Description
Book SynopsisOne summer, writer and musician, Jasper Winn set himself an extraordinary task. He would kayak the whole way round Ireland - a thousand miles - camping on remote headlands and islands, carousing in bars and paddling clockwise until he got back where he started. But in the worst Irish summer in living memory the pleasures of idling among seals, fulmars and fishing boats soon gave way to heroic struggles through storm-tossed seas ... and lock-ins playing music in coastal pubs.Circling the country where he grew up, Jasper reflects on life at the very fringes of Ireland, the nature and lore of its seas, and his own eccentric upbringing - sprung from school at age ten and left free to explore the countryside and its traditional life.Charming, quietly epic, and with an irresistible undertow of wit, Paddle is a low-tech adventure that captures the sheer joy of a misty morning on Ireland''s coast. As the sun breaks through, you''ll be longing to set off too.
Trade ReviewDelightfully immersing -- Chris Stewart
A fantastic voyage. Mad, inspiring, funny and a great read -- Nick Crane
I really enjoyed Paddle - a genuine adventure story with nothing gimmicky and dangers understated. I especially enjoyed the affectionately shrewd vignettes of life ashore, the swift changes of mood, the neat little parcels of unexpected information and, best of all, his laconic descriptions of the power and the glory of the sea. -- Dervla Murphy
