Guided gold panning · Scotland

Two days in the goldfields. Just you and the burn.

Spend two full days panning for real gold in the Scottish hills — privately, with me, the founder of UK Gold Prospector. One group at a time. No classroom, no crowd.

£425for two days, one person

Two full days on the water, one-to-one
Full tuition, plus your own XP panning kit to keep
Gold guaranteed — or a vial on me
Lifetime access to the UK Gold Prospector map

See the dates

Hold your dates free for 48 hours, then pay a £50 deposit to confirm.

Scottish gold country

How the two days run

From your first swirl to gold in the vial.

Most people learn to pan from a video and a bucket. You'll learn it where the gold actually is, on streams known to carry gold — and by the end of day two you'll know how to go and find it on your own.

Two gold pans and a classifier laid out ready to go

Learn to read the water

We start with the kit and the technique — the shake, the tilt, the slow finish — until it's second nature. Then we walk the burn: where the water slows, where heavy gold drops out, and why the inside of a bend matters.

By the afternoon you're classifying and panning real stream gravel down to the black sand, looking for your first colours.

Work a second stream

A different burn, a step up. We work gravel bars and bedrock cracks in the stream bed — we keep to the stream bed, never the banks — and you learn to sample, move on, and follow the colours.

We finish by cleaning up your concentrate and putting your gold in a vial to take home.

Prices · 2027 founding season

Priced for one or two.

It's built around one person, or a pair, getting my full attention. Bring a friend and the second place is only £270 more. Days are kept to one or two people so you get proper attention. These are founding-season prices for 2027.

£50 deposit secures your dates; the balance is due four weeks before. If I have to cancel your dates before the trip, you get everything back in full.

Just youTwo days, one-to-one £425Choose dates → Most popular Two of you£347.50 each · couples, pairs, parent & son or daughter £695Choose dates →

Three or more of you? Get in touch and I'll see what I can do.

What's included

Turn up in waders. Go home with your own kit.

Included

Two full days of one-to-one guiding
Your own XP gold panning kit to take home — a pan and classifier, a smaller finishing pan, two snuffer bottles, a loupe and two vials, in a drawstring bag (one each — typically around £55 if bought separately)
All your panning permits for the trip (one each), plus a 12-month permit where the ground we use offers one, so you can keep panning all year
All the equipment for the two days, plus a midge net hat to keep
A fire-cooked meal on the evening of day one, if you’d like it — tell me about any allergies or dietary needs when you book
The gold you find, to take home (under the panning permit's terms)
The gold guarantee
Lifetime access to the UK Gold Prospector map (normally £39.99)
Discount codes for Gold Magnet UK and Regton to take home (affiliate codes — I earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you)
£50 off your next trip, and £50 off for any friend you send my way who books (taken off the balance; one discount per booking, valid for 12 months, not combined with gift vouchers)

Not included

Waders — bring your own (chest or thigh waders)
Travel to the meeting point (sent when your dates are confirmed)
Accommodation — I'll send you nearby places to stay
Lunches and drinks — bring a packed lunch each day

Hold your dates

Hold them now. Pay when you're ready.

Pick your slot, add your details and it's held for you for 48 hours. Pay the £50 deposit within that time to confirm — the balance is due four weeks before. For Wales, Devon/Cornwall or other dates, choose them in the list and I'll be in touch.

Thanks — your request is in. I'll be in touch by email. Keep an eye on your spam folder just in case.

Gift vouchers

Give someone two days of gold.

For the person who has everything except a gold pan. You pay now and get a printable voucher by email; they pick their dates for the 2027 or 2028 season. Vouchers are valid until 31 October 2028. You can cancel a voucher for a full refund within 14 days of buying it (unless dates have already been booked with it), and if I can't run their days, you get a full refund.

Voucher for oneTwo days, one-to-one £425Buy voucher → Voucher for twoTwo days for a pair £695Buy voucher →

Thank you — voucher bought! I'll email your printable voucher within 24 hours. Keep an eye on your spam folder just in case.

Questions

Before you book.

What if the weather's bad?

We pan in the rain — it's Scotland. But burns can flood fast after heavy rain, and if the water isn't safe I'll call it. First I'll try to save the day with a smaller, safer burn, or a spare day nearby where there is one. If we still lose time, you choose: new dates, or a refund for the day or days we lost.

Is it safe?

We only work shallow, slow water, and I'll call it off if a burn is running high. The ground is rough and the rocks are slippery, so wear waders — chest or thigh — and take your time. Under-16s must stay with their adult at all times, and the adult is responsible for them.

How fit do I need to be?

You'll be walking on rough, uneven ground and standing or kneeling in shallow water for much of the day. If you can manage a countryside walk and some crouching, you'll be fine. Tell me about anything I should plan around.

Can I keep the gold I find?

In Scotland, gold belongs to the Crown, and panners can only keep what they find on recognised panning areas where the permit allows it. That's exactly where I'll take you — and what you pan there goes home with you in a vial.

What should I bring?

Waders (chest or thigh — wellies fill up fast once you get stuck in), waterproofs, warm layers, gloves, midge repellent (the midge hat is on me), a packed lunch and plenty to drink. I'll send a full list when your dates are confirmed.

Where do I stay?

The goldfields are in quiet, rural country with a handful of B&Bs, cottages and campsites nearby. I'll send you suggestions and the meeting point once your dates are confirmed.

Can children come?

Over-16s can book on their own; under-16s are welcome as the second person with a paying adult. Tell me their ages in the form.

Can I give it as a gift?

Yes — buy a gift voucher and I'll email you a printable voucher. The lucky person picks their dates for the 2027 or 2028 season: they hold their dates on the calendar and put the voucher code in the message box — no deposit needed.

Who runs these days?

Me — Kieran Lenton, trading as UK Gold Prospector, 21 Courtlands Road, Portland, Dorset DT5 2HF. Email support@ukgoldprospector.co.uk.

Can I change or cancel my dates?

More than four weeks before: you can move to any free slot once, free of charge — or cancel and lose only the £50 deposit. Within four weeks: you can move if another slot is free, or send a friend in your place; otherwise the full price is non-refundable, unless I can re-sell your slot, in which case I'll refund you. If I have to cancel — permissions, illness or anything else on my side — you get everything back in full.