Waterlog : a swimmer's journey through Britain
Roger Deakin (Author)
"Considered a masterpiece of nature writing, and the book that launched the international wild swimming movement, Roger Deakin's Waterlog is a fascinating and inspiring journey into the aquatic world that surrounds us. In an attempt to discover his island nation from a new perspective, Roger Deakin embarks from his home in Suffolk to swim Britain-the seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, pools, streams, lochs, moats, and quarries. Through the watery capillary network that braids itself throughout the country, Deakin immerses himself in the natural habitats of fish, amphibians, mammals, and birds. And as he navigates towns, private property, and sometimes dangerous waters and inclement weather, Deakin finds himself in precarious situations: he's detained by bailiffs in Winchester, intercepted by the coast guard at the mouth of a river, and mistaken for a dead body on a beach. The result of this surprising journey is a deep dive into modern Britain: its people and culture, its laws and customs, its communities, and especially its wild places. With enchanting descriptions of natural landscapes, a deep well of humanity, boundless humor, and unbridled joy, Deakin beckons us to wilder waters and inspires us to connect to the larger world in a most unexpected way. Thrilling, vivid, and lyrical, Waterlog is a fully immersive adventure-a remarkable personal quest, a bold assertion of the native swimmer's right to roam, and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water"-- Provided by publisher
Print Book, English, 2021
First US edition View all formats and editions
Tin House, Portland, Oregon, 2021
Autobiographies
xvi, 401 pages ; 23 cm
9781951142858, 9781953534033, 1951142853, 1953534031
1228179413
Introduction by Bonnie Tsui
The moat
I-SPY at the seaside
Lords of the fly
A people's river
Swimming with eels
At swim-two-birds
Tiderips and moonbeams
Borrow & Thoreau
The lost pools of the Malverns
Tribal swimming
Salmon-runs
The Red River
Crossing the Fowey
The Blandford bomber
A small world
Extinctions
The wash
Natando virtus
An encounter with naiads
Swimming with angels
A descent into Hell Gill
Hot & cold
Orwell's whirlpool
A castle in the air
The oxbow
Swallow dives
The Jaywick papers
Great expectations
Channel swimming
Water levels
A mill-race
Penguin pools
Steaming
The Walberswick shiverers
On ice
To the sea
Originally published: London : Vintage, 2000
Includes index