an aching back that first few times...

In terms of equipment you will need a garden spade, a gold pan and something to get the gold out with and store it in on your fist attempt. The Lead Mining Museum sells everything you need to get started and have a whole bunch more information than I could ever put here. If you want to increase your knowledge base before you go out and try for yourself then make a customary stop there on your first visit. They do great work and you will learn a lot.

Another way to learn is to stop the car and ask panners themselves. Most of them don't mind a chat, just don't ask them to share good spots with you. They won't. It takes a long time to learn where the good spots are and their locations are closely guarded secrets. The one I used for the pictures is one I found for myself. It isn't great and there is a load of man-made sand in there that makes it difficult to pan. For all my effort once again I got very little flour gold... One of these days though, the elusive nugget will be mine!

So that's all for today. I may return to this topic in the future, I want to gauge the reaction of the community first and make sure I haven't upset anyone with my article. Gold Panners are some of the best secret keepers in the world - but I'm one of them... you won't be getting any good spots from me either... you will just have to find them for yourself!