naked naked travel l naked health nakedlifestyle lifestyle l l naked travel l naked health
Picture perfect: photo tips for naturist businesses
A flying visit to…
EL PORTUS A pioneering weekend north of the border
Trouble in paradise: how a Lanzarote holiday went wrong… July 2016
£4.20
PLUS Nude food
Simple ideas to help you eat more healthily
The shock of the nude Devon sent The art of maverick caberet star Ursula Martinez
The latest walks guide from Wild Things
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EDITORIAL
O
IN CONTINUOUS PUBLICATION SINCE 1900... H&E has been in existence in various forms for more than a century and is now in its 117th year. It is the oldest naturist magazine in the world, and is the leading monthly title aimed at naturists and all those who enjoy any aspects of their lifestyle without the restrictions of clothing. H&E originally stood for ‘health and efficiency’, the theory being that continued exposure to the sun and air, in combination with a good diet and regular exercise, was beneficial to health and made the body work more efficiently. Nowadays, naturism is more of a lifestyle choice with much less importance placed on the perfect body image – and more emphasis on travel, sunbathing, naked activities and, most of all, enjoyment.
Anyway, this magazine hits the newsstand on the same day as the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU. If you’re a subscriber you’ll have received your H&E the day before, so there is just time to make up your mind and get out there and vote. My gut feeling, and this is completely my personal opinion, is that we would be better off, and safer, as part of a wider union. The economic impact of Brexit worries me, and I am unsure whether isolationism is the way to go, especially if the US ends up electing a dangerous, racist nutcase as its president.
Anyway, I’ve touched on politics and football here – I’d better get on to a safer subject, quickly! Er… oh yes… the weather. Phew! The beginning of June felt like autumn all over again, and my local radio was reporting, in its usual nudge-nudge, wink-wink way, how the Nudestock punters at Candy Farm were keeping their clothes firmly on. I say this every year but naturist businesses in the UK depend on good weather to raise much-needed funds to keep
going. Regulars are often quite happy with indoor pursuits, but to attract newcomers, there’s nothing that sells naturism more than sunbathing as nature intended on vast, luscious green lawns and cooling off in large outdoor pools – facilities that are the jewel in most naturist venues’ crown. We do have some great beaches, especially on the south coast, but, unless you have a large, secluded garden, it’s at the clubs/ retreats where you can experience the fun and freedom of naturism away from prying eyes and among like-minded folk.
PHOTO: Charlie Simonds
k, I’ll try to get the football out of the way first. New readers, or those of you who get this magazine posted out to Mars, might not know I’m a bit of a fan of my local team, Hull City, who are now a Premier League side once again. I’m sorry, I just had to mention it… and wheel out the (slightly old) picture of me and my Hull City flag! I had a fantastic day at Wembley on May 28, when, after a tense 90 minutes, we overcame Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 and cemented our place in the top flight, nicely timed ahead of Hull’s City of Culture year in 2017. Wait… where are you going? Come back! Seriously, even if you’re not remotely a football fan, top-flight sports status matters in a wider sense. Just look at against-the-odds Premier League winners Leicester City and how the eyes of the world are now on them. Now I know it might be a little far-fetched to suggest that the region’s naturist clubs will see a boost from the increase in tourism, but you never know…
As I write this, I’ve just returned from the Parafotos masterclass at Pevors Farm, where it was lovely and sunny. More about that in the August issue… Sam Hawcroft
Next issue on sale July 21 Where you can buy H&E... If you want to find us on the newsstand, visit www.henaturist.net/find-stockists and input your postcode to find the nearest newsagent to you. H&E is also on sale in about 200 WHSmith High Street stores, and major WHSmith Travel outlets. If you can’t see it – just ask any newsagent and they will put a regular copy aside for you. H&E is also available – postfree in the UK – from our online shop at www.henaturist.net/ shop
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CONTACTS ( Subscription inquiries: 01778 395173 Editorial/advertising inquiries: 01482 342000
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CONTENTS JULY 2016 36
Columns 7 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 45
{
It is impossible to be unaware of the occasional express train roaring past above – because the drivers love to blow their whistles to inform passengers that they are passing a nude beach. Ignore them. Or, alternatively, moon ‘em!
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} 50
Features 22 28 32 36 42 46 50 54 56
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Opinion Spanish Eye Focus en France Portugal Perspective Naturist Action Group British Naturism Health Notes Disability Matters Tangled Web Q&A NUSA SUN Diary of a Naturist Guesthouse
The Nude World Atlas Rayner Otter reaches the end… Nude food Some advice on healthy eating A naked diary Fiona Ashley continues her travels A wonderful flying visit Editor Sam goes to El Portús A pioneering weekend The BN Gathering at Dunoon The shock of the nude Caberet maverick Ursula Martinez Trouble in paradise A trip to Lanzarote goes wrong Devon sent The latest Wild Things walks guide Photo opportunities How images sell your nude business Beside the railway… Beaches are a trainspotter’s delight
Regulars 8 9 62 64 66
Your Views Nude News Archives Reviews Club & Swim Guide
68 72 74 77 78
H&E Shop Classifieds Personals What’s On Contacts/ Puzzles
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IN THE PICTURE Johan
Self-portrait on Barcelona beach
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COMMENTARY
OPINION How you can get naked in your own back garden…
I
sn’t it annoying, during the British summer, when the mischievous sun finally shows its face – just when it’s too late to dash to the coast or visit your favourite club? Of course, many readers will have secluded gardens giving ample privacy for nudity, but the majority are likely to suffer from neighbours’ overlooking windows. However, not all hope is lost; those problems can be overcome with a little thought and ingenuity. Here in my downstairs terraced flat with a long narrow garden enticing me to outdoor activities, there are many opportunities for a sun-lover’s haven.
