IT took National Trust volunteer ranger Phil Ireland just 20 seconds to get wet as he made a splash at Lydford Gorge when taking his homemade replica of an ancient coracle boat for its maiden voyage on the River Lyd recently.

Keen on bushcraft, Phil spent a week hand crafting the coracle from green willow and sail canvas, which he painted with pitch tar to make it waterproof.

Coracles, small, round, lightweight boats, were used traditionally for fishing and are notoriously difficult to master.

Hoping to try out his water craft in a quiet place on the River Lyd, Phil set ‘sail’ on a shallow spot at the National Trust’s iconic Lydford Gorge, where his ‘splashing’ maiden voyage was captured on camera.

It took him about half an hour to master the coracle — but 20 seconds to get wet! Watch the video by visiting bit.ly/NTsplash