Roger Deakin, who died in August 2006 shortly after completing the manuscript of Wildwood, was a writer and film maker with a particular interest in nature and the environment. He lived for many years in Suffolk, where he swam regularly in his moat, in the River Waveney and in the sea, in between travelling widely through the wildwood landscapes he writes about in this book. Waterlog, the predecessor to Wildwood, recounts his swimming adventures and has been hailed as a classic of nature writing.