The Flow: Rivers, Water and Wildness

401 Pages·2022·15.967 MB·English

by  Amy-Jane Beer

THE FLOW
2
THE FLOW
Rivers, Water and Wildness
Amy-Jane Beer
BLOOMSBURY WILDLIFE
Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc
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First published in the United Kingdom 2022
Text copyright © Amy-Jane Beer
Amy-Jane Beer has asserted her right under the Copyright, Design and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work
For legal purposes the Acknowledgements on p. 388 constitute an extension of this
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ISBN: HB: 978-1-4729-7739-7; ePub: 978-1-4729-7737-3; ePDF: 978-1-4729-7738-0
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For Kate, and all who loved her
6
Contents
Prologue: Only water, moving on 11
Chapter 1: Fresh and yet so very old 25
Eddy: Snow dome 35
Chapter 2: Torrent 39
Eddy: Hollowing 59
Chapter 3: Oak-water 61
Eddy: Groundwater 77
Chapter 4: Fly while we may 81
Eddy: Dark water 89
Chapter 5: Lines upon the land 91
Meander: Bath toys 103
Chapter 6: The meanings of water 105
Eddy: Otter 121
Chapter 7: The Bell Guy and the Gypsey 123
Chapter 8: A willow grows aslant a brook 141
Eddy: Minus seven 161
Chapter 9: The cry of the Dart 163
Meander: Flow 177
Chapter 10: Trespassers will 179
Eddy: Summer on the Nene 199
Chapter 11: Chalk stream dreaming 203
Eddy: Heron 215
Chapter 12: Land covered by water 217
Eddy: High water 229
Chapter 13: Ouroboros 233
Meander: Ghosts in the willows 239
Chapter 14: The silver fish 243
Chapter 15: Light and water 259
Eddy: Damnation 271
Chapter 16: Anadrome 273
Chapter 17: Riverwoods 291
Eddy: Flowover 309
Chapter 18: Confluence and influence 311
Meander: A river released 325
Chapter 19: The Mucky Beck 327
Eddy: Withow Gap 341
Chapter 20: Rodents of unusual size 345
Eddy: The narrow bridge 361
Chapter 21: Heartland 365
Chapter 22: A descent into Hell Gill (and out the
other side) 377
Epilogue 387
Author’s note and acknowledgements 388
Further reading 391
Index 395
Please help me build a small boat,
One that will ride on the flow
Where the river runs deep, and the larger fish creep
I’m glad of what keeps me afloat
Johnny Flynn, The Water