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The Tidal Year
Freya is still searching. For four years, she's been looking for a way to fill the empty space her brother's death left behind. Ready for another distraction, Freya decides to swim every tidal pool in Britain in a year with her friend Miri. The adventure takes them from a pool hidden in the cliffs of fishing-village Polperro to the quarry lagoon of Abereiddi via Trinkie Wick where locals meet each year to give the pool wall a fresh lick of paint.
As Freya travels further from London, she finds herself closer to memories of her brother. With every swim, and every stranger they meet in the water, the challenge becomes more than just a way to explore the coast, but a journey of self-discovery.
The Tidal Year is a true story about the healing power of wild swimming and the space it creates for reflection, rewilding, and hope. An exploration of grief in the modern age, it's also a tale of loss, love, female rage and sisterhood.
As Freya travels further from London, she finds herself closer to memories of her brother. With every swim, and every stranger they meet in the water, the challenge becomes more than just a way to explore the coast, but a journey of self-discovery.
The Tidal Year is a true story about the healing power of wild swimming and the space it creates for reflection, rewilding, and hope. An exploration of grief in the modern age, it's also a tale of loss, love, female rage and sisterhood.
448 pages, Paperback
Published May 4, 2023
48 people are currently reading
1507 people want to read
About the author
Freya Bromley
3 books39 followersFreya Bromley is a writer living in London. Her work focuses on love, loss and healing through nature. The Tidal Year is her first book and is shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
January 30, 2024
I was drawn to The Tidal Year for several reasons. First off, I’ll read just about any bereavement memoir going. Second, I love following along on a year challenge. Third, even though I haven’t been much of a swimmer since childhood, I appreciate how outdoor swimming combines observation of nature and the seasons with achievable bodily exploits; you don’t have to be an exercise nut or undergo lots of training to get into it. Headlines often tout the physical benefits of coldwater swimming, but it’s the emotional benefits that Bromley emphasizes in this record of facing grief and opening up to love.
Bromley was the middle of five children but her boisterous family’s dynamic went out of kilter when her younger brother Tom was diagnosed with bone cancer and died at age 19. Suddenly she could hardly talk to her mother, let alone to Tom’s twin, Emma. Isolated in London, where she worked in music journalism, she roped her friend Miri into wild swimming excursions and threw herself into Internet dating. She and Miri concocted a plan to swim in all of Britain’s mainland tidal pools (saltwater enclosed by manmade elements) in a year; she started seeing Jem, a free-spirited documentary filmmaker – but also Flip, a Black actor she met when he came to buy her neighbour’s antique chairs; he nicknamed her “Poet” and encouraged her in her writing.
Each short chapter is identified by a place name and its geographical coordinates. Most often, these correspond to a swimming destination, but they can also be clues to interludes or flashbacks, whether set in London (“Jem’s Skylight”), on the last night she spent by Tom’s hospital bedside, or at the Brecon Beacons home her parents moved to after Tom’s death. A lot of the tidal pools are in Devon and Cornwall, but she and Miri also make expeditions to Scotland and Wales and elsewhere along the south coast.
At a certain point Bromley realizes that they aren’t going to hit every single pool before the year is over, but the goal starts to matter less than the slow internal transformation that’s taking place. “Swimming had been a way for me to rediscover my body as a place of power, play and movement.” We see the gradual shifts: she’s more able to talk about Tom, she commits to her writing through a Cambridge course, she’s a supportive big sister to Emma, and she breaks it off with one of the boyfriends.
I had to suppress my judgemental side here. I know monogamy is not a universal value, especially among a younger generation, and Bromley does acknowledge that she was behaving badly in stringing two partners along – grief leads people to make decisions they might not normally. The other niggle for this pedantic proofreader was the non-standard way of introducing dialogue. Bromley chose to put all dialogue in italics – fine with me – but doesn’t consistently bracket phrases with “I said” or “she asked.” Usually it’s clear enough, but sometimes the interruption of speech with gesture is downright maddening, e.g., “There’s this, I blew on the tea, well inside me” and “It’s magic isn’t it, Miri rolled down her window”.
