I’ve trekked all the chuckling rivers on Dartmoor and Exmoor and just forty miles to the east of them ooze the slow waters of the Brue. The famous chalk streams of Hampshire and Wiltshire simply shine in their brilliance whilst an hour’s drive away you can view the sluggish course of the Sussex Ouse…

In Lifelines, fisherman and nature writer John Bailey calls upon some of his friends, river experts all, to help draw the definitive picture of Britain’s rivers today. From the frenetic upper rivers of Norfolk to the pellucid waters of Driffield Beck, they visit some of the most significant rivers nationwide and explore the fascinating ecology and secret history of the UK’s waterways.

Exploring the flora, fauna, fish and other riverbank delights, John sets out to provide a deep insight into the lives of these water courses, great and small, and to enhance readers’ relationships with the UK’s rivers. Experts and contributors include river campaigner Feargal Sharkey, angler Marina Gibson and our old friend Paul Whitehouse.