The Pull of the River

Matt Gaw

Elliott and Thompson

£9.99

Explorations by canoe of the rivers Waveney, Stour, Alde, Lark, Great Ouse, Thames, Granta, Cam, Colne, Wye, Otter, Severn and Ness. Time was when Yachting Monthly included a regular Canoe Notes section and the spirits of ‘Rob Roy’ MacGregor and RL Stevenson, as well as Roger ‘Waterlog’ Deakin, hover benignly over this charming and unpretentious book.  It’s a wonderful reminder of the adventurous possibilities on our own back doorsteps – or other peoples’. Public access to non-tidal rivers in England and Wales is frequently disputed: rivers can be abused, polluted and locked into a cycle of neglect. Elsewhere however, beavers feast on willow shoots and the simple magic of water continues to work its transformative power. Quietly passionate and beautifully written.