‘The river had been unlike any road or path. On it, I had been absorbed into the landscape. I had felt and heard the life of the water as I followed its surprises. By confining me within its banks it had freed me from my attachment to the unmoving earth and made me a different spirit. And all this way it had managed to hold onto its own spontaneity, the sense of not being answerable to any master, wandering as it would.’Downstream is a celebration of rivers: an exploration of what they mean to us and in turn, what we owe to them. Travelling partly on foot and bicycle, but chiefly in a plywood fifteen foot punt, Tom Fort followed the course of Britain’s third largest – and one of our least known rivers– the River Trent, from source to the sea. Journeying through the unsung heart of Middle England, his journey showed him the unseen face of his own country, all the while teaching him about the land and moving water, its mysteries and magic.

Rivers are special to us and the landscape we inhabit, shaping and defining our world. They give us power and nourishment. They were the first highways: routes for conquest and flight and over time, they have acted as both barriers and connections. Rivers stir the imagination and reach into our souls.This is an exploration into the historical, geographical, social, cultural and industrial aspects of a river filled with the curiosities, forgotten characters and departed ways.