Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions governing your use of RelicRoute.

Last updated: 17 May 2026

Welcome to RelicRoute. These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of the RelicRoute mobile application ("the App"), our website at relicroute.co.uk ("the Site"), and any related services (together, "the Service"). Please read them carefully — by using the Service, you agree to these Terms.

1. Who we are

The Service is operated by RelicRoute.co.uk ("we", "us", "our"), a sole trader based in Wales. You can contact us at support@relicroute.co.uk.

2. About the Service

RelicRoute is a tool to help metal detectorists plan trips, log finds, and track sites of interest. The Service provides information, mapping features, and record-keeping tools. It does not grant permission to detect on any land, does not guarantee the accuracy of any historical or geographical data, and is not a substitute for your own research, common sense, or legal compliance.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account and use the Service. If you are under 18, you confirm that a parent or guardian is aware of your use of the Service and the responsibilities involved in metal detecting.

4. Your account

  • You are responsible for keeping your login details secure and for all activity under your account.
  • You agree to provide accurate information when registering and to keep it up to date.
  • You must notify us promptly if you suspect any unauthorised use of your account.
  • We may suspend or close accounts that breach these Terms or that we reasonably believe pose a risk to the Service or other users.

5. Your responsibilities when metal detecting

This section is important. Metal detecting in the UK is governed by laws and codes of practice that you — not RelicRoute — are responsible for following. By using the Service you confirm that you understand and will comply with the following:

5.1 Landowner permission

You must obtain the permission of the landowner (and any relevant tenant or occupier) before detecting on any land. The fact that a location appears in RelicRoute — including on maps, suggested routes, or in find logs shared by other users — does not mean you have permission to detect there. Trespass and unauthorised excavation are your legal responsibility.

5.2 Protected sites and land

You must not use a metal detector on, or remove objects from, any Scheduled Monument or other legally protected area without the appropriate consent from Historic England, Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland, or the relevant authority. You are also responsible for checking and complying with restrictions on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), National Trust land, Ministry of Defence land, Crown Estate foreshore, and any other land with use restrictions.

5.3 The Treasure Act and reporting finds

If you discover an item that may qualify as treasure under the Treasure Act 1996 (or any successor legislation), you are legally required to report it to the local coroner within 14 days. You are encouraged to report all significant finds to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) or the equivalent scheme in your jurisdiction. RelicRoute may provide reminders or links, but the legal obligation to report rests entirely with you.

5.4 Code of practice

You agree to follow the Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales (or the relevant code in your jurisdiction), including filling in holes, leaving sites as you found them, and respecting wildlife, livestock, and crops.

5.5 Outside the UK

If you use the Service outside the UK, you are responsible for complying with the metal detecting laws of the country and locality where you are detecting. Many countries restrict or prohibit metal detecting entirely.

6. Acceptable use

When using the Service, you agree not to:

  • Use the Service for any unlawful purpose, including detecting without permission or on protected land;
  • Upload content that is false, misleading, defamatory, obscene, or infringes anyone's rights;
  • Share precise locations of sensitive archaeological sites in a way that could encourage unlawful detecting (sometimes called "nighthawking");
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or interfere with the Service or its underlying systems;
  • Use the Service to harass other users or send unsolicited communications;
  • Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service without our written permission.

We reserve the right to remove content and suspend accounts that breach these rules.

7. Your content

The Service lets you create content — find logs, photos, notes, location pins, routes, and so on ("Your Content"). You keep ownership of Your Content. By submitting it to the Service, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, display, and process Your Content for the purpose of operating and improving the Service.

You are responsible for Your Content, including its accuracy and your right to share it. We may remove content that breaches these Terms or applicable law.

8. Our intellectual property

The Service, including its software, design, branding, logos, and content we provide, is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by copyright, trade mark, and other laws. You may not copy, modify, or distribute any part of the Service except as expressly permitted by these Terms or by law.

We grant you a limited, personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive licence to use the Service for its intended purpose, subject to these Terms.

9. Subscriptions and payments

  • Some features of the Service may require a paid subscription. Pricing and features are described at the point of purchase.
  • Subscriptions purchased through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store are billed and managed by those platforms, subject to their terms.
  • Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled before the renewal date. You can cancel at any time through your account settings or the relevant app store.
  • Except where required by law (including under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013), payments are non-refundable once a subscription period has begun and the digital content has been accessed.

10. Third-party services and content

The Service may include maps, data, or content provided by third parties (for example, mapping providers or historical datasets). We are not responsible for the accuracy or availability of third-party content, and your use of it may be subject to additional terms.

11. Disclaimers

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. While we work hard to make it useful and accurate, we do not guarantee that:

  • The Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free;
  • Maps, location data, historical information, or routes are accurate, complete, or up to date;
  • The Service will be suitable for any particular purpose.

You should not rely on the Service as your sole source of information when planning detecting trips, assessing land access, or evaluating finds.

12. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded under English law (including, where you are a consumer, your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015).

Subject to that, we will not be liable for:

  • Any loss or damage arising from your detecting activities, including legal action by landowners, prosecution for unauthorised detecting, or claims relating to finds;
  • Any indirect, consequential, or special loss;
  • Loss of profit, revenue, business opportunity, data, or goodwill;
  • Loss caused by events outside our reasonable control.

Where we are liable for direct loss, our total liability to you in any 12-month period will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us for the Service in that period or (b) £100.

13. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify us against any claims, losses, or costs (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Service, or your detecting activities — including any claim brought by a landowner, authority, or third party.

14. Termination

You can stop using the Service and close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms, if we reasonably suspect fraud or misuse, or if we decide to discontinue the Service. On termination, sections relating to your content licence, intellectual property, disclaimers, liability, and governing law will survive.

15. Changes to the Service and these Terms

We may update the Service and these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we'll let you know — for example, by posting a notice on the Site or in the App, or by emailing you. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms. If you don't agree to a change, you should stop using the Service.

16. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use your personal data. By using the Service you agree to that policy.

17. Governing law and disputes

These Terms and any dispute relating to them are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, except that if you are a consumer resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may bring proceedings in your local courts.

If you have a complaint, please contact us first at support@relicroute.co.uk — we'll always try to resolve things directly.

18. General

  • If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
  • Our failure to enforce a right is not a waiver of that right.
  • You may not transfer your rights under these Terms without our consent. We may transfer ours, for example if our business is sold.
  • These Terms are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.

Questions? Email support@relicroute.co.uk.