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The Year I Lay My Head in Water: Swimming Scandinavia in Search of a Better Life
Laying your head in water is what you do when you're having a bad day. The water is where you go when you need time to think. It's where you go when you reach a crossroads in your life.
Living in Copenhagen had been a dream for Laura Hall and it was working out - until it wasn't. She discovered that the trials of life will follow you anywhere, as she felt herself disintegrating into stress and burn out. She was unmoored and unsure of how to find her place in the world.
What followed was a year swimming the cold seas of Scandinavia in search of answers and meaning. She swam in iceberg-filled seas in Greenland, visited Viking spas in Iceland, and beaches and piers all over Norway, Denmark and Sweden. During this year of discovery, Laura met other people doing the same thing and swapped notes, discovering ways to use the water to strengthen a bond with nature and get back to a more human way of life.
Living in Copenhagen had been a dream for Laura Hall and it was working out - until it wasn't. She discovered that the trials of life will follow you anywhere, as she felt herself disintegrating into stress and burn out. She was unmoored and unsure of how to find her place in the world.
What followed was a year swimming the cold seas of Scandinavia in search of answers and meaning. She swam in iceberg-filled seas in Greenland, visited Viking spas in Iceland, and beaches and piers all over Norway, Denmark and Sweden. During this year of discovery, Laura met other people doing the same thing and swapped notes, discovering ways to use the water to strengthen a bond with nature and get back to a more human way of life.
- GenresNonfiction
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 24, 2026
Loved this! And now I want to go cold water swimming as well 😊
March 4, 2026
Oh my goodness me. Where do I even begin with this book? I’ve had to take 24 hours just to decompress because I have so many thoughts and feelings about it.
Laura starts us off wondering whether she’s having a midlife crisis. She’s burnt out and unhappy with her life, but not too sure what to do next. And so begins her swimming journey, at the end of 2019.
There are four main sections: autumn, winter, spring, and summer. Perfectly laid out to take us on a journey through Laura’s year of swimming in Scandinavia in search of a better life.
It helps that Laura is an award-winning travel journalist, but the way she writes is absolutely wonderful. I felt like I knew the people in the book and I could really imagine the places she was visiting. I loved how she shared snippets of her time with new people, with her family, with her friends that show she’s just a normal person like you and me, but she’s doing something so extraordinary.
The story talks about family, friendships, swimming (of course), the environmental impact on our waters, and life in Scandinavia.
It’s so wonderfully written and is the perfect story for anyone who is feeling burnt out, unhappy, lost or/and in need of change. It’s also great for anyone who is interested in swimming, travelling or/and Scandinavia.
I suffered severe burn out in 2023 and it caused me serious problems. I also love to swim. I related on quite a few levels.
Honestly, I feel so inspired and comforted after reading this book and I really wish I knew Laura personally. I would absolutely love to meet her and chat about her experiences over a cup of coffee.
My first 5 star of the year. And I imagine it’ll be hard to top this, to be perfectly honest!
Laura starts us off wondering whether she’s having a midlife crisis. She’s burnt out and unhappy with her life, but not too sure what to do next. And so begins her swimming journey, at the end of 2019.
There are four main sections: autumn, winter, spring, and summer. Perfectly laid out to take us on a journey through Laura’s year of swimming in Scandinavia in search of a better life.
It helps that Laura is an award-winning travel journalist, but the way she writes is absolutely wonderful. I felt like I knew the people in the book and I could really imagine the places she was visiting. I loved how she shared snippets of her time with new people, with her family, with her friends that show she’s just a normal person like you and me, but she’s doing something so extraordinary.
The story talks about family, friendships, swimming (of course), the environmental impact on our waters, and life in Scandinavia.
It’s so wonderfully written and is the perfect story for anyone who is feeling burnt out, unhappy, lost or/and in need of change. It’s also great for anyone who is interested in swimming, travelling or/and Scandinavia.
I suffered severe burn out in 2023 and it caused me serious problems. I also love to swim. I related on quite a few levels.
Honestly, I feel so inspired and comforted after reading this book and I really wish I knew Laura personally. I would absolutely love to meet her and chat about her experiences over a cup of coffee.
My first 5 star of the year. And I imagine it’ll be hard to top this, to be perfectly honest!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews