Anyone who has been for a paddle on many of the country’s rivers in the past few years will have noticed much litter floating around, or caught in overhanging branches. I’m sure many members will have picked up litter in their time, and found the coracle a very convenient craft for this purpose. Is this a chance to get the coracle a new lease of life as a working boat? With a substantial carrying capacity, ease of use and transport, and with the paddler close enough to the water to reach in and grab litter, there is surely much to be said for this use. If you know of a number of other coracle users in your locality perhaps litter picking trips could be arranged to clean up rivers – superficially at least. The state of the country’s rivers is well known, and due to other problems that you can’t scoop up in a coracle, the wearing of gloves is probably to be recommended for this work – as well as not taking unecessary risks. This would be a great way of getting coracles seen by the public in a number of areas of the country, and it might just catch on.
We all thought the coracle (curach) had died out as a traditional working boat in Scotland in the 18th Century with the cessation of timber floating on the River Spey.