Look, just because it took me.... several... years to actually finish reading this book doesn't mean it wasn't amazing. I'm a slow reader of non-fiction and for years this book was my non-exclusive companion for trips to beaches or for reading in a bath. It makes you want to dive into cold water, so it helps to be near or in water when you're reading it. Nature writing at its finest, each chapter documents a swim at a different locale in Britain, and Deakin evokes each place with such atmosphere that you feel the cool reed-choked water, the rough chop, and the pull of muscle as you read. He weaves in history and ecology effortlessly. His advocacy for the wild swim is contagious and at the very least inspires one towards conservation of local waterways.

this was a really lovely account of some of britain’s waterways and the importance of swimming. i feel so informed and even more inspired to go swimming than i normally do - i love swimming so much, and this book really captures the magic it creates - i loved the bit about how humans have been built to swim :) some really interesting and well-researched stories about the swim spots, and i was lucky enough to recognise some that i knew in suffolk and the south west!! i wish there had been a few more northern swims!