I fish as well (Sea,coarse..also dabble with game) You should be able to get started on Metal Detecting for under £50.There are plenty of Chinese gizzmo's now on the market which make 5 year old UK machines obsolete.(I got one from Maplin electronics after the treasure hunting press raved about it approx a year ago)..still haven't used it properly...works well in the garden though and re-found my wedding ring. If you enjoy it you can always upgrade. I find the venues are difficult to locate although this would,t be such a problem on the beach....although my rod tips go like fiddlers elbows so I wouldn't have much detecting time.