Gold Panning Courses

The pursuit of gold can be addictive so be warned!
Once bitten you may never be free again.

From the earliest times, men and women have searched for gold, one of the world's most precious metals. Its scarcity means that if you find it, you have found something of beauty and of great value too.

Gold can be found in many areas of Scotland and particularly in the Lowther Hills around Wanlockhead and Leadhills where gold panning has been popular for centuries. Gold is found in the sands and gravels in the burns which act as a natural means of concentrating the gold. At various times prospectors were drawn to the Wanlockhead locality in search of gold. The first documented evidence of the recovery of gold in the area is from the reign of King James IV of Scotland in the early 16th century. During the reign of King James V, gold from the Crawfurd Muir was incorporated in the new crowns for the King and Queen. Much of the gold coinage of King James V (1513 - 1542) and Mary Queen of Scots (1542 - 1567) was minted in Edinburgh from gold from this area.

The Honours of Scotland

The Honours of Scotland are the oldest Crown Jewels in the United Kingdom and among the oldest in Christendom. Their survival through the centuries has depended on many loyal Scots, some known but just as many unknown. Crown, Sword and Sceptre epitomise the ancient realm of Scotland with all its history of promise, failures and triumphs. For a small nation, jealous of its unique identity, the Honours are precious beyond price.

	The Mennock Pass
	Over the millennia the climate has worked on the local rocks to form the rounded landscape of the Lowther Hills as illustrated by this photograph of the Mennock Pass, probably the most beautiful pass in Southern Scotland.

Gold Coins

Much of the gold coinage of King James V (1513 - 1542) and Mary Queen of Scots (1542 - 1567) was minted in Edinburgh from gold from this area.

	Panning Equipment
	The two most efficient and popular items of equipment used in 'gold rushes' of the 19th century to recover gold from the rivers and burns were sluice boxes and rockers. Sluice boxes, rockers and pans have been in use for thousands of years. In the Caucus mountains today the Svan gold hunters use wooden pans and similar methods to recover gold.

Panning at Wanlockhead and Leadhills

The favoured method of recovering gold in Wanlockhead and Leadhills was the sluice or trough, although pans were also used and still are today. Several types of pans are available - steel, copper and plastic. Gold panning is still carried out in this area and Wanlockhead hosted the World Gold Panning Championships in 1992 and annually hosts the British and Scottish Gold Panning Championships. Click here to see some of the images from the recent Championships.

Finding gold can be a very enjoyable experience, not only from the money value of the metal, but just as much for the opportunity to be out in the fresh air in some of the most spectacular countryside in the world.

A gold panner will never be able to predict whether a session will yield gold or nothing, in many ways like the fisherman, but who knows, one day it may be a nugget of Scottish gold and that is what keeps us searching.

At The Museum of Lead Mining we offer a wide range of courses in Gold Panning to suit everyone. We also sell Gold Panning equipment, publications and maps. Visit our shop to order your requirements.