Waterlog

Most people regard swimming as an activity best undertaken in a heated pool, preferably with a lifeguard, changing facilities and some reassurance that nothing with teeth is lurking beneath the surface. Roger Deakin, however, considered such arrangements rather unnecessary. Why swim in a perfectly respectable municipal pool when Britain is overflowing with rivers, lakes, ponds, canals and assorted stretches of suspiciously inviting water?

Waterlog (1999), by Roger Deakin, is one of the great classics of modern British nature writing, an eccentric, lyrical and gloriously unconventional account of a man who decided to explore the country by getting into as much of its water as possible.

Inspired by John Cheever’s short story The Swimmer, Deakin embarked upon a remarkable aquatic adventure, travelling through Britain and swimming in an extraordinary variety of places. From hidden woodland pools and ancient rivers to coastal waters, mountain lakes and the occasional location where the authorities might have preferred him to remain on dry land, he developed an intimate relationship with the landscape that most travellers experience only through a car window.

Fortunately, Deakin was not simply a man with an enthusiasm for being wet. He was an exceptionally perceptive observer of nature, history, architecture and the peculiarities of British life. His journeys become opportunities to explore the relationship between people and water, uncover forgotten stories and question the modern obsession with fencing off, regulating and generally making the countryside considerably less accessible than it once was.

Along the way, he encounters wildlife, local characters, ancient traditions and the often absurd complications of swimming somewhere that has not been officially designated for the purpose. Britain, it turns out, possesses an astonishing abundance of beautiful places to swim, provided one is prepared to overlook the occasional patch of mud, unexpected current or disapproving landowner.

Deakin’s prose is wonderfully evocative, combining natural history, personal reflection, gentle humour and a genuine delight in the physical experience of the natural world. He writes about water not as a recreational facility but as something elemental, mysterious and profoundly connected to our understanding of place.

There is also something deliciously rebellious about the whole enterprise. While modern society increasingly encourages us to experience nature through carefully managed visitor attractions, Deakin suggests that we might occasionally improve our lives by simply taking off our clothes and jumping into a river. Preferably after checking the depth.

First published in 1999, Waterlog has become an enormously influential work, helping inspire renewed enthusiasm for wild swimming and establishing Deakin as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary nature writing.

Condition: Good. This Vintage edition is a previously owned copy showing ordinary signs of reading and handling, but remains perfectly suitable for another literary expedition. Unlike its author, the book would probably appreciate being kept dry.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where we wholeheartedly approve of exploring Britain’s waterways, provided customers resist the temptation to take our stock into the bath.

A beautifully written, wonderfully eccentric celebration of swimming, landscape and the freedom to experience the natural world without purchasing a ticket, joining a leisure centre or asking anybody’s permission.

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