WATERLOG

The foundational text for the international “wild swimming” movement, originally published in 1999 in Britain—and the only book Deakin (1943-2006) published during his lifetime.

Inspired by John Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer,” Deakin began his trip across the waterways of Britain in April 1997, running naked into the waters of the Isles of Scilly. The author ended his journey the following Christmas Day, experiencing “the intoxication of the fiery cold” waters of the North Sea. Along the way, Deakin explored the springs of Malvern, famous for their “healing powers” and visited by Florence Nightingale and Charles Darwin; the mysterious Moor Barns Bath, “hidden in the brambles and nettles” in Cambridge; and the River Avon (“Avon that runs through Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare’s Avon”), filled with sunbathers and loungers, creating the picture of “a water rats’ club straight from the pages of The Wind in the Willows.” Deakin ponders the joy of swimming aimlessly, noting that “the swimmer is content to be borne on his way full of mysteries, doubts and uncertainties. He is a leaf on the stream, free at last from his petty little purposes in life.” The author also had a few unexpected encounters, including with unfriendly officials while disembarking from the private waters of the Itchen River. “The right to walk freely along river banks or to bathe in rivers,” writes the author, “should no more be bought and sold than the right to walk up mountains or to swim in the sea from our beaches.” Throughout, Deakin shares lyrical descriptions of the history and geography of the varied waterways he visited, and he smoothly weaves in literary references inspired by his experiences, including reflecting on other English writers who shared his affinity for the water, such as Virginia Woolf and George Borrow. This edition also features a foreword by Bonnie Tsui and afterword by Robert Macfarlane.

A beautifully written, loving tribute to the wonders found swimming in the wild outdoors.