A Single Swallow

Review: Damien Enright

In the course of keeping pace with the birds, he would travel the length of Africa and record his experiences of out-of-the-way places where only mad birders might go. The pursuit would give him a purpose for his journey, a unifying theme. He would travel light and as cheaply as possible. Somewhere in central Africa, the swallows that winter in Botswana and the Cape of Good Hope split into three tribes. He would follow the route of the tribe that reaches Britain and Ireland each year.

The resultant book works excellently. It is not so much about birds as about places and about the people met in transit, the kindness of strangers and the adventures that befall those who venture off the beaten path. It is encouraging for independent travellers to learn that he crossed ‘no-go’ areas of Africa and survived.