Wild Swimming Coast: Explore the Secret Coves and Wild Beaches of Britain [Paperback]

 

 

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256 pages absolutely bursting with smugglers' coves, sea caves, watery tunnels, deep rock-pools, hidden lagoons. Not to mention lots of the more conventional beaches we've all paddled along, including some breathtakingly beautiful stretches of white Scottish sand.

Ten years of "research" - if having a whale of a time can be called research - has gone into this labour of love and it shows. Daniel has painstakingly (should that be funmakingly?) put together a complete guide to swimming off the coast of our island home. A series of maps divides Great Britain into five: SouthWest, South&East, Wales, Scotland (with an inevitable bias towards the idyllic NW), "North" (everything-else). This makes it easy to plan your trips.

The book shuns the likes of Fistral Beach in Newquay. This makes sense; you can find beaches like that easily enough without a guide-book. No fewer than 350 less obvious locations are described - 175 as "main entries" and 175 as sub-entries. Here's a typical entry:

66.........Lydden Spout, Dover

Grid ref..TR283387
Postcode.CT17 9HH (2km W)
Walk......20 mins, mod
Train......Dover Priory, 4km
Cycle......Route 2 and 17

Remote undercliff beach. Leave Dover on A20, Samphire Hoe is signed to the L 1.5km up the hill after the last roundabout. Continue down through tunnel to car park. Walk to W end of park (1km) to find beach extending 800m to Lydden Spout cabin and Abbott's Cliff. Shingle at HT, deep rock pools and sand at LT. Avoid sea wall area. On cliff above are tunnels of WW2 battery.

Daniel appends a triangle symbol to the above entry, denoting "Caution Advised". (A few locations have two triangles). Whilst he is clearly not a paid-up member of the Health'n'Safety brigade, he does point out places where you should be extra careful in rough weather, during spring tides, etc. This will be of interest to parents with young children, but would perhaps be of most benefit to teenagers Who Know No Fear. Daniel also provides some sound but never patronising info and advice on general water safety. Some is common sense; much however is not obvious - it wasn't to me anyway.

The book is far more though than a collection of locations. Swimming anecdotes mingle easily with more general information about what you'll find along numerous stretches of coast - flora and fauna, geology, history. Do you know which British seaweeds and crustaceans are edible and how to prepare and cook them? Also, there are overviews with titles like: Where to Find Dolphins, Great for Families and Picnics, Best for Jumps, Skinny Dipping, Cosy Pubs, Literature and Legend.

For a balanced review, I feel I should try and find something I don't like about the book. It's difficult. Okay, I'd prefer the road distances in miles not km.

I can't agree though with the reviewer who said this is a coffee table book. For one thing, the images (all 326 of them) are not consistently perfect. Inspiring, evocative, informative, yes. But they won't win any prizes. Well, one or two might, but most won't.

But none of this matters. Because this is not a book to sit on your coffee-table. Nor will it stand pristinely on your shelves gathering dust. No, this book will live in your rucksack or glove compartment, getting steadily more tatty with time. Its pages will be wrinkled from the splashes kicked up by your children. Its cover will be faded and warped from lying out in the sun. When you shake it, sand will fall out. Eventually, it will fall to bits.

Of all the books you will have owned, none will have had a happier life.

You might also like:
Wild Swimming: 150 Hidden Dips in the Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls of Britain
Wild Swim: River, Lake, Lido and Sea: the Best Places to Swim Outdoors in Britain
Cool Camping: England (Cool Camping)

I am just back form holiday in Scotland and we based a lot of our destinations around the swims in this book, we weren't let down, we had some fabulous swims and thanks to the book discovered places we wouldn't normally go to. Top Book

What a beautiful and inspiring book. I have to congratulate Mr Start on his beautiful photography, enough to galvanise the determination of all but the most swim shy. Add to that some stirring writing and detailed directions and maps, what's not to love?
I particularly like the way that it's so easy to look things up, with a "swims by region" list if you want to find somewhere good in a particular location. If you prefer to plan a trip based on a particular feature such as a plunge pool or a cosy pub to warm up in afterwards, there is a "swims at a glance" page which groups swims under such headings. Get this book, you won't regret it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
This book is very inspiring. If you are tempted to dip your toes in the sea, this book is for you. The book illustrates some beautiful beaches around the British coast line.

Published 4 months ago by Michelle Hutcheson

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good book
Brilliant book. Nice overviews of locations and difficulty reaching them.
Can't wait for our next camping trip, the posibility are endless!!

Published 5 months ago by thamera86

5.0 out of 5 stars Coast Wild Swimming Daniel Start
I had my first "wild swimming" experience last summer in Cornwall, and after reading about this book, I just had to dip in ! I now can't put it down. Read more

Published 7 months ago by New Wild Swimmer

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing
the most amazing book, keep going back time and time again either for reference or just to look at pictures

Published 8 months ago by Ms. Rebecca J. Wilkinson

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Even if you can't or don't want to tackle some of the swims in this book, it's more than worth the money as a guide to some of Britain's most beautiful and unspoiled beaches... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Daisy

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect book for a perfect holiday
We spent a week in Cornwall at the end of September and this book went everywhere with us. We bought it before the trip because we wanted to do some wild swimming but realised... Read more

Published 16 months ago by Libs

5.0 out of 5 stars Life's a beach
I bought this book this morning and I am finding it difficult to put it down. The coastal scenery in britain is absolutely stunning! Read more

Published 16 months ago by Mr. G. Roberts

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful photos of our coastline
This is a well informed account of the best places around our coastline. It is full of stunning photos of places to visit.

Published 17 months ago by Mr. Francis Miller

4.0 out of 5 stars Why Kilometers?.
We have had a good look through this book and find it well written and researched.
There are many beaches that we were unaware of and from our naturist point of view it has... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Mr. Glen D. Fryer

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't go to the coast without it !
A great book for discovering beaches and coves around the coast line, it tells you interesting and secret places to swim, places you probably didn't realise were there. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Edie

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