Panda Bowmen - Longbow Tournament

Archery as a hobby goes back quite a long way, it was a favourite hobby of Queen Elizabeth I and it still has its followers today. Traditional longbow archers from West Yorkshire and beyond gathered at Bramhope this morning for a longbow tournament organised by Panda Bowmen. The modern longbow is usually made from three different wood types bonded together and requires quite a bit of practise and skill to shoot accurately, it is basically a centuries old design without any kind of sighting aid. The competitors do have one sighting aid though, said to improve accuracy, a traditional glass of sherry part way through the shoot!

Agincourt Volley

     These archers were taking part in a tournament organised by Panda Bowmen of Bramhope, the shooting ground is actually on the outskirts of Leeds, but a small number of the archers were from Bronte Archers in Bradford.  The type of bow being used is the traditional English longbow which requires an awful lot of skill and practise to be used accurately (I know, I've tried it and I gave up).  The picture was taken at the end of the tournament where the participants gather on the shooting line and release their arrows simultaneously which is known as an Agincourt Volley.