I headed up to Cilgerran on the Bank Holiday weekend to watch the annual coracle races. Coracles (or cwrwgl in Welsh) are traditionally used on the Teifi and the races are a long standing tradition. In use for over 2000 years, coracles have a rich history as a simple one person boat used for fishing as a pair by dragging a net down a stretch of river between two of the small boats and the design has been used in different cultures all over the world for fishing as well as transport for people and livestock. In Wales they would originally have been made from a willow frame with animal hide stretched over the bowl. The design of the boat was specific to each river making it possible to identify roughly where each was made. Nowadays they are more commonly made from ash with painted canvas or fibreglass used as the waterproof material that forms the hull.
Victory in the races is largely down to good technique with a unique paddle stroke used to propel the coracle forwards without it spinning out of control. There was a good crowd at the weekend but in the past the event was much bigger as this film from 1969 shows.
Watch Coracle Races, Cilgerran online - BFI Player
More info - Welcome | The Coracle Society
