What do you think?
Rate this book
Dip: Wild Swims from the Borderlands
'This is our day of reconfiguration, where the mist has wiped the sea from the very face of the earth and the sun is swaddled far from the reach of human eye...'
In Dip, Andrew Fusek Peters describes an extraordinary year of wild swimming. He leads us to rivers, lakes, waterfalls and hidden pools, into wild waters and untamed landscapes that have the potential to surprise and move us in unexpected ways.
Following in the wake of great writers such as Richard Jeffries and Edward Thomas, Dip combines meditations on place, history and myth with sharp observation and a poet's eye. It is also a personal journey: swimming through all four seasons, Andrew Fusek Peters surfaces at last from deep depression. Lyrical, honest and incisive, Dip is about the many ways in which immersing ourselves in the elements can restore us to ourselves.
In Dip, Andrew Fusek Peters describes an extraordinary year of wild swimming. He leads us to rivers, lakes, waterfalls and hidden pools, into wild waters and untamed landscapes that have the potential to surprise and move us in unexpected ways.
Following in the wake of great writers such as Richard Jeffries and Edward Thomas, Dip combines meditations on place, history and myth with sharp observation and a poet's eye. It is also a personal journey: swimming through all four seasons, Andrew Fusek Peters surfaces at last from deep depression. Lyrical, honest and incisive, Dip is about the many ways in which immersing ourselves in the elements can restore us to ourselves.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Fusek Peters
86 books13 followersAndrew Fusek Peters is a poet, anthologist, and playwright who has written and edited more than seventy children’s books. He also collected poems for HERE'S A LITTLE POEM: A VERY FIRST BOOK OF POETRY. He lives in Shropshire, England.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 15, 2018
The superb Waterlog by the late Roger Deakin has inspired many people to rediscover the delights of wild swimming; Joe Minihane writes about following in the wet footprints of Deakin in Floating as he travels around the country to the same locations. Swimming With Seals is set in Orkney and tells of Victoria Whitworth wild swimming experiences there. And there is the superb Turning by Jessica J. Lee, where she battles self-doubt and depression and challenges herself to swim in 52 of the lakes around Berlin.
Andrew Fusek Peters takes a different perspective in Dip. This is his account of swimming in the pools, rivers, and lakes over the course of a year near where he lives in the Shropshire county and elsewhere. He is prepared to swim any time of the year, braving the bone-chilling waters in January, dipping into the refreshing pools in the heat of August, being invigorating by waterfalls and braving the delights of a bog pool.
As with a lot of natural history books now, there is a personal side to this book as he describes the other dip that he suffered from, a deep depression that affected him so much so that he had a spell in hospital at his very lowest ebb and reached a point where it was life-threatening. This dark undercurrent to his life was as much to do with personal circumstances as it was his character, he is haunted by his father's suicide and still deeply saddened by his brother's early death from AIDS.
There is a deep melancholy and eloquence to his writing as even though he was better when he wrote the book, the spectre of depression is still a shadow in the background and its swirls still muddy the waters of his life. It also demonstrates the healing benefits of being outdoors and closer to the natural world as he immerses himself in the waters. The book is greatly enhanced by the photographs in the book taken by his daughter took and short excerpts of poetry that are liberally scattered throughout. It is another book in the natural history memoir sub-genre that is worth reading.
Andrew Fusek Peters takes a different perspective in Dip. This is his account of swimming in the pools, rivers, and lakes over the course of a year near where he lives in the Shropshire county and elsewhere. He is prepared to swim any time of the year, braving the bone-chilling waters in January, dipping into the refreshing pools in the heat of August, being invigorating by waterfalls and braving the delights of a bog pool.
As with a lot of natural history books now, there is a personal side to this book as he describes the other dip that he suffered from, a deep depression that affected him so much so that he had a spell in hospital at his very lowest ebb and reached a point where it was life-threatening. This dark undercurrent to his life was as much to do with personal circumstances as it was his character, he is haunted by his father's suicide and still deeply saddened by his brother's early death from AIDS.
