Waterlog

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Roger Deakin set out in 1996 to swim through the British Isles. The result a uniquely personal view of an island race and a people with a deep affinity for water. 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 suicude 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.

Encompassing cultural history, autobiography, travel writing and natural history, Waterlog is a personal journey, a bold assertion of the native swimmer's right to roam, and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water.

© Roger Deakin 1999 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Critics Review

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

A wonderful and romantic tale told by a true English eccentric…think Ratty, think Mole, think three men falling out of a boat…enchanting

Financial Times

A travel book like no other, it is rich and deep with insights on modern Britain

The Independent

Deakin has written an aquatic Songlines.

Roger Deakin is the perfect companion for invigorating armchair swim. Engaging, thoughtful and candid, he also has a wonderful eye

Telegraph Weekend

A brilliant and compelling view of Britain from a few inches above its neglected waterways

The Independent

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