Cilgerran Coracle Regatta

A coracle is a single-person boat, roughly round, made of laths and covered hide or canvas, paddled one-handed with a figure-of-eight stroke so the other hand can hold a net. It is one of the oldest boat designs in Europe and the Teifi is one of the very few rivers where they were still fished commercially into living memory.

Once a year Cilgerran races them. The setting is unimprovable: a steep wooded gorge with the ruins of Cilgerran Castle standing directly above the water, which is the same view Turner painted. There are races for coracles and usually other river craft, plus riverside events through the afternoon.

Watching. The riverbank below the village and the castle grounds above give you two completely different perspectives. From above you see the whole reach of the river; from the bank you see how genuinely difficult these things are to steer. A coracle spins if you get the stroke wrong, and beginners' races are consequently entertaining.

The honest bit. Cilgerran is a village on a single road with almost no parking. On regatta day it is full. Park where you are told, walk in, and do not expect to drive out quickly. The gorge is also steep-sided — the paths down to the water are uneven and slippery when wet.

Nearby. The Welsh Wildlife Centre and the Teifi Marshes sit on the opposite bank with otters and marsh birds, and St Dogmaels with Poppit Sands is fifteen minutes away.

Confirm the date locally before travelling.