There is a deep melancholy and eloquence to his writing as even though he was better when he wrote the book, the spectre of depression is still a shadow in the background and its swirls still muddy the waters of his life. It also demonstrates the healing benefits of being outdoors and closer to the natural world as he immerses himself in the waters. The book is greatly enhanced by the photographs in the book taken by his daughter took and short excerpts of poetry that are liberally scattered throughout. It is another book in the natural history memoir sub-genre that is worth reading.
Read
February 15, 2017Just one short mention of the well-known name “Roger Deakin” was all that was needed to attract me to this slim book. Any author who relates closely to the Welsh / Herefordshire borderlands is going to catch my attention. It’s a part of Britain which is often carelessly overlooked; perhaps because agricultural and other attractions such as long walks, exploring old market towns, and the visiting of obscure and unsung country churches, tends not appeal to the mass of unadventurous parents with small children seeking guaranteed hot sunshine obsessed with the latest marketing ‘trends’.
Andrew Peters engages in all-year-round swimming in cold British waters which are never in a month of Sundays ever going to approach the temperatures of the Mediterranean. His remarkable reasons for doing so unfold slowly. Others on Goodreads have mused upon and described Peters’ perfectly rational reasons for subjecting himself twelve months of the year to quite such an ascetic, almost holistically spiritual, discipline, the practical exercise all-year round exercise of which enables him to know, grow, and understand himself and Polly, his wife, more deeply.
My criticisms are few: the cheap grey washed-out photographs, printed directly onto the wood-pulp paper page are an insult, not a compliment to the author’s text. This paperback book demands quality white glossy photographs! I also wish that the rivers/pools had been properly indexed. That would have been much more helpful than a front of book index of the months of the year in simple date order! The swim in the pool of a Hong Kong hotel came as a jarring surprise (my head was still in Herefordshire and the Welsh Borders), as did those in the River Thames at Oxford, and the River Fleet (at Hampstead Pond, London).
Overall this is a remarkably well written book that is heart-warming without being saccharine; a unique glimpse of the diversity of human existence, and how the ‘cards’ played out to each of us can unexpectedly surprise us in so many different ways.
Andrew Peters engages in all-year-round swimming in cold British waters which are never in a month of Sundays ever going to approach the temperatures of the Mediterranean. His remarkable reasons for doing so unfold slowly. Others on Goodreads have mused upon and described Peters’ perfectly rational reasons for subjecting himself twelve months of the year to quite such an ascetic, almost holistically spiritual, discipline, the practical exercise all-year round exercise of which enables him to know, grow, and understand himself and Polly, his wife, more deeply.
My criticisms are few: the cheap grey washed-out photographs, printed directly onto the wood-pulp paper page are an insult, not a compliment to the author’s text. This paperback book demands quality white glossy photographs! I also wish that the rivers/pools had been properly indexed. That would have been much more helpful than a front of book index of the months of the year in simple date order! The swim in the pool of a Hong Kong hotel came as a jarring surprise (my head was still in Herefordshire and the Welsh Borders), as did those in the River Thames at Oxford, and the River Fleet (at Hampstead Pond, London).
Overall this is a remarkably well written book that is heart-warming without being saccharine; a unique glimpse of the diversity of human existence, and how the ‘cards’ played out to each of us can unexpectedly surprise us in so many different ways.
October 29, 2015
A very moving, short work by a British author which depicts his battle with severe depression and how he found swimming in outdoor pools, ponds, etc to be cathartic and healing. It is a short work but very raw and honest, especially how he describes his depression's crippling symptoms. The author had a lifelong love of swimming outdoors and this became a natural extension of his return to society. A recommended work for those who either enjoy the healing aspects of engaging with nature or wish to learn more about a firsthand account of a mental health recovery.
August 29, 2019
I picked this up because the main setting of Shropshire is relatively local to me, and because of the mental health link. But other locations of particular interest, such as Hampstead ponds are also included. I think what makes this book for me is the combination of openness and education. I enjoyed tagging along on Andrews journey, I like to know how people feel, how water and swimming makes them feel. Andrew opens up about the magic of water for him. But being new to wild swimming and dipping, I also picked up information and practical tips and resources. The author writes with good humour, so it's also entertaining!