But I was (mostly) able to excuse this stylistic quirk because Bromley writes so acutely about herself and others, giving a lucid sense of the passage of time and the particularities of place. She’s observant and funny, too. “I find what people often mean when they say ‘resilient’ is that they want people to be good at suffering in silence.” Youthful, playful, sexy: those are unusual characteristics for a book on the fringes of nature writing. The voice was distinctive enough that, though I’ve rarely met a 400+-page book that couldn’t stand to be closer to 300, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with it and would have been very happy for it to win the Nero Book Award.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Bromley was the middle of five children but her boisterous family’s dynamic went out of kilter when her younger brother Tom was diagnosed with bone cancer and died at age 19. Suddenly she could hardly talk to her mother, let alone to Tom’s twin, Emma. Isolated in London, where she worked in music journalism, she roped her friend Miri into wild swimming excursions and threw herself into Internet dating. She and Miri concocted a plan to swim in all of Britain’s mainland tidal pools (saltwater enclosed by manmade elements) in a year; she started seeing Jem, a free-spirited documentary filmmaker – but also Flip, a Black actor she met when he came to buy her neighbour’s antique chairs; he nicknamed her “Poet” and encouraged her in her writing.
Each short chapter is identified by a place name and its geographical coordinates. Most often, these correspond to a swimming destination, but they can also be clues to interludes or flashbacks, whether set in London (“Jem’s Skylight”), on the last night she spent by Tom’s hospital bedside, or at the Brecon Beacons home her parents moved to after Tom’s death. A lot of the tidal pools are in Devon and Cornwall, but she and Miri also make expeditions to Scotland and Wales and elsewhere along the south coast.
At a certain point Bromley realizes that they aren’t going to hit every single pool before the year is over, but the goal starts to matter less than the slow internal transformation that’s taking place. “Swimming had been a way for me to rediscover my body as a place of power, play and movement.” We see the gradual shifts: she’s more able to talk about Tom, she commits to her writing through a Cambridge course, she’s a supportive big sister to Emma, and she breaks it off with one of the boyfriends.
I had to suppress my judgemental side here. I know monogamy is not a universal value, especially among a younger generation, and Bromley does acknowledge that she was behaving badly in stringing two partners along – grief leads people to make decisions they might not normally. The other niggle for this pedantic proofreader was the non-standard way of introducing dialogue. Bromley chose to put all dialogue in italics – fine with me – but doesn’t consistently bracket phrases with “I said” or “she asked.” Usually it’s clear enough, but sometimes the interruption of speech with gesture is downright maddening, e.g., “There’s this, I blew on the tea, well inside me” and “It’s magic isn’t it, Miri rolled down her window”.
But I was (mostly) able to excuse this stylistic quirk because Bromley writes so acutely about herself and others, giving a lucid sense of the passage of time and the particularities of place. She’s observant and funny, too. “I find what people often mean when they say ‘resilient’ is that they want people to be good at suffering in silence.” Youthful, playful, sexy: those are unusual characteristics for a book on the fringes of nature writing. The voice was distinctive enough that, though I’ve rarely met a 400+-page book that couldn’t stand to be closer to 300, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with it and would have been very happy for it to win the Nero Book Award.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
October 25, 2023
I met Freya at a supper club where she told me about her book. I picked it up on my Kindle almost immediately and began reading. This year was tough for me so I had to take breaks as reading about grief can be triggering. Picked up to finish again recently and loved every minute of her writing. So beautifully written, encompassing friendship, family dynamics and processing grief in a multitude of ways, it was so thoughtfully put together. I am hoping to try a tidal pool soon. Thank you for sharing your story, Freya, and to anyone else reading this review - I couldn’t recommend this book more.
December 13, 2023
Reviewing the hardcover edition though it seems to be absent from the list.
Oh dear, where to begin with this book. Ok, I'll be kind and start with some positives. 1. There are some lovely black and white photographs of the tidal pools Bromley visited 2. There are sparse moments of poetic description that are really beautiful and inspired. Annnnd that's all I can manage with the positives. Here come the negatives.................
