Waterlog

A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain

Author: Roger Deakin

'A simply wonderful book...the perfect union of writer and subject...a delightfully eccentric masterpiece; no poolside or riverbank should be without it' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

From the sea, from rock pools, from rivers and streams, tarns, lakes, lochs, ponds, lidos, swimming pools and spas, from fens, dykes, moats, aqueducts, waterfalls, flooded quarries, even canals, Deakin puts forward a particular and fascinating perspective on modern Britain.

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Summary

'A simply wonderful book...the perfect union of writer and subject...a delightfully eccentric masterpiece; no poolside or riverbank should be without it' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

Description

'A simply wonderful book...the perfect union of writer and subject...a delightfully eccentric masterpiece; no poolside or riverbank should be without it' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday'Roger Deakin is the perfect companion for an invigorating armchair swim. Engaging, thoughtful and candid' TelegraphWaterlog celebrates the magic of water and the beauty and eccentricity of Britain.In 1996 Roger Deakin, the late, great nature writer, set out to swim through the British Isles. From the sea, from rock pools, from rivers and streams, tarns, lakes, lochs, ponds, lidos, swimming pools and spas, from fens, dykes, moats, aqueducts, waterfalls, flooded quarries, even canals, Deakin gains a fascinating perspective on modern Britain.Detained by water bailiffs in Winchester, intercepted in the Fowey estuary by coastguards, mistaken for a suicide on Camber sands, confronting the Corryvreckan whirlpool in the Hebrides, he discovers just how much of an outsider the native swimmer is to his landlocked, fully-dressed fellow citizens.This is a personal journey, a bold assertion of the native swimmer's right to roam, and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water.

Critic Reviews

“"The chapters unfurl like a warm tide of pleasant anecdotage." -Daily Telegraph "A wonderful and romantic tale told by a true English eccentric...think Ratty, think Mole--enchanting." - Michele Roberts,Financial Times”

I jumped in with both feet and wanted to stay for more.
Erudite, funky and passionate, a total delight Independent on Sunday
Charmingly and elegantly written Daily Telegraph
A delicious, cleansing, funny, wise and joyful book, so wonderfully full of energy and life. I loved it
Highly entertaining...Waterlog is a book about a cold, wet subject written with a warmth and passion it surely deserves, but has rarely had before Guardian

About the Author

Roger Deakin, who died in 2006, was a writer, filmmaker and environmentalist of international renown. He was a founder member of Friends of the Earth, and co-founded Common Ground. He lived for thirty-eight years in a moated farmhouse in Suffolk. Waterlog, which was first published in 1999, became a word-of-mouth bestseller, and is now an established classic of the nature writing canon.