Coracle Building Experience | 30, 31 August & 1 September 2024 | Bookings Open

Following another hugely successful Coracle Building Experience with Jane Wilkinson we are running it again from 30 August -1 September 2024. We are now taking bookings.

Here’s what Mia, a participant had to say about the whole experience:

I spent a wonderful long weekend at The Lint Mill and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing yet captivating stay in a quiet and lovingly kept corner of Scotland. Deborah and Colin are generous and attentive hosts around the clock – the meals in particular are astounding, with world-class seasonal home-baked breads, cakes and puddings. Most ingredients are sourced directly from their bountiful organic farm, and it was such a treat to be offered a tour, friendly goats included.

The Coracle Building Experience has been a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and the picture-perfect setting at the Lint Mill has truly made this a memory I’ll remember forever! Despite being one of the planet’s leading experts in willows and basketry and coracles, Jane is a fantastic and generous teacher, always hands-on and patient. She makes sure to meet everyone at their own skill levels and is always available anytime someone has a question. She also encouraged the group to work together and this helped forge some amazing friendships. Now I not only have (some of) the skills and know-how to build a bada$$ little boat, but also the honour of being part of a beautiful craft and tradition going back over a millennium. Come to this workshop with a sense of curiosity and collaboration, and you’ll leave with so much more.
The Course

On this 3 day intensive course you will build your own traditional coracle (or curagh), a small keel-less boat that has been used for fishing and transport since the Bronze Age. They are great fun to build and need two people to build each boat so it’s an ideal activity to do as a couple or with friends.

Jane is an experienced basket maker and one of the UK’s leading coracle -makers. In summer 2021 she paddled her coracles with Ben Fogle off Iona in his BBC series Scotland’s Sacred Islands.

You are invited to camp (bring your own tent) in our beautiful, peaceful, riverside meadow (with toilet and shower facilities available), enjoy al fresco lunches and hearty suppers around a shared table cooked with home grown ingredients from our own organic smallholding and spend convivial evenings around the firepit.

By the end of 3 days you will have your own boat to take home (complete apart from the bitumen paint which is easy to do but has to be done at home as it takes a few days to dry). You will need an estate car at least roof bars and ratchet straps to transport your coracle home.

As part of the weekend experience you will have the opportunity to try out paddling one of Jane’s coracles (including a traditional hide covered coracle) on the River Medwyn that boundaries our land.

The cost of £325 per person and includes:

  • 3 days of full tuition
  • All the materials and equipment you need to make one coracle per pair (apart from the bitumen paint)
  • Camping facilities  (bring your own tent or camper van) including shower and toilet facilities (we give you the option to camp the night before and after if you are travelling a long way)
  • Organic, home-produced food for the weekend – lunch and 2 course dinner on Friday, breakfast, lunch and 2 course dinner on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday

 

To book a place please email us on courses@thelintmill.co.uk

Please note, this course needs a minimum of 5 couples to run. We take a non-refundable deposit for this course due to the cost of the building materials which need to be bought well in advance.

This is a physical outdoor course and requires reasonable strength and stamina as bending and kneeling are involved. It has been undertaken by people of various ages and mobility so do contact us if you’d like to discuss your particular needs.

Cancellation Policy

We would only cancel your booking if the course does not meet its minimum number to run. We would however attempt to offer you an alternative future date. If this was not possible, or unacceptable to you, then we would refund all monies paid by you. Our liability would not extend beyond this refund. Due to our small business, we reserve the right to make a full charge for cancellations made within 14 days of the course date. This charge will only apply if we are unable to sell your place on the course.