Freddie's

It's a fact of life that sometimes men just want to be boys together and women just be girls together. Nothing unusual in that at all. It's what they get up to that excites the interest. And what could be more unusual than this?

Trevor Towell, a fisherman on the Isle of Wight, his son Mike and a group of friends gather together for a week at a time. They like nothing better than getting out the JCB.

They compare old maps of the Island to track down changes in ground levels to reveal old victorian rubbish tips. Which they then dig up with the JCB. The purpose is to enrich their own private collections of bottles, lids and artefacts.

I joined them in a rainstorm somewhere secret on the Island and watched their discoveries unfold.

Bear Grease lid

Particularly prized are the painted pot lids, which are worth a small fortune.

They find one with a scene of a bear hunt, which was from a pot that contained Bear Grease, a salve for the less than hirsute believed to promote hair growth.

That lid, about 3 inches diameter is worth nearly £800.

Mike Towell is a keen collector of ginger beer bottles, some of the rare finds worth around the same amount. He says he has the largest collection on the Island.

It's a fascinating hobby and digging up the past makes for compelling viewing.