1. When I read a book on tidal pools, wild swimming and grief, I don't expect to be regaled with details of someone's itchy fanny due to being fingered by their boyfriend, and then listening to the internal debate over whether it is thrush or bacterial vaginosis!!! Honestly, I shit you not! There is some serious oversharing in this book that Bromley needs to have a word with herself about!! No-one wants to know mate! Same with the vomiting in a bag after a massive hangover. Grow up!
2. The self-aggrandizing. Despite the supposed self-agonising over her life, Bromley thinks very highly of herself and it bleeds onto the pages. "My mother is gorgeous, she has passed that beauty onto me"... Really, and so modest Freya?!!
3. The double standards. She bemoans the men in her life at times, moaning about what they don't/can't give her, but is actually two timing two (fairly decent sounding) men, all the while trying to decide which would be more beneficial to her! Eugh! Fuck right off.
4. Her behaviour towards her family comes across as quite twatty. All the family have lost someone, a son/brother/twin but Bromley comes across as "it's all about me"!! Her sister is virtually ignored for the whole book then is lauded at the end in a seeming lip service.
5. The book is way too long at nearly 450 pages. She needs an editor. I SAY, SHE NEEDS AN EDITOR!!!
I was not impressed with this book. The title is just an excuse for Bromley to talk about herself and expose aspects of her life that no one is really interested in. Perhaps she should have stuck to poetry.
Oh dear, where to begin with this book. Ok, I'll be kind and start with some positives. 1. There are some lovely black and white photographs of the tidal pools Bromley visited 2. There are sparse moments of poetic description that are really beautiful and inspired. Annnnd that's all I can manage with the positives. Here come the negatives.................
1. When I read a book on tidal pools, wild swimming and grief, I don't expect to be regaled with details of someone's itchy fanny due to being fingered by their boyfriend, and then listening to the internal debate over whether it is thrush or bacterial vaginosis!!! Honestly, I shit you not! There is some serious oversharing in this book that Bromley needs to have a word with herself about!! No-one wants to know mate! Same with the vomiting in a bag after a massive hangover. Grow up!
2. The self-aggrandizing. Despite the supposed self-agonising over her life, Bromley thinks very highly of herself and it bleeds onto the pages. "My mother is gorgeous, she has passed that beauty onto me"... Really, and so modest Freya?!!
3. The double standards. She bemoans the men in her life at times, moaning about what they don't/can't give her, but is actually two timing two (fairly decent sounding) men, all the while trying to decide which would be more beneficial to her! Eugh! Fuck right off.
4. Her behaviour towards her family comes across as quite twatty. All the family have lost someone, a son/brother/twin but Bromley comes across as "it's all about me"!! Her sister is virtually ignored for the whole book then is lauded at the end in a seeming lip service.
5. The book is way too long at nearly 450 pages. She needs an editor. I SAY, SHE NEEDS AN EDITOR!!!
I was not impressed with this book. The title is just an excuse for Bromley to talk about herself and expose aspects of her life that no one is really interested in. Perhaps she should have stuck to poetry.
May 12, 2023
The book was really really well written so it was very satisfying to read her prose. Am grateful to have read it when I did, the *complex emotions that I have yet failed to articulate* I felt towards Bromley were probably a good thing- a sign the book worked? I also look forward to going to the event at Waterstones- and doing more swims ( the wilderness medic group messaged today for a lido swim this weekend!).
October 2, 2024
Parts of this are incredibly moving. The way Freya writes about grief, her brother and her family dynamic is beautiful and heart-wrenching. The last 100 pages were my favourite.
March 18, 2025
late back to the party but read this in the camper on holz - v wholesome and didn’t make me shit myself being alone in a van which was 100% what we were going for
January 17, 2024
If I read a book cover to cover in 24-48 hours, it is a sure measure that I have been captured by it and will thoroughly recommend it. Indeed, I’ve bought copies and given to friends that I think will like it.