"
So in your back garden, have a closer look and study the exact angles from overlooking windows. If possible, draw a simple sketch of the site, then imagine things that could safely block such views. Providing the sun reaches that area, if you’re very close to the house you may only need a large garden umbrella letting sunshine in but peering eyes out. Areas further down the garden reduce the angles and height of
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by Frank Jones overlooking views, making it easier to block them out with a variety of homemade screening materials. One simple trick is to mount a high washing-line on which to hang bedsheets or just a couple of bathtowels. My similar favourite is building a high structure to get good crops of runner beans, and before they’re fully grown, hang a large sheet over it. If the wind might lift the fabric, use string from the top down to the ground tied to stones or bricks. To use more natural screening, try using thick evergreen shrubs to form hedging, such as hebes, variegated Lonicera nitida and many others – it’s best to get advice on suitable varieties at a local nursery. To use annuals for the summer peak, sow and raise dozens of tall sunflowers to plant close together in a row, then cram the front full of colour and scent to cover the bare stems of tall plants, making a hedge-like border just to cover those unwanted views. When there is enough space in the garden, a shed can do the job providing there will be sunny spots behind it. My greenhouse, now packed with tomato plants, gives total privacy to work in or behind it in the buff. When there are just one or two small areas to block out, be creative – use an evergreen tree, an amusing ‘totem-pole’ effect, or a canvas ‘sail’ which has become popular recently. Get ideas from large car boot sales; I’ve seen canvas or ex-army camouflage sheets for a few pounds. For more adventurous gardeners, what about a sunken patio? First make
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sure it won’t become flooded and tum into a pond! Dig out the selected area to the right size for slabs, make it deep enough to accommodate a layer of coarse sand before laying the slabs and keep them dry. Use recycled bricks or rocks for the ‘walls’. Pile up the removed soil to create a high bank in the direction to give seclusion. Plant things like rosemary, lavender, Russian sage, hebes – there are loads of similar perennials, especially if they will waft pleasant scent into your new ‘valley’. Once establishing this area, occasionally you might need to add an umbrella or seaside windbreak if any annoying spots are still visible. With this kind of creativity in your own back garden, you can pop out the moment the sun appears. I find it’s comfortably warm enough to work nude in the garden in anything from 9ºC, or sunbathing over 13ºC when not windy, but that would vary from person to person. When the tomato plants are thrown on the compost heap, the sunbed will live in the greenhouse to soak up those fragile beams through the winter! Incidentally, by keeping our ‘tan’ while the weaker ultraviolet rays are harmless, this will protect the skin and avoid getting burned the moment we shed our garments in the summer. Autumn or early winter is the ideal time to redesign the garden and plant new species ready for the spring. I’m sure H&E would love to see a photo of your efforts, which will encourage many others to improve their outdoor enjoyment. XXXXX 2013 H&E JULY 2016 H&E 7 7
CORRESPONDENCE
YOUR VIEWS
Sauna options need research
I was interested to read about the different sorts of saunas now being offered in Tim Forcer’s letter in the May issue. I have always thought that the benefits from saunas came from the heat and the relaxation and so the options were just personal preference, but maybe it is time to look into it a bit more and see if I can find some differing health benefits. It sounds like a good excuse for me to visit lots of saunas – purely for research for a ‘Health Notes’ article, of course. Barbara Lower, via email.
I enjoyed East Anglia feature
Re: the article on East Anglia and pictures of Elizabeth. What a nice article you included in the June edition about Suffolk and naturism in East Anglia. Clearly written by someone who loves naturism and loves the countryside. We will certainly put Suffolk on our holiday list. Great article Simon, any more to come? SC, via email.
Abbey House Gardens: I was wrong You may recall that in an article I had published in the November 2015 edition of H&E, I speculated over the future of the clothing-optional days held at Abbey House Gardens over the last few years. So it was with a big smile on my face, as my wife Sandra and I drove along the A429 towards Malmesbury for the first CO event of 2016. A heavy shower was falling, but by the time we got to the car park, it had petered out. Walking towards the entrance to the
What’s your view?
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So… am I a naturist or not?
Having now read every one of 91 editions of H&E, I am still no clearer; so can I ask, “am I a naturist or not?” The magazine is a great read, but page after informative page seems to set out and exemplify ‘an identity’ that my husband and I (not the ‘royal we’), and hundreds of couples (& single females) like us, ignore through choice. The many articles extolling yet another ‘loss’ of a campsite or the ‘why aren’t the youngsters keen to strip’ tend to raise a wry smile. If I may elaborate a little. We enjoy both naked leisure but, obviously, that is far easier (on several levels) when abroad; sunshine, sea, pools, accommodation, etc. We have tried our nearest ‘local’ naturist club but the friendly welcome was outweighed by them having a ‘pool awaiting repairs’ and a ‘stifling wooden clubhouse’ scenario. Similarly, we are not in the ‘Otter-style camp’ – no slight or pun intended – either. His ‘travelogues’ across Europe are a pleasant read; detailed and revealing. Ideal for ‘long route marches’ to find a beach, but with no facilities, though. His ‘Nude World Atlas’ is much the same – nice detail, shame about the lack of ‘comfort’ options! That said, I have no desire to own or rent an RV and, also, my husband drives miles each month, so where is the relaxing holiday in that? And caravanning is just a mobile road block – or a tent with walls! Camping: done that, now prefer bricks ‘n’ mortar, with proper hot water and private facilities, with somebody else doing the cooking and making the (proper) bed. It’s not a lot to ask; and we have enjoyed breaks in Fuerteventura, Spain, Rhodes, Jamaica, Majorca etc. In particular, their ‘dawn to dusk’ version of nudity is ideal. I respect the staff (textile?) who look after the needs of their guests; so I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. And, in turn, I really enjoy the ‘dress for dinner’ element; nearly every woman I have spoken to feels the same when the evening comes around. As an example, places like the Vera Playa Club Hotel readily attract many younger couples and families across a broad spectrum, and, I suspect, not mainstream naturists. That ‘market’ is, quite probably, the ‘potential youthful element’ that others seem to crave. Or are they (such a derogatory phrase) ‘textiles’? No matter, it’s back to my question, which is: does staying in places like these qualify me as ‘a naturist’? Julie, Hampshire. gardens, we noticed that there was no screening on the bridge across the river or on the iron gates; this was the same as the last time we visited in September. There were screens in place at the entrance, where we duly paid the fee to get in. While there, we asked after owner Ian Pollard, to be told that he is back home, but in very poor health. A real shame as I have this image of him at the top of a ladder wearing nothing but his boots and a tool belt. I wish him well. It was an overcast day, but there was an evenly balanced mix of clothed and naked visitors. As usual, the majority of the naked visitors were men, but a few of the ladies present were brave enough to enjoy the gardens naturist-style, however it was a little too cold for Sandra, who kept her
sarong tightly wrapped around herself. The gardens were fully open to naturist visitors, including the river garden, although there were some restrictions on paths running close to the boundaries, with notices requesting that only clothed visitors go beyond that point, and some of the steeper paths were fenced off more robustly, I suspect for safety reasons. A very pleasant few hours were spent in the gardens; we even managed to share a table with a very friendly robin, and as we set off back towards the car, the sun came out. So it was a good start to the 2016 season – an event that I didn’t think would happen. How glad I am that I was wrong ! Here’s to the next one. Martin Roche, via email.
LATEST
NUDE NEWS
Great expectations for Amsterdam bodypainting event
P
eople are in for a colourful treat in Amsterdam this summer. On Saturday, August 20, New York artist Andy Golub (pictured right) will be staging a spectacular bodypainting day. The event is set to take place at Museumplein, the big open plaza between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.
Artists and nude models will gather at Museumplein from 11am, with live bodypainting then taking place until 5pm. This will be followed, as in 2015, by painted participants marching through the streets, and some will then take a boat ride through the famous canals. You may recall my item in the November issue of H&E, with its spectacular photos, on the 2015 event,
when Golub attracted many international bodypainting artists and models to Amsterdam’s smaller Rembrandtplein. Amsterdam can be easily reached from the UK by coach and rail, and it is also possible as a day trip by plane. Sadly, the Naturist Action Group has been unable to get official agreement to use a central London location for a London Bodypainting Day. This had been scheduled for Saturday, August 13, but the event will not be going ahead. Golub had planned to hold a smaller-scale event as a prelude to Amsterdam. NAG spent hours negotiating with many London site managers. Sadly, they were apprehensive about such a public nude art event. This contrasts with the open way in which Amsterdam authorities have twice welcomed Golub
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for a bodypainting event. New York is having its third annual bodypainting event this July. London does seem to be a difficult place to stage nude and naturist events. Your comments, on whether you feel that a London Bodypainting Day should be supported, would be welcomed by NAG. John Paine
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COMMENTARY
with Theresa O’Shea
SPANISH EYE Wildflower fest
No
Nudity ruling
The Spanish Naturist Federation The mega rainfall that we had in early May has brought more Spice (FEN) has lost two longforth an explosion of colour in the garden and in the Anyone who had a holiday standing battles this month. countryside – and at last the latter looks, if not lush, booked after June 12 at Spice, After a seven-year legal at least not parched! Everywhere you drive or walk, the award-winning lifestyle resort in wrangle, the Supreme a myriad of wild flowers line the roadsides and Lanzarote, will have received the dreaded Court has finally rejected pathways, and on a recent walk near our house ‘it is with deep regret’ email from the the organisation’s we gathered a staggering 26 different kinds! management of the resort. Spice is no more. appeal against local Naughty to pick them, I know, but there are The lease on the property expired last December, legislation in Cádiz soooo many and they look so lovely. And in our and although the Spice team had managed to banning nudism on find an alternative location, following a six-month chaotic garden my favourite tiny red roses are city beaches. It has extension on the lease, in the end the project also ruled in favour budding out all over the place. has not gone ahead due to lack of funding. of the Valladolid local The resort prided itself on being the first government, which exclusive Desire-type destination in has introduced by-laws Europe and appealed to naturists as making it illegal to be, or well as swingers – as is borne walk around naked in public out on the review places. pages. In both cases, the court rejected the FEN’s claim that nudism can be considered a fundamental right to freedom of ideology as defended in Article 16 of Spain’s constitution. In the Cádiz ruling, the presiding judge said that the local authorities had the right to “manage properly the use of its services, equipment, infrastructure, facilities and public spaces”. In the case of Valladolid, the court insisted that the ruling has nothing to do with morality and “does not condemn, restrict or limit the beliefs and opinions” of naturists, but simply “prohibits nudity in places of general public use”. The FEN is obviously not happy with the decisions, arguing that Cádiz was rolling back social progress by fining nudists up to €750 if they strip off on city beaches. They also stress that, under Spanish law, nudity is still allowed on any beach unless local authorities introduce “nudophobic” legislation expressly forbidding its practice.
