Mudlarking is treasure hunting with a sense of history: at low tide you comb a river foreshore or shoreline for the things people dropped and discarded over centuries — clay pipe stems, pottery shards, buttons, coins, worn glass.

Every find is a tiny, direct touch of a past life, and the research afterward is half the fun.

The honest reality is it's tide- and weather-dependent, can be muddy and cold, and crucially needs permission: many foreshores (the Thames especially) require a permit, and you must follow local laws and reporting rules.