Description
Book SynopsisTales of escape and adventure on Britain's waterways; In The Pull of the River two foolhardy explorers do what we would all love to do: they turn their world upside down and seek adventure on their very own doorstep.; In a handsome, homemade canoe, painted a joyous nautical red the colour of Mae West's lips, Matt and his friend James delve into a watery landscape that invites us to see the world through new eyes.; Over chalk, gravel, clay and mud; through fields, woodland, villages, towns and cities, they reveal many places that otherwise go unnoticed and perhaps unloved, finding delight in the Waveney, Stour, Alde/Ore, upper and lower Thames, Lark, Great Ouse, Granta and Cam, Wye, Otter, Colne, Severn and the Great Glen Trail.; Showing that it is still possible to get lost while knowing exactly where you are, The Pull of the River is a beautifully written exploration of nature, place and friendship, and an ode to the great art - and joy - of adventure.
Trade Review"Gaw is an excellent writer ... [his] spirited book will encourage others to seek out such waterways, and to appreciate the importance of conserving them" - Nancy Campbell, Times Literary Supplement; "Engaging and beautifully written ... Gaw's nature writing scintillates" - The Countryman; "It's just glorious ... a marvellous book ... it really put me in a good mood" - Georgey Spanswick, BBC Radio; "Beautifully written and highly engaging ... it cries out with a message from its pages - a message that life is an adventure and, if you have the physical capacity to do so, it's best spent out of that armchair - outdoors, active and immersed in nature" - East Anglian Daily Times; "Just started this and already have a hankering for a canoe and a long weekend on the river..." - EspressoCoco book blog; "Seen from the water, Britain's familiar landscapes are made mesmerisingly new. The Pull of the River is a hugely satisfying work of exploration and reclamation, and one that will have you itching to cast off on your own riparian adventure" - Melissa Harrison, author of Rain: Four Walks in English Weather; "Following in the long and distinguished tradition of The Wind in the Willows and Three Men in a Boat, Matt Gaw spends his time `messing about in boats'. In doing so, he entertains not only himself but us, in this delightful account of exploring the wonder of our waterways" -- Stephen Moss, author and naturalist; "A Lark for the soul" - Paul Evans, author of Field Notes from the Edge; "A joyful and beautifully written account ... if it doesn't make you want to pick up a paddle and head to your nearest river, you're reading it wrong" - Waterways World magazine; “A really enjoyable book, written with humour, a wry wit and a keen eye … his research of the rivers uncovers those nuggets of information of the historical and cultural terrain that overlays the rivers and that makes this a much richer read as they paddle along. I also found it refreshing as Gaw brings no personal baggage to his watery voyages; it is just him and his friend taking the time to immerse themselves in the natural world, sleeping out under the stars and rediscovering a place where time moves at a very different rate to modern life; a world that few people see now days” – Half Man, Half Book ; “Jolly yet reflective … I’m rooting for this to make next year’s Wainwright Prize Longlist” – BookishBeck; “Rather wonderful … An engaging travelogue of taking the slow route across England’s inland waterways in a Canadian canoe belonging to an old friend” - Gather Outdoors blog for Adventurous Ink
Table of ContentsContents; Prologue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix; 1. A secret world.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1; 2. Escape routes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29; 3. Abuse and misuse.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63; 4. Spirit of the river . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91; 5. A world transformed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111; 6. Tales of adventure.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137; 7. River seekers.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165; 8. Alone on the water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189; 9. Shaped by the river. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211; 10. Into the wild.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231; Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259; Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
