It's hard to capture the joy of swimming in words, let alone art, but Lizzy Stewart somehow manages it. This week's guest is the wonderful illustrator and author of the graphic novel Alison. We spoke about painting pools, Devon's beaches and the connection between creativity and water.

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@lizzy_stewart

Books:

Buy Alison: waterstones.com/book/alison/lizzy-stewart/9781788169059

Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/

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When was the last time you stopped to notice the plants around you while you swam? This week's guest is Leif Bersweden, botanist and author of Where the Wildflowers Grow. We spoke about aquatic plants, where to find them and how to care for them.

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@freybromley #TheTidalYear 

@leifbersweden

@bsbibotany

speciesrecoverytrust.org.uk

Books:

Buy Where the Wildflowers Grow: amzn.eu/d/dP1mS6W

Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/ 

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Let's talk about men's mental health! This week's guest is Tom Mason the co-founder of Blue Balls Cornwall, a cold water swimming group specifically for the men of Cornwall. We spoke about how cold water develops resilience, building a community and tidal pools.

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@freybromley #TheTidalYear

@blueballscornwall

Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/

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This week’s guest is the author of one of my favourite books of 2021: Small Bodies of Water. Nina’s writing is lyrical and poetic. She blends memoir with powerful writing on the natural world. I’m not the only one who thinks so as she’s the winner of the Nan Shepherd Prize. We spoke about nature writing in multiple languages, pools from our childhood and transitioning through the seasons by swimming. Oh and the bird we’ve spotted at Hampstead Ponds is a Mandarin duck! 

Our chat becomes a little bit of a swimming book club, so I hope you’re looking for some reading recommendations including work by: Jessica J Lee, Mary Jean Chan, Hannah Lowe, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, Polly Atkin and Robin Wall Kimmerer. 

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@freybromley #TheTidalYear

@ninamingya

You can buy Small Bodies of Water wherever you normally get your books.

Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/

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This week’s guest is the author of Lido, a stunning book that celebrates the history, design and social aspects of outdoor pools. I spoke to Christopher about the three-acts of lido history, pioneering female swimmers and how booking your lido slot is like trying to get Glastonbury tickets!

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@freybromley #TheTidalYear

@christopherbeanland

You can buy Lido wherever you normally get your books.

Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/

Thanks to this episode’s sponsor TRIHARD. Say goodbye to chlorine and shop their skin and hair products at 15% off with the code Tidal at trihard.co

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This episode is with British photographic artist Mark Vessey. He lives in Brighton and sea swimming has been a big part of his journey with both creativity and sobriety. We talked about coming out, collecting things, being an outsider and how swimming in cold water feels like a hug. 

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@freybromley #TheTidalYear 

@mark_vessey

Explore Mark’s artwork: markvessey.com 

Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/ 

Thanks to this episode’s sponsor TRIHARD. Say goodbye to chlorine and shop their skin and hair products at 15% off with the code Tidal at trihard.co

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back! I'm delighted to kick off a new series with a very special swimmer. Jessica Hepburn is an adventure activist and the author of 21 Miles. 

After a decade of trying to become a mother Jessica Hepburn stopped her fertility journey and decided to swim the English Channel. As the training began, she learned you need to put on weight to stave off the cold so Jessica decided she would meet and eat with inspiring women to answer the question: does motherhood make you happy?

In this episode, we look back on her adventure and chat about being an endurance swimmer who doesn’t feel at all like one. Plus, we chat about one of my favourite places: Hampstead Ponds! 

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@freybromley #TheTidalYear 

@jessica_hepburn_

21 Miles by Jessica Hepburn is available wherever you buy your books. 

You can pre-order The Tidal Year here: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/

Thanks to this episode’s sponsor TRIHARD. Say goodbye to chlorine and shop their skin and hair products at 15% off with the code Tidal at trihard.co

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.