Eve Livingston immerses herself in the world of David Armstrong, who calls himself “probably Scotland’s most prolific gold prospector” and belongs to a surprisingly devoted community of British gold panners. I had no idea that gold panning still happened in Britain, let alone that there was a British Gold Panning Association and a full calendar of competitions. Livingston doesn’t just uncover this subculture; she makes it sparkle, capturing the community’s camaraderie and the addictive thrill of spotting a glimmer in the pan. Pure gold.
I’m speaking to British Gold Panning Association President James Linnett about how on earth he finds time for international competitions and prospecting alongside his job as a fireman, when Dutch competition legend Frenk Hink makes a beeline for me.
“You’ve seen the Olympics?” he says, brandishing a shiny orange badge still in its plastic wrapping. “They swap these things, they collect them.” He thrusts the Dutch Gold Panning Association pin into my hand with a warm grin. “I’ll give this one to you,” he says, and is gone as abruptly as he arrived, a vision in a blazing orange NLD cap and t-shirt.
More picks on gold
My Dad Made the Biggest Jewelled Egg in the World. The Obsession Would Destroy his Marriage, Family and Fortune
“The mad venture – which my mother nicknamed ‘your father’s ego’ – would swallow my childhood.”
Dying for Gold: Who Killed the Miners of Buffelsfontein?
“South Africa’s government blockaded hundreds underground. The results were deadly.”
The Dystopian Underworld of South Africa’s Illegal Gold Mines
“When the country’s mining industry collapsed, a criminal economy grew in its place, with thousands of men climbing into some of the deepest shafts in the world, searching for leftover gold.”