March 27, 2021
A beautifully descriptive book detailing the joys of wild swimming in Shropshire/the Welsh borders.
Peters does a brilliant job illustrating the beauty of the Shropshire wilds, and he is refreshingly candid about his previous problems with mental health issues and addiction, and the wild water's ability to attempt to heal those hurts.
This book was of major interest to me as I'm lucky to be familiar with a lot of the places he mentioned in the book, and I can verify from experience that Shropshire and the Welsh borderlands are indeed an amazing place to play, chill and explore in nature.
Highly recommended.
Peters does a brilliant job illustrating the beauty of the Shropshire wilds, and he is refreshingly candid about his previous problems with mental health issues and addiction, and the wild water's ability to attempt to heal those hurts.
This book was of major interest to me as I'm lucky to be familiar with a lot of the places he mentioned in the book, and I can verify from experience that Shropshire and the Welsh borderlands are indeed an amazing place to play, chill and explore in nature.
Highly recommended.
February 1, 2018
Engaging, honest, and well-woven telling of one man's love of his life giving, be here now method - wild swimming. While the story does become strained in October, the rest of the month's tales are memorable and touching. Andrew Fusek Peters has gotten the closest to describing my own experience and desire for outdoor & cold water dunks - "When water closes around me, this is eternally the moment I am alive. ... To swim is to breathe" - words I have not been able to put together as coherently myself before. I thank him for that and for wearing his heart on his sleeve.
November 26, 2014
A beautifully evocative book about the curative properties of obsessively seeking out wild water and throwing oneself into it. Even as an avowed non-swimmer I felt the need to seek out water after reading certain chapters, because Peters describes the landscape and the sensory experience/shock of it so well.
January 4, 2015
Beautiful descriptions of a year swimming n the wilds of Britain. The author also describes his battles with depression and addiction. It's a shame the photos weren't printed on better quality paper.. A must-read for any wild swimmer.
April 18, 2016
A lovely short well written book which can be read as a series description of a series of wild swims, a record of a recovery from mental illness or both. However, the picture of a swimmer wearing a woolly hat should tell you all you need to know about all-season wild swimming in the British Isles.
May 22, 2016
Beautiful, evocative and poetical. A book to make to you think about the beauty of nature and how we must protect it. A heartfelt and frank look into the life of the author. A most sublime and joyous read!!
August 21, 2014
Loved this book. Beautifully written and made you feel as though you were visiting the same places as the author. Great for de-stressing after a tough day at work.
December 28, 2014
A must read
March 18, 2016
This book reminded me of John Hillaby's Journey Through Love. Quite entertaining & honest narrative.
January 6, 2019
Nostalgic read for me from my home county. Lovely tone and discussion of mental health. Inspired to swim more!
January 26, 2025
I discovered a copy of this book in my local library and completed it in one sitting on a cold, wet January afternoon. I was completely absorbed by the beautiful writing and the underlying deep sadness associated with the author’s recovery from clinical depression. I also felt so connected to the places he described as my family live in and around the rural villages of Leintwardine, Bromfield, Twitchen, Bucknell and Clun. I too have swum in secret locations in freezing cold rivers, fords and once on a private estate in a hidden gorge in the height of summer that was totally magical. Like the author when I left my family to return to the Surrey/Hampshire borders I also dreamt of living in one of the New England style houses tucked by behind the Lion pub on the banks of the Teme.
June 22, 2016
It was ok. Quite like the idea of wild swimming though!
Want to read
May 1, 2014Heard about it on Midweek, Radio 4, on 30th April 2014. Sounds intriguing.
Read
December 17, 2017Im a wild swimmer and I wasnt sure that this book was going to be any more than a pale imitation of the classic Roder Deakin's Waterlog. But I loved this! The sense of exploration and adventure in every swim, the passing of the seasons and year - they were captured so well and with such a sense of the joy of life. The restorative, life affirming properties of wild swimming are so well-articulated in this, as well as the bravery needed to overcome depression. Thanks Andrew!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews