The Tidal Year

My book The Tidal Year is out today! As a special thank you to my podcast listeners, I've included a free preview of the prologue and chapter one from the audiobook read by me. Here's more about the book: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.You can listen to the full audiobook on Apple Books, Audible or wherever you usually download your audiobooks. Plus, it's in bookshops around the country. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every other breath we take comes from the ocean, so it's important that we look after it! Susanne Masters has great tips for how. This week's guest is plant scientist, ethnobotanist and the author of Wild Waters. We spoke about sustainable harvesting, swimming with seals and the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim.Follow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear @mastersmissBooks:Buy Wild Waters: waterstones.com/book/wild-waters/susanne-masters/alice-goodridge/9781839811005Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Follow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear @leifbersweden@bsbibotanyspeciesrecoverytrust.org.ukBooks: Buy Where the Wildflowers Grow: amzn.eu/d/dP1mS6WPre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Follow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear@ninamingyaYou can buy Small Bodies of Water wherever you normally get your books.Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you match over 5,000 years of ancestral wisdom with cutting edge science? The first at-home smart ice bath and cold water therapy app is created! This week’s guest is Monk's founder, Laura Fullerton. We chatted Hipocrates, the history of the spa and the amount of information we’re bombarded with each day. This episode was recording in October 2022. People mentioned in this episode:Wim Hof daveasprey.combengreenfieldlife.comdrbrighten.comMax Lugavere and Alicia VittiFollow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear@discovermonk Find out more about Monk and join the waitlist: discovermonk.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! Follow:@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.

Cleveland Pools is Britain’s oldest lido dating back over 200 years. It’s set to open once again! Restoration to make the facility fit for the future has started and they’re working to create a unique open-air public swimming pool in Bath, with the energy for heating the water coming from heat pumps in the adjacent river. In this episode I chat to project director Anna Baker. We spoke about Anna’s work, the history of the lido and the power of community action to make a heritage project like this happen. Follow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear@clevelandpoolsYou can find more about the restoration at clevelandpools.org.uk They’re still raising money to re-open the lido and need your help to make it happen! Go online to find out how you can donate your money or time. It’s really vital to this wonderful heritage site.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the bestselling author of The Last Act of Love, A Manual for Heartache, Dear Reader and her latest novel, Everyone is Still Alive. Cathy swims in the sea near her home in Cornwall (including a new tradition of a publication day swim) and is hoping to start swimming all year around. We chat about that and lots more about swimming, as well as its connection to the creative process. This episode also touches on grief and how life is about accumulating experiences, both good and bad, that make us who we are.  Follow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear@catrentzenbrinkAll of Cathy’s books are available wherever you buy your books.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nathaniel Cole is a writer, workshop facilitator and co-founder of the inner city swimming club Swim Dem Crew. They hold weekly sessions for people to become better swimmers. Much of what Swim Dem Crew do is about personal development and self-affirmation, using swimming as a tool to empower people and make the sport more inclusive. In this episode, we spoke about Swim Dem Crew’s work and explored topics including masculinity, inclusion, how the confidence people gain from swimming can touch other parts of their life and Nathaniel’s own journey to creating a career around helping people. Follow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear@swimdemcrewAs Nathaniel says in this episode… when you’re ready, Swim Dem Crew is ready for you! Check out their amazing work or join them for a swim here: www.swimdemcrew.co.ukThanks 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.

Have you ever dreamed of swimming in the Thames? Well, this week's guest is trying to make it happen! Chris Romer-Lee is co-founder of architects Studio Octopi and a regular swimmer at the Serpentine Lido in London. He’s also the CEO of Thames Baths, a project which has proposed a floating lido on the Thames. The design has received plenty of public support (including none other than artist Tracey Emin) as well as a successful crowdfunding campaign. Chris is also involved in many new projects to save lidos around the country and bring swimming to more people, especially in urban spaces. I’m so inspired by his vision is to inspire people in cities around the world to reclaim their rivers for swimming and increased public use.In this episode, we chatted about the Thames Baths project, the history of swimming in the Thames and how we might’ve lost contact with the river beneath our feet. Plus, we chat about the playful idea of a pool on the back of a truck. I hope you enjoy this episode! Follow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear @chrisromerlee@ThamesBathsExplore the Thames Baths design at thamesbaths.com 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.

Calum, Robbie and Jack Hudson are The Wild Swimming Brothers. Together, they went on a 9-day adventure to swim from the source of the River Eden to its mouth in the Solway Firth near their childhood home. After such a transformative endurance swim, they decided they wouldn't stop there and embarked on more world-first swims including swimming across terrifying maelstroms in Norway, Scotland and the Arctic Circle. In this episode, I chat to Calum and Robbie about reconnecting with childhood memories, overcoming (or maybe just accepting fear) and that need to rewild ourselves in a busy world. Most of all, this is a great chat about the importance of brotherhood. And I hope you enjoy it!Follow:@freybromley #TheTidalYear @thewildswimmingbrothersSwim Wild by Jack Hudson is available wherever you buy your books. 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.