Daniel Start’s dazzling travel guide book to France, for families and adventurers alike.
- Dip in to the emerald-green plunge pools of Provence and swim beneath the great châteaux of the Loire and Dordogne.
- Discover the unspoilt crater lakes of the Massif Central or relax in secluded hot springs in the woodlands of the Pyrénées.
- Recommendations for canoe trips, bike rides, campsites, restaurants and farmshops.
Wild Swimming France contains all the practical information you’ll need to lure you off the beaten track to over 400 amazing locations. With stunning photography, 15 maps, and detailed directions, grid references and walk-in times.
Buy the Print Book here.
You can also buy the pdf versions of Wild Swimming France here
Also available as an app for Android or Apple
You can buy the Kindle or print book from Amazon here.
Wild Swimming France takes you on an aquatic voyage to the wild side of the world’s favourite holiday destination and introduce you to parts of France you never knew existed. It provides all the practical information you’ll need, from
- * overview maps and directions,
- * grid references and walk-in times, to
- * tips on the best campsites,
- * places to rent canoes,
- * farm-shops for picnic supplies,
- * rural bistros for lazy lunches,
- * even the best places to skinny-dip
In vast areas of unspoilt French countryside there is so much to discover, from the tranquil river beaches of the Ardèche and the secret waterfalls of the Languedoc, to the shimmering aquamarine pools of Corsica and the Alps.
Wild Swimming France covers 14 regions:
- Jura
- Central Alps
- Alpes-Maritimes
- Corsica
- Haut Var and Verdon
- Vaucluse and Haute Provence
- Ardèche
- Languedoc
- Cévennes
- Corbières and Roussillon
- Pyrénées
- Lot, Célé and Aveyron
- Dordogne
- Loire and Normandy
Daniel Start is an award-winning writer and photographer, author of Wild Swimming (2008) and Wild Swimming Coast (2009). He has spent the last three years camping and swimming in France, seeking out its natural wonders and getting sunburnt along the way. Married with a baby daughter, he works as an environmental consultant and lives at the confluence of two rivers in rural Somerset.
Buy the Print Book here.
You can also buy the pdf versions of Wild Swimming France here
Also available as an app for Android or Apple
You can buy the Kindle or print book from Amazon here.
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6 reviews
[…] tons of uncrowded lakes, springs, and inlets popular for “wild swimming” (there’s even a book about all of […]
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[…] war der Lac de Narlay im französischen Jura Gebirge, welchen wir dank des großartigen Wild Swimming France Buchs (danke Robert K. für den Tip) gefunden […]
-Hi,
I am from the “cevennes” region in fance and This book has been my bible for the past 5 years. Each year i go off on a 5 day solo trip and i always plan according to this book. It has brought ne countless adventures and memories, thank you!!!!
I wanted to share something with all those who have found this book. 2years ago i showed this book to my “chambre d’hote” hosts when exploring the ganges region rivers. It just so happened that they knew a local river expert/scientist from the “river conservation fund”. He asked to meet me as he was afraid that the book might fall into the wrong hands and explained the following:
-The ecosystem of a river is much more fragile than we think
– the simple act of walking in a river causes damage that takes months or even years to repare itself
– micro organisms that live under the rocks or in the bed of the river are what makes a river “healthy”
– Human activity even at a moderate level kills this ecosystem.
– another huge issue is sun screen, it is terrible for the rivers (and oceans). We don’t realize that it washes off directly into the river and it is highly polluting. If you can avoid putting it on or maybe buy a biodegradable one that would be great.St laurent le minier is a perfect example of a magnificent place (huge waterfall, pool and everything) that has become a dead river (in that area) because of human activity…
I could go into more detail but it would be too long.
I am sure that the people that buy this book are nature friendly, but i wanted to make a point that when exploring these rivers please be extra careful not walk in groups in a river, swim as much as possible in order not hurt the river bed and if you have to walk in the river prefer going from rock to rock in order to impact the micro organisms as little as possible…
Of course i don’t mean to be a downer or tell people not to buy the book. On the contrary.
I am extremely grateful to Daniel Start for taking the time and having the passion to document all these amazing places, i am his #1 fan…
Rivers are the most beautiful thing (in my opinion) natures has to offer.
Please tell people around you about this.Daniel, if you read this it would be great if you could include this “warning” on your site on in your book if you publish again.
Don’t hesitate to contact me ([email protected]) if you’re ever in paris, i would love to have dinner or a drink to talk river!!!!Sincerely
Alexander
-[…] all our swimming exploits we have loosely been following Daniel Start’s Wild Swimming, France book to give us ideas on where might be accessible, safe and interesting for a swim. St. Léon […]
-Absolutely ASTOUNDING book… just got back from France having swam at four of the sites (coincidentally two are photographed above; Chenonceau and Pont Du Diable). Brilliant brilliant accurate guide to swims of a lifetime.
-LOVE this book. Waiting for ‘Wild Camping France’…
-[…] Start’s book Wild Swimming France recommends several spots along the Lot and its sister river, the bubbling Céle, to take a dip and […]
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Have hard copy. Superb book. Has inspired countless adventures. Thank you for opening up a new way to see a country and escape the tourist hordes.
-Done it !!Thanks I am off to France!
-Bought download now can’t find download!?
-[…] het surfen op internet kwam ik dit prachtige boek tegen Wildswimming France. Wanneer de de preview bekijkt zie je prachtige foto’s van de meest fantastische plaatsen in […]
-We have used this heavily in our exploration of the South East of France. We live in Antibes and there are many clues (canyons) here. Great for planning beautiful Hikes as well as swims. Best used in conjunction with a topo map but even Google Maps is enough to help with the directions.