This is a compelling read about a young woman’s journey through grief for the loss of her brother. It is also the story of a friendship forged and how a journey of discovery of the UK’s tidal swimming pools facilitated reflection and understanding of grief.
A great read if your are coping with grief or, equally, if you are compelled to cold water swim in or discover the tidal pools dotted around our coast. Or maybe both?
Highly recommended. Inspired by this, 2024 will be my year of discovery of tidal pools - the dry robes have been purchased.
Recommended!
This is a compelling read about a young woman’s journey through grief for the loss of her brother. It is also the story of a friendship forged and how a journey of discovery of the UK’s tidal swimming pools facilitated reflection and understanding of grief.
A great read if your are coping with grief or, equally, if you are compelled to cold water swim in or discover the tidal pools dotted around our coast. Or maybe both?
Highly recommended. Inspired by this, 2024 will be my year of discovery of tidal pools - the dry robes have been purchased.
Recommended!
April 1, 2024
Perhaps my favourite book I’ve read this year. I adored this book. It made me want to live a life brimming with shared experiences, for better or worse. Will definitely need to ponder some more and reread when the time comes ❤️
July 2, 2024
It was so good I didn't want to finish it. Like I didn't want to say good bye to this book like it was a friend.
Really needed this book in my life at this moment. And now I have lots of new swimming spots on my list to check out.
Really needed this book in my life at this moment. And now I have lots of new swimming spots on my list to check out.
August 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this - felt very connected to her in parts, especially as it seems that she lived so close to me! Using swimming to navigate grief, relationships and friendships - very inspired!
June 19, 2024
Obviously a memoir by its very nature has more than an element of being self-indulgent, and I feel badly criticising anyone’s grief but I’m not sure the world needed this. I read it because it was recommended me to me, but I won’t be doing the same. I understand grief is personal and selfish but the author’s audacious selfishness in every aspect of her life made me feel for the others (although I suppose respect her honesty) particularly her mother. I was also disappointed the author didn’t complete the challenge - understandable but it was the premise of the book?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2025
I wish I was someone who could stop reading books that I don’t like. I would have stopped reading this.
Boring. It was boring. The writing was flat and boring. She was obsessed with boring tidal pools. To try to break up the boring there were comments like ‘can you get chlamydia from being fingered.’ WTF. A no from me.
Boring. It was boring. The writing was flat and boring. She was obsessed with boring tidal pools. To try to break up the boring there were comments like ‘can you get chlamydia from being fingered.’ WTF. A no from me.
August 16, 2023
I did enjoy this book which bills itself as a memoir on grief, sisterhood and the healing power of swimming. Though at times I found the writer a little annoying... but realised it's because she's in her twenties - not an easy decade!
February 1, 2025
Not usually one for a re-read, but I love this so much!
August 26, 2024
I haven’t devoured and enjoyed a book like this in a really long time
July 15, 2025
Great descriptions of tidal pools all over the country. I feel the book had a lot of potential but I struggled to feel much empathy with the author in the same way as Amy Liptrop in the Outrun which I thoroughly enjoyed
December 13, 2023
A beautifully written memoir about loss, grief and rebuilding.
May 30, 2024
4.5 stars
July 29, 2024
Simply sublime
August 18, 2025
Nature writing was delightful. Keen to read her fictional debut coming out next year (I think?). It was evident the author didn’t like dogs, which was sad :(
October 8, 2025
A very beautiful recollection of the ebs and flows of love and family and security and work and passion but the unwavering place for friendship and sisterhood
A simple premise but very profound and honest take on grief, persistence and swimming
A simple premise but very profound and honest take on grief, persistence and swimming
January 16, 2025
Such a tender exploration of grief, love, family and the complexity of these emotions. Freya showed us the ugly and selfish side to her grief and I really appreciate the honesty she shared with her readers!
December 19, 2024
So many things I could write about this book, I simply adored it. Tender, honest and raw, Freya’s writing captures and articulates a spectrum of feelings people may struggle to achieve, giving relief to many and comfort to all. The nuances and complexities of grief are captured so well on the page, whilst also observing beautiful musings on nature, the ocean, family and romance, in all its complex guises.
