Waterlog

“Roger Deakin is a latter-day Thoreau.” –Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland

“A swimming journey would give me access to that part of our world which, like darkness, mist, woods or high mountains, still retains most mystery. It would afford me a different perspective on the rest of land-locked humanity.” –Roger Deakin, from Waterlog

Considered a masterpiece of nature writing and the book that launched the international swimming movement, Roger Deakin’s Waterlog is a fascinating and inspiring journey into the actuation 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, culture, its laws and customs, its communities, and especially its wild places.

About the Author: Roger Stuart Deakin was an English writer, documentary-maker and celebrated environmentalist. He was a co-founder and trustee of Common Ground, the arts, culture and environment organization. Waterlog, the only book he published in his lifetime, became a UK bestseller, and founded the wild swimming movement. He lived in Suffolk, England and died there in 2006, at age 63.