-We have used this heavily in our exploration of the South East of France. We live in Antibes and there are many clues (canyons) here. Great for planning beautiful Hikes as well as swims. Best used in conjunction with a topo map but even Google Maps is enough to help with the directions.
-[…] titel is gepikt van het gelijknamige boek: Wild Swimming in France. Zodra je een 4-tal dagen vrij hebt en snakt naar rust en zon, is het de moeite om in je auto te […]
-[…] for a lack of money to afford the gîtes. This however was wonderful. We had a book entitled ‘Wild Swimming France‘ that has lat & long coordinates for wild swimming spots all over the French countryside. […]
-This is the Sports tours truth your mother and father doesn’t want one to find out
-Just spent an idyllic 2 weeks in Provence. Planned many of our days using Wild Swimming France. What can I say….
Swam though Le Styx in the Verdon gorge, canyoned the Haut Jabron, dived into the main pool at Sillans La Cascade, rafted from Castellane to Couloir Samson, got lost looking for the gorges of ChateauDouble, lept into the lake at Bauduen, and even spent a couple of hours by the pool!-Hi
maybe you like my new cute babies youtube video!☺-This book added a new dimension to our Annecy holiday; the locations were accurately described and inspired us off the beaten track and into some beautiful water.
I can’t believe I reached 30-something before I experienced night swimming; just glorious!
Fabulous book, thank you!
-[…] terugvind. In het begin van de reis ook een Brits koppel tegen het lijf gelopen die ons het boek Wild Swimming France cadeau heeft gedaan. Natuurlijk overdreven enthousiast een paar van die spots gaan opzoeken. […]
-[…] La colpa è tutta di un libro fotografico, Wild Swimming France […]
-Having read this I thought it was very informative.
I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this information together.I once again find myself spending a lot of time both
reading and leaving comments. But so what, it
was still worth it!-[…] Lac d’Ilay is one of many spectacular lakes in France’s remote Jura region. It is one of 400 river, lake and waterfall locations documented in Daniel Start’s new book Wild Swimming France. […]
-[…] in the afternoon with my father and Rimmer, a young friend from the village, and armed with Wild Swimming France we found what we were looking for. Here are some images from our trip. […]
-[…] up the pages of “Wild Swimming France“, we are hoping to swim in various rivers, lakes and waterfalls in the following places: […]
-[…] at 12 London time we’re discussing exactly that with the author of the Wild Swimming in France, Daniel Start. Daniel accepted our invitation to a live Twitter Interview (a Twitterview?) so […]
-[…] […]
-What a great idea for a book – so many travelers are looking for French hideaways just like this!
-[…] Lac d’Ilay is one of many spectacular lakes in France’s remote Jura region. It is one of 400 river, lake and waterfall locations documented in Daniel Start’s new book Wild Swimming France. […]
-[…] You can also find out more about wild swimming and ebook versions of this and other titles, here: Wild Swimming […]
-Your Comments
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[…] tons of uncrowded lakes, springs, and inlets popular for “wild swimming” (there’s even a book about all of […]
[…] war der Lac de Narlay im französischen Jura Gebirge, welchen wir dank des großartigen Wild Swimming France Buchs (danke Robert K. für den Tip) gefunden […]
[…] all our swimming exploits we have loosely been following Daniel Start’s Wild Swimming, France book to give us ideas on where might be accessible, safe and interesting for a swim. St. Léon […]
[…] Start’s book Wild Swimming France recommends several spots along the Lot and its sister river, the bubbling Céle, to take a dip and […]
[…] het surfen op internet kwam ik dit prachtige boek tegen Wildswimming France. Wanneer de de preview bekijkt zie je prachtige foto’s van de meest fantastische plaatsen in […]
[…] titel is gepikt van het gelijknamige boek: Wild Swimming in France. Zodra je een 4-tal dagen vrij hebt en snakt naar rust en zon, is het de moeite om in je auto te […]
[…] for a lack of money to afford the gîtes. This however was wonderful. We had a book entitled ‘Wild Swimming France‘ that has lat & long coordinates for wild swimming spots all over the French countryside. […]
[…] terugvind. In het begin van de reis ook een Brits koppel tegen het lijf gelopen die ons het boek Wild Swimming France cadeau heeft gedaan. Natuurlijk overdreven enthousiast een paar van die spots gaan opzoeken. […]
[…] La colpa è tutta di un libro fotografico, Wild Swimming France […]
[…] Lac d’Ilay is one of many spectacular lakes in France’s remote Jura region. It is one of 400 river, lake and waterfall locations documented in Daniel Start’s new book Wild Swimming France. […]
[…] in the afternoon with my father and Rimmer, a young friend from the village, and armed with Wild Swimming France we found what we were looking for. Here are some images from our trip. […]
[…] up the pages of “Wild Swimming France“, we are hoping to swim in various rivers, lakes and waterfalls in the following places: […]
[…] at 12 London time we’re discussing exactly that with the author of the Wild Swimming in France, Daniel Start. Daniel accepted our invitation to a live Twitter Interview (a Twitterview?) so […]
[…] […]
[…] Lac d’Ilay is one of many spectacular lakes in France’s remote Jura region. It is one of 400 river, lake and waterfall locations documented in Daniel Start’s new book Wild Swimming France. […]
[…] You can also find out more about wild swimming and ebook versions of this and other titles, here: Wild Swimming […]