Summer at last
Classes have finished, only exams and marking to do now – and then summer really arrives. My timetable switches from afternoons to mornings (so I can go to the beach afterwards), some days I get to work from home, and, to be honest, when I’m not actually teaching, any other work feels like a holiday! Our plans to swap some of the summer for colder climes, specifically, Iceland have gone by the wayside, though, as heavy storms earlier in the month sent chunks of our badly-in-need-of-repair porch roof crashing down. And since our budget will only allow for one or the other, it would seem prudent to ensure that we, the cats, or any passing visitors are not knocked out, or worse, by falling blocks of wood or concrete… Still, this means that at last we get to have a small terrace built on to the roof to catch the winter sun. And we will, of course, be taking a few, less budget-breaking trips closer to home. H&E JULY XXXXX 2013 2016 1010 H&E
Spas and water parks Just a reminder for anyone on the Costa Tropical/Costa del Sol this summer that at the Almuñecar Playa Spa hotel, every second Thursday you can enjoy the naturist evening session from 5pm to 9pm. And if you’re in Vera, the naturist spa session is every Thursday 5pm–9pm at the Zimabli Hotel. A bit hot for steam rooms and the like? If you’re mad enough to be heading inland this summer to see the wondrous sights of Cordoba, 14 miles from the city you’ll find the popular water park Aquasierra, which since 2011 has boasted a secluded 3,000m naturist zone.
Get in touch...
If you’d like to contact me with any Spanish-related naturist news, I’d be really happy to hear from you. Write to me at spanisheye@henaturist.net
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Playa Marina
I’ll be honest, World Naturist Day usually passes me by, but this year June 5 happily coincided with a trip to Playa Marina naturist beach at Mijas Costa. It’s a bit of a haul for us
El Portús ‘Gathering’
(Almayate is 30 minutes away, the one at Mijas Costa, over an hour), but I had been so impressed by the look of the revamped Playa Marina chiringuito on its Facebook page that I felt we had to try it out. It’s a lively, local beach, quite skinny but long enough for a decent walk and with lots of shallow rock pools at one end, and the sunbeds and beach bar at the wider end, with the Faro lighthouse in the distance. The chiringuito has a nice chillout vibe and we enjoyed our lunch of calamares, grilled sardines and a delicious zesty ceviche with langoustines and avocado. Although it was certainly hot enough to warrant a few dips in the sea, the water was still too cold for most of ‘us’ southern wimps – and in any case, the shore is
The V1 Southern Europe Naturist Gathering (not sure if that’s the right translation of the Spanish umbrella term encuentro) is to be held at El Portús this September 16-24. The event is organised by the Spanish Naturist Federation and the International Naturist Federation. Any federated naturists wishing to attend should sign up as soon as possible, as, due to the subsidised prices, places are likely to be snapped up super-fast. Details can be found at the FEN website and bookings can be made at Camping El Portús by email or phone.
quite rocky and not the greatest place for bathing. Making do, we cooled off under the shower – there’ll be plenty of time for proper dips soon enough! The beach is located between La Cala and the El Faro urbanisation at km 201. The parking area is on the opposite side of the motorway, and to get to the beach you need to walk across the flyover. At the Playamarina Chiringuito Naturista Facebook page, you can check out the menu, photo updates, news about special events, and other useful stuff – like the fact that you can pay by credit/ debit card. (Certainly not something you can take for granted – the busy naturist restaurant on Almayate beach, for example, is still a cash-only establishment.)
New naturist beach
The region of Murcia has ‘acquired’ a new naturist beach, 60 miles south of the city of Murcia in Águilas. El Rafal is only about 300 yards long and 15 yards wide, but it is situated on part of an unspoilt stretch of coastline that forms part of the Parque Regional de Cabo Cope-Calnegre. It seems a bit of a non-news event, as the beach has been traditionally used by naturists for decades. Nonetheless, the Town Hall is keen to promote tourism in the area and has designated the beach as officially being de uso preferente naturista – meaning that nudism is advisable but not obligatory.
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COMMENTARY
FOCUS en
FRANCE
with James Avery Changing places
I get very depressed when I have to announce the closure of wellestablished naturist resorts, so I am delighted to report several sites that have changed hands but remain naturist. One of the most beautiful camp sites in France is Lous Suais, which is situated on a large lake formed from a dam on the River Vienne in the Limousin which is close to Limoges, the town famous for French Porcelain, and a convenient rest stop from the Autoroute A20 on the sun-seeking pilgrimage to the South. The lake is not overlooked by any other properties so it is the perfect place to windsurf au naturel or try canuding with canoes provided by the resort. After 26 seasons Ria and Gerrit are passing the baton to Gilles and Vincent, naturists from Haute Vienne, which is wonderful news because there was a genuine fear that this jewel of a site would be lost to naturist campers. Another change
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If you have any news or information about naturism in France, email focusenfrance@henaturist.net
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A sporting summer CHM Montalivet has created a new miniten court and new nature trails (Parcours de Santé), and also hosts many team sports such as football, basketball, handball and beach volleyball, as well as the archery, yoga, Nordic walking and aquatic fitness sessions which are already wellestablished. They also have excellent tennis courts with a dress code shown in the photograph which I found very amusing. La Vie au Soleil carried a full-page advertisement for the World Naked Bike Rides in Brussels and London, and on June 26 it is the Journée sans Maillot (the ‘day without swimsuits’) organised by the French Naturist Federation.
has taken place at the friendly resort of La Tuquette, but this time it is within the family. Robert and Christiane, who originally created the resort of La Tuque, near Cahors in the Lot, moved to another site near Fayence in Provence in 2003 and changed the name to La Tuquette. The campsite is set in a vast pine forest, and it is possible to go naked rambling and even mountain biking along the many tracks, and then take a refreshing dip in the large swimming pool. After 30 years running naturist sites they are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary and have decided the time has come to enjoy retirement. Rather than sell the site, they have handed over the reins to their children Caroline and Brice and their partners Arnaud and Monica, and we wish them luck and hope to visit as we wander around the south of France this summer.
For the culture vultures…
The next meeting of Imaginat, the Naked Arts Society, has a meeting with the theme of “Arts Nature en Sancy” in the National Park of Volcanoes of the Auvergne at the superb campsite of Le Serre de Portelas just south of Clermont-Ferrand (www.ffn-laserre. com).
For motorheads…
Imaginat has organized a Rally of the Rétromobile Club Naturiste for cars older than 1986 starting from Heliomonde, a resort about 40 km south of Paris, in the Chevreuse Valley (www. imaginat.fr).
And finally…
Only a French naturist magazine would headline with the news that microparticles of polystyrene are menacing the oyster population. A study has shown that after two months’ exposure their spermatozoids are less mobile, they produce less ovules and are smaller in size.
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COMMENTARY
PORTUGAL
PERSPECTIVE with Paul Rouse A record 314 beaches in Portugal have been awarded Blue Flag status in the latest list published by the nongovernment, non-profit organisation which works towards sustainable development of beaches and marinas. The latest awards have seen 15 new additions to Portugal’s tally compared with last year, making it the fifth country with the most flags in Europe,
trailing only behind Spain, Turkey, Greece and France – all, of course, countries with much longer coastlines. Covering 60 countries worldwide, Blue Flag adopts strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, safety, and the range of services and facilities, and is widely recognised as an international benchmark of some of the world’s best beaches. Among the list for Portugal are the following naturist-friendly beaches (from north to south): Afife, Cabedelo, Furadouro, Costa Nova, Cova-Gala, Osso da Baleia, Comporta, Pessegueiro, Cordama, Zavial, Meia Praia, Caneiros, Praia Grande, Ilha Deserta, Armona, and Barril. Portugal’s national environmental organisation Quercus, meanwhile, which among other tasks monitors water quality along the coast, has
Sparing their blushes…
Just to prove that it’s possible to be naked just about anywhere on a quiet beach in Portugal, how about this for a contender for the Photobomber of the Year award? Algarve-based wedding photographer Nickie Davies, of the appropriately named Blush Photography, had picked a romantic spot for a recent photoshoot, when who should walk in front of the happy couple but this totally oblivious naturist. She was obviously asserting her right to strip off where she wanted, and take her dog for a walk at the same time, but we’re not sure where the fishing net, glove and Gregory Porter-style helmet come in. But in the wonderful world of naturism, it takes all sorts...
recently awarded 382 of the country’s beaches with its Gold rating, an increase of 68 on last year.
Beach accolades
You can tell summer is approaching when the media starts running its ‘best beaches’ guides, and Portugal is no different. The Portuguese travel magazine Volta ao Mundo (Around the World) has picked its 25 favourite naturist beaches, including several of the usual suspects and one or two less-well known spots. Globetrotting H&E readers will doubtless be familiar with the likes of Leucate in France, Es Trenc in Mallorca, Paradise in Mykonos and Valalta in Croatia, but how many will have braved the chilly waters of the Baltic to strip off at Vecaki in Latvia or Ahlbeck on the German island of Usedom?
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Perhaps on safer ground (and doing its bit for the country) the magazine also very patriotically lists those Portuguese beaches – now numbering eight – where nudity has official status: Bela Vista, Meco, Salto, Alteirinhos, Adegas, Meia Praia, Ilha Deserta and Barril.
Get in touch...
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If you have any news or views on the naturist scene in Portugal, send them to info@naturisttravel.net
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PHOTOS: Blue Flag; Clube Naturista do Centro; Blush Photography
Flying the flag
COMMENTARY
NATURIST
ACTION
GROUP
H
ello all. This is a shortened version of a post on our website, which also features live links.
Attenborough: nine or 90?
On May 8, Sir David Attenborough, one of Briton’s icons, celebrated his 90th birthday with an hour-long special on BBC1. Naturally, one of the many memorable clips they showed was the moment a gorilla family accepted the young Attenborough like any other member of the family. To help the celebrations along, the BBC commissioned Aardman Animations to imagine what the gorillas thought of the encounter and it ended with one of them wondering how to describe him: archaeologist? naturist? Presenter Kirsty Young asked the TV veteran if he was a naturist and he played along, enjoying the moment and
Find out more...
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This is an edited version of a blog, which can be read in full at www.naturistactiongroup. org. NAG is staffed by volunteers and supported entirely by donations. Please visit our website to either donate via PayPal or to learn how the Naturist Action Group intends to promote UK naturism.
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with Reg Barlow
Performance features nudity
The whole world, it seems, is commemorating the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. Mahita Gajanan wrote a review for The Guardian (20/05/2015) for an all-woman, fully nude abridged version of The Tempest in New York’s Central Park last May. While it is legal for women to be top-free in New York, full nudity is only allowed if it is for entertainment purposes and licensed. At its end, the actor playing Prospero delivered the epilogue, as she got dressed. Pitr Strait, a codirector of the play, explained this was significant for the group, for once the play ended, “nudity becomes illegal again, which is strange, and arbitrary and tragic”. My challenge to you, is what other plays – by whomever – do you think could be adapted for nude performances?
the humour like a nine-year old, without actually answering the question. So, belated I know, but in case he is a naturist and subscribes to H&E: happy birthday, Sir.
Scotland the Brave
For some, Scotland and midges go together like peaches and cream, but not if we’re to believe the Daily Record (02/05/2016) which told us of Scottish naturists who gathered at Morag’s Fairy’s Glen, a beauty spot in the Firth of Clyde. Ivan Gill, the organiser for BN’s The Gathering weekend, told the Record: “I do this first and foremost for people to have fun, but it’s also about making naturism more socially acceptable.” The sad thing is that the newspaper’s editor chose to cover peoples’ backsides with large daisies in one photograph, but not in others. How daft is that?
Fall-out of San Francisco
The public falling-out of San Francisco’s two leading activists for urban naturism, Gypsy Taub and George Davis, has surprised supporters. Taub has alleged that Davis has sexually harassed her daughter, who is a minor, and expelled him from the Body Freedom Network. In response Davis has written: “I have never, ever inappropriately touched her daughter, telephoned her, emailed her, stalked her, etc.” At the time of contact, Davis said no police are involved. We tried to contact Gypsy Taub via her Gmail account, but at the time of writing there has been no reply.
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COMMENTARY Coming soon: Why not organise your own skinnydip event?
BRITISH NATURISM Hello and welcome to all the news from British Naturism. It’s been a really busy year so far – and there’s so much going on, that it’s difficult to summarise it all here. Our website at www.bn.org.uk has full details or, even better, why not join us?
Major new BN paper on the welfare of children published
BN has published a major new evidencebased paper, ‘Children Deserve Better 2016’. The report is based on sound academic research and evidence and argues that children should be brought up and kept safe in an environment of openness and body honesty with wholesome, honest and open body attitudes. It’s a fascinating read, and rejects the increasing ‘prudification’ of society, arguing that this damages children, who may then find out about bodies and relationships from inappropriate sources such as pornography. You can read the full report on our website. We issued a press release about it and gained some highprofile coverage including the Mail on Sunday and subsequent national and regional radio interviews. There was also a slot dedicated to it on The Wright Stuff on Channel 5 – and they all covered it in a positive way.
The Great British Skinny Dip Things are moving fast with our big, national initiative for 2016 with more and more people engaging with us on social media and signing up for our newsletter. Check out greatbritishskinnydip.co.uk for the
latest updates and, of course, how to organise your own skinny-dip event. You’ll find information on why we’re doing it, what people will get from it, lists of locations as they come on board, assistance for hosts and venues, and more besides.
BN will be doing a lot of work in pushing out the message using both traditional media – via press releases, placed articles, case studies and more – but mainly, we’ll be using social media, which is crucially important these days. We are also working with ZKK, which is making a documentary about the Great British Skinny Dip, but of course this will not be aired until after the event has taken place. The GBSD is now only three months away, but there is still time to organise an event. We really want a countrywide presence, and with our range of assistance for hosts, getting something in place couldn’t be easier – and you’ll really be promoting our way of life to the wider population.
Forthcoming events
We promised you events, and we’re bringing you events – lots of them! This year is so packed, you could enjoy some nude recreation every weekend if you chose to. We have a huge variety of events and ‘big days out’ to choose from, so check out the programme on our website. Coming up soon we have one of our flagship events, Nudefest, now at its new home at Thorney Lakes, near Langport in Somerset, where you will have the chance to win a naturist cruise. Meanwhile, the Naturist Foundation is holding its ‘Party in the Stark’ event in Kent. We have garden visits to High Beeches in West Sussex, Little Orchard in Gloucestershire and the famous Abbey House Gardens in Wiltshire. There is far too much on to list it all here, so do go and have a good look at the BN website to see what’s on offer.
Come and join us!
British Naturism is the national organisation for naturism and works hard for the benefit of all naturists. We’re run by a team of volunteers, supported by a small paid staff. Along with promoting naturism, challenging threats and prejudice, and campaigning to raise awareness of issues, we also provide an invaluable focal point for anyone wanting to find out more – including potential naturists, the media and authority figures. Individuals often look at what they get, but far more important is their membership fee, which for more than 50 years has allowed work to be done, events to be arranged, a website to be kept up to date, publicity materials to be produced, interviews given, articles placed, advice provided, a national, vibrant community to be created and so much more. Some say membership should be compulsory… membership costs less than the price of a pint of beer a month – you’ll be playing your part in supporting all the work we do, for everyone. Join online at www. bn.org.uk or call 01604 620361. You can also get a free membership pack including a copy of our magazine if you’d like to find out more before deciding.
Visit us online for subscriptions, shop and more – www.henaturist.net www.henaturist.net
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BODY & MIND +
HEALTH
NOTES T The inner ear… and what goes wrong with it
he inner ear is the nerve centre of both balance and hearing. Deep inside the skull are the three semi-circular canals on which balance depends and the cochlea which allows us to hear.
Cochlea means snail-shell or spiral, and that’s what it looks like. Its bony walls contain fluid. Vibrations from the oval and round windows are transmitted as waves through the fluid and move tiny hairs in the Organ of Corti, the sensory organ of hearing. The movement of the hairs converts the vibrations to electrical signals which are carried by the cochlear fibres of the auditory nerve to the brain. The three semi-circular canals are in three planes at right angles to each other. These canals are also filled with fluid. At the base of each canal there is a wider chamber called an ampulla containing tiny hairs. When the head moves, the fluid movement in the canals is detected by the hairs and transmitted to the brain in the vestibular fibres of the auditory nerve. These messages tell us the position of our head and are important for balance. Anything disrupting the passage of sound between the outer ear and the brain can cause deafness. Wax in the ear canal or infection in the Look after middle yourself... ear
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Barbara Lower is a retired GP who lives in Derbyshire. Her advice is for information only, and we would always recommend you see a doctor in the first instance before embarking on any new course of treatment. H&E JULY XXXXX 2013 1616 H&E 2016
with Barbara Lower reduces hearing. In children, a common cause of deafness is glue ear. The middle ear cavity is filled with fluid. This can follow an infection but is thought to be caused by blockage of the Eustachian tube due to inflammation of the tube or large adenoids at the back of the nose. Usually glue ear settles slowly without treatment but if it is persistent, grommets can be fitted or the adenoids removed. Grommets are small tubes which are put through the ear drum into the middle ear allowing the fluid to drain out. As the ear drum heals, the grommet is gradually expelled. Deafness due to problems in the outer or middle ear is called conductive deafness and can usually be treated. Damage to the inner ear causes sensori-neural deafness and is usually permanent. The commonest cause of this is age and it is called presbycusis. Hearing starts to deteriorate after 40 years of age and practically everyone will be affected by the time they are 80. The high frequency sounds are lost first.
not the outside. It can be described as ringing but can also be buzzing, whistling or humming. Most people with tinnitus have impaired hearing and there is an idea that the hearing organ “turns up the volume” to try to hear better. What then happens is that the inner ear picks up sounds in the body such as the blood flowing through the vessels of the ear. Tinnitus is rarely caused by a serious condition but it can be very irritating and intrusive.
Hearing aids are the treatment for sensori-neural deafness.
The semi-circular canals of the inner ear are important for balance. A problem here causes vertigo, which is a spinning sensation – either that you are spinning or everything is spinning around you. It causes loss of balance and often nausea and vomiting. The commonest cause is a viral infection called labyrinthitis but there is a rare condition called Menière’s disease, which affects the inner ear, causing vertigo, tinnitus and deafness. Vertigo can also arise from the balance part of the brain where it is usually associated with arthritis in the neck.
A common ear problem is tinnitus. The person affected hears a “ringing” in the ears which comes from the inside,
Next time you hear the birds singing, just think of the amazing engineering that makes that possible.
Sensori-neural deafness can also be due to injury – a loud explosion; constantly working with noisy equipment; regular loud music; a person whose hobby is rifle shooting; and some prescription medications can damage the inner ear. So make sure you use ear defenders if using noisy tools.
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+ BODY Disability & MIND COLUMNS
DISABILITY
PHOTO: © Steve Betts/British Naturism
ghghghghg ghghgg
MATTERS
A
s regular readers will know, I raised a substantial sum for the stroke-survivor charity Different Strokes (www.differentstrokes. co.uk) by taking part in the BH5K run at the Naturist Foundation in Kent last summer. The charity received the bulk of the money in monthly portions courtesy of my online page, but some came in as good old-fashioned cash and I still received some money right until the page closed last Christmas. I had always thought it a good idea, therefore, to bring the whole thing to an official close with a formal cheque presentation. At first, I wasn’t quite sure where or how, as I live some 150 miles from Brocken Hurst. But after protracted discussions between myself, Hilary Godwin of the Naturist Foundation and the good people at the Different Strokes office in Milton Keynes, it was agreed to do the presentation at the first of this summer’s two BH5K runs, in mid-May. That agreed, we then set about finding a representative of DS who was prepared to venture into a naturist environment to receive the cheque from yours truly and Laura Howard, chair of the trustees at the Naturist Foundation. Unsurprisingly, that took a bit of time; as naturists are well aware, not every textile is willing to step into a naturist club and respect our lifestyle. The usual questions and answers went back and forth between Kent and Milton Keynes until eventually Maggie Baxter, of the London South-East group of Different Strokes, stepped forward. I had several telephone conversations with Maggie, laying down certain guidelines for both naturists and textiles and explaining
with Martin Warrillow about how the cheque presentation would be staged and how and when the run would take place. Mrs W and I took up the club’s offer to spend the weekend in the chalet they rent out to visitors and the event was on. It could have been a damp squib. It could have been a cold day, singularly unsuitable for running or for naturism. Instead, the weather was glorious, without a cloud in the sky; showing off naturism at its very best. The run attracted record numbers of both naturists and keen club runners looking
to do something different and I know that Maggie and Vanessa O’Callaghan, a fellow DS member who came with her, thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Maggie and Vanessa arrived just as the presentation of certificates to the 100-plus runners was ending, so could have been fazed by the sight of more than 100 naked male and female bodies. That they weren’t speaks volumes for them. Instead, a thoroughly sensible discussion took place. The naturist contingent explained what attracts us to our lifestyle, Laura and Maggie spoke about being a strokesurvivor and all the difficulties that come with it, and both sides developed a vastly increased mutual respect – which was exactly what I had intended when I suggested the event in the first place.
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I also talked about how naturism is great for disabled people because we don’t have body-image hang-ups; noone is going to criticise you for what you look like. I’m happy to say that Maggie and Vanessa understood this entirely. It’s something I’ve banged on about for months in these columns – it was pleasing to see it being acknowledged by both sides. The date of the run coincided with a fundraising event that DS was staging entitled My Mile. Acknowledging that stroke-survivors can, for example, be in wheelchairs, be on walking sticks or have severe balance issues (as I do), it challenged people to complete a mile in whatever way they could to raise money for the charity. Mrs W and I played our part by walking a mile of the 5K course hand-in-hand (and nude, of course) and asking Foundation members to make a donation to Different Strokes in recognition of our efforts. I’m sincerely grateful to those who put their hands in their wallets and gave money. Raising money is a continual struggle for stroke-survivor charities – as it is, of course, for naturist clubs. I’d like to think that this meeting of cultures can lead to a sharing of ideas which could benefit both worlds.
Ask the Warrior!
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Martin Warrillow has been a journalist for more than 20 years, spending many years working on the Birmingham Post. From 2010-2013 he edited British Naturism magazine. In December 2013, he suffered a stroke that nearly killed him. He is now passionate about helping people understand the causes of strokes, how to deal with them and how to rehabilitate stroke survivors. Visit his website at askthewarrior.com
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ONLINE 8
TANGLED Paul Rouse continues his series of reviews of naturist websites. This month: New Zealand
WEBSITE: Manawatu Naturist Club URL: www.manawatunaturistclub.co.nz CONTENT: Clear and concise information including sections on facilities, accommodation, membership, visitors, local attractions and a photo gallery, plus prominent ‘call to action’ buttons for booking and visiting. DESIGN: Simple and straightforward templated website, with a neat black/ white/orange colour scheme making it easy to read. It won’t set the design world on fire but more than does its job. The only real disappointment is the photo gallery - a limited and fairly random collection of fairly ordinary holiday snaps. PRACTICALITY: Straight to the point and idiot-proof. CONCLUSION: Improve the RATING: photos and it’s a half-decent 10 site.
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WEB
WEBSITE: The New Zealand Naturist Federation URL: www.gonatural.co.nz CONTENT: The home of official naturism in New Zealand, with information about venues and activities across the country. DESIGN: Not hugely exciting, with few pictures, but very easy on the eye, with a blue and white theme and a well-structured menu. PRACTICALITY: Is this the website of the NZNF or its magazine, gonatural? It doesn’t seem too sure of its identity. This website’s URL is the same as that of the NZNF’s magazine, gonatural, which is a little confusing, especially as there is another website hosted on a UK-based Blogspot site titled “The New Zealand Naturist Federation” (nznaturistfederation.blogspot.co.uk). The latter is, as you would expect,
a simple template in blog form, and rather out of date, with the most recent post being from September 2015. It might be an idea to bin this and have all the content on the main site. CONCLUSION: The identity confusion aside, the site is easy to navigate and treats naturism seriously and with respect, but isn’t overly boring. There’s loads of information RATING: if you’re thinking of visiting 10 this naturist-friendly country.
7/
WEBSITE: Katikati Naturist Park URL: www.katikati-naturist-park. co.nz CONTENT: Detailed sections covering facilities, accommodation, day visits, local attractions, location, FAQs and the benefits of naturism, but surprisingly no photo gallery: the only images are on the various pages themselves. DESIGN: Makes good use of the template format, if at times clinical-looking. PRACTICALITY: A tad too wordy (and earnest) when telling you about naturism but otherwise the information is spot-on and the site in RATING: general works well. CONCLUSION: A good attempt to sell the destination as well as 10 the venue. It just needs to lighten up a little.
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ADVICE
Ordinary people: Naturists do what most others like to do… without clothes
Q
I am a 23-year-old woman living with my parents and working for a large pharmaceutical company. My father is a partner in a firm of solicitors and I have a younger brother studying for a legal degree. My fiancé is the same age as me – an only child and is about to become a qualified accountant. His father is a local GP and his mother, previously a nurse, now helps out in the town’s health centre. We first met two years ago and although we got on well I always had this funny feeling that that there was something that he needed to tell me about his family life. Finally, when discussing our future together before getting engaged, it all came out. His parents were naturists and were long-time members of a nearby club. As a child he had accompanied them, but stopped in his early teens, although this did not cause any kind of upsets to ordinary family life. In the first place I had no idea what he was talking about. This was an area that up until then was completely unknown to me and I couldn’t believe that there was this place only a few miles away, but after a bit more discussion the whole thing didn’t really seem all that important. I had seen plenty of nudity at uni and at some raves when I was younger and it didn’t bother me at all. I was, however, a little bit intrigued by it all and so after some more talking we went there together on one fine sunny day – my fiancé making sure that his parents would not be there – to save me, he said, from any potential embarrassment. It was a very nice place with very well-kept grounds and reminded me in a way of a tennis club that I had belonged to as a youngster. After having a quick look around (with our clothes on, actