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To swim is an act of attention: to the self, and to everything beyond it.
Follow poet and nature writer Polly Atkin as she swims through the turning year in the rivers, lakes and tarns of the English Lake District, in this lyrical ode to the uplifting power of water. This is a love story between a person and a place. It is a story of acceptance, persistence and finding joy in the everyday, as eight years of outdoor swimming through every season deepen Atkin’s knowledge and understanding of both the landscape she calls home and her disabled body.
Each month in the water reveals how a life lived with pain can be as rich, rewarding and full of delight as any other. Atkin swims for the sheer pleasure of it, showing how that pleasure may be found in every season, even by those who find the cold neither thrilling nor soothing. She reminds us of the quiet power of noticing the lives alongside ours — birds, plants and people. And through paying attention to herself and to the living world around her, she finds swimming becomes a transformative force, a kind of natural magic through which the extraordinary is revealed day after day, year after year.
Praise for Polly Atkin:
Winner: Lakeland Book of the Year 2024 (Some of Us Just Fall)
Longlist: Wainwright Prize (Nature Writing) 2024 and 2025
“Beautifully written and densely observant ... There is much food for thought in this wonderful and wholly original book.” Mail on Sunday on The Company of Owls
“This touching, gentle offering shows that, given a humble heart and willingness to stand still in Nature and look and listen, you can get closer to owls than you’d imagine.” Country Life on The Company of Owls
“A timely, lyrical and insightful exploration of the stories we tell about our bodies and how they influence our lives and sense of belonging. It made me yearn to revisit the Lake District and Grasmere ... because her descriptions of her daily walks and swims were so beautiful. Perfect for fans of Sinéad Gleeson, Amy Liptrot and Olivia Laing.” Jack Clark, The Times on Some of Us Just Fall
“With a poet’s insight and a deep understanding of place, Atkin pulls us again and again to witness ... I was immersed.” Katie Hale on Some of Us Just Fall
Getting In
Water Biosecurity
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May (again)
What to Wear
Resources and Further Reading
Notes