Two new books from Wild Things Publishing have made my mouth water this month and this is the second. Written by Wild Things publisher Daniel Start himself, Wild Swimming Hidden Beaches is full of the most tempting locations our coastline can offer.
You can, if you so wish, and clearly the author did, actually swim, but you can also snorkel, kayak, explore caves, cook and camp and generally footer about, though I suspect mere sunbathing may be slightly frowned upon.
There’s information on scenery, accessibility and suitability for children, eateries, and hazards, including currents and undertows and an indication of the length in minutes of the swim involved. That said, some of the swims involve riding the tide in a creek, something I have now decided must be done ‘before I die’.
As with Wild Running, the attempt at geographical coverage is impressive but similarly doomed to fail. If I said that Argyll and Bute alone has a coastline longer than that of France, but merits only 3 pages, you get the picture. Of course, pictures there are aplenty, all taken on unrealistically beautiful days with crystal clear water and idyllic blue skies that just make you want to dash off and pack.
The joy of both of these books is that they celebrate our own country so successfully, you wonder why anyone ever goes abroad. Again there is a website for more information, an e book and an App for iOS and Android. Wild Swimming Hidden Beaches is available here from Amazon