January 22, 2024
2 in parts and 4 in others
I was gifted this because of my love of cold water swimming.
Descriptions of places to swim are excellent. The portrayal of friendship amongst women and between sisters, and how it feels to fall in love hit the mark too.
However, I couldn't decide whether this was book was intended as a logbook, a novel or a section of an autobiography.
In parts, it gave too much information that wasn't needed. While suitable for a novel, the sex descriptions sounded out of place and too personal for a factual account about swimming through grief. I felt that Freya may have written them in to show her mother that she wasn't 'frigid' at all. Indeed, I felt that, in parts, the book was written as a sort of diary to express feelings that Freya hadn't been able to share with her friends and family. As an explanation for her behaviour. I do wonder whether she will regret this. I hope not. I hope that she found writing it therapeutic in her path to healing.
I was gifted this because of my love of cold water swimming.
Descriptions of places to swim are excellent. The portrayal of friendship amongst women and between sisters, and how it feels to fall in love hit the mark too.
However, I couldn't decide whether this was book was intended as a logbook, a novel or a section of an autobiography.
In parts, it gave too much information that wasn't needed. While suitable for a novel, the sex descriptions sounded out of place and too personal for a factual account about swimming through grief. I felt that Freya may have written them in to show her mother that she wasn't 'frigid' at all. Indeed, I felt that, in parts, the book was written as a sort of diary to express feelings that Freya hadn't been able to share with her friends and family. As an explanation for her behaviour. I do wonder whether she will regret this. I hope not. I hope that she found writing it therapeutic in her path to healing.
August 15, 2024
There is a rash of swimming memoirs emerging, especially from the UK. Many of them deal with healing from broken hearts by swimming in rivers or the ocean. They’re sweet and raw, and evangelistic about the role swimming plays in their lives. This one is a bit different. The literary style of writing is on the right side of metaphor, and veers into forms of vulnerability that include self-reflection. Bromley does not paint herself as a saint but instead lingers on the tensions and conflicts that the pain of grief can leave in its wake. Bromley lets us into her life and her heart, and into the pain she’s immersing herself in as much as she does the water of the tidal pools that bring her solace. She also centres the role of her friendships in both things, reminding us that swimming alone won’t save any of us.
This book will not give anyone a blueprint for coping with loss, but it might help you feel less alone in the grief.
This book will not give anyone a blueprint for coping with loss, but it might help you feel less alone in the grief.
January 15, 2023
A beautifully written account of grief and swimming. Freya takes you on a journey around the tidal pools of the UK whilst navigating her own experiences of love, loss, friendship and family. With moments that make you laugh and moments that make you cry, this book reveals the feelings of a young woman learning to live with the loss of a loved one. I can highly recommend it to anyone who has experienced grief but also anyone wanting to support friends and family living with grief.
January 25, 2023
‘The Tidal Year’ is a delightful debut novel that delivered so much more than a memoir about swimming, or about friendship or even about grief, although it is all of those things as well. A compulsive read about what it really means to be alive and how we all struggle to live the best life we can. It is also a book about profound love in all its forms. Beautifully written, this is a book that made my heart ache. I recommend it to everyone.
April 24, 2025
8/10 — i just realised i never wrote my review!! and yet i vividly remember writing it… oh well. unlike my awful memory, this book isn’t one i’ll be forgetting soon. it was beautifully melancholic yet hopeful. grief was spoken about in such open and honest ways, and water was the perfect metaphor. a lovely book that i connected with.
September 12, 2024
This grief memoir about wild swimming was beautifully written. Reminded me a little bit of This Ragged Grace and The Salt Path. I thought it was slightly overlong by about 50 pages; like The Salt Path this format risks being a little repetitive. I thought the author described the experience of falling in love so well and with such tenderness.
June 25, 2023
This book was like a hug or warm cup of tea. It spoke to my soul. A book to be savoured. I forced myself to read it slowly to soak it up. I truly loved the writings on swimming, grief, love and nature. A little sad it's over. But it's given me the reminder that I needed to swim more often!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews