Waterlog, Roger Deakin
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.
A review by Caylx at Suffolk Libraries
“When you enter the water, something, like a metamorphosis happens. Leaving behind the land, you go through the looking glass surface and enter a new world in which survival, not ambition or desire, is the dominant aim.” In 1996, inspired by John Cheever's short story, The Swimmer, Roger Deakin set out to swim through the British Isles: the result being Waterlog, the only novel he published in his lifetime, that would go on to encourage the nation to take up wild swimming. Imbued with brilliant prose describing the sensations of water on skin and the rush of seeing the banks and shore from within the wild waters, Deakin's journey through the various seas, lakes and rivers of the UK searching for wild swimming is at times wistful, reflecting on the many changes to our country and ways of life, but is ultimately a celebration of the wild waters throughout Britain."
About the author
Roger Deakin was an English writer, documentary-maker and environmentalist. He lived at Walnut Tree Farm, a rambling Elizabethan farmhouse by Mellis Common in Suffolk, where he dredged the moat, swam daily, and planted woodland and grew wild flowers. Waterlog, the only book he published in his lifetime, founded the wild swimming movement.
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Wild Reads is a partnership project between Suffolk Libraries and Suffolk Wildlife Trust to promote our connection between the natural world and the written word.
Wild Reads aims to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy the very best nature writing. The aim is to help inspire and ignite a love of nature in readers through the lenses of a wide variety of writers.
Visit Suffolk Libraries website here for the full Wild Reads booklist.
A window to wildlife - discover local landscapes with Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Are you feeling inspired by Waterlog? Well, why not discover some of the best natural landscapes Suffolk has to offer! In order to protect the wildlife living in our nature reserves, we do not permit wild swimming, but we have some beautiful landscapes featuring dykes, lakes and of course Suffolk's stunning coast line.
