Shropshire, UK. 31st Aug, 2015. Competitors in the annual August Bank Holiday Monday coracle races on the River Severn in Shropshire, England. Coracles are keel-less flat bottomed boats, traditionally made from woven wood covered in animal skins, although more modern examples are often canvas, and waterproofed with tar or bitumen. Coracles have been used for thousands of years in Europe and especially in the Welsh borders and Wales itself. Credit: Rob Carter/Alamy Live News
Competitors in the annual August Bank Holiday Monday coracle races on the River Severn in Shropshire, England. Coracles are keel-less flat bottomed boats, traditionally made from woven wood covered in animal skins, although more modern examples are often canvas, and waterproofed with tar or bitumen. Coracles have been used for thousands of years in Europe and especially in the Welsh borders and Wales itself. The Ironbridge coracle, which had been made locally for generations, especially by the Rodgers family - is made from laths of ash which have been soaked in hot water then bent into semicircles. The frame is covered in calico then the seat is installed and finally the coracle is waterproofed. The paddle used with the Ironbridge coracle is spade shaped and about four feet long. Coracles were used for fishing, ferrying and - commonly in Ironbridge - for poaching.
Size: 5192px × 3462px
Location: Ironbridge, Shropshire, UK
Photo credit: © Rob Carter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: boat, coracle, england, female, ironbridge, male, man, paddle, paddling, races, river, severn, shropshire, sport, tradition, traditional, uk, water, win, winning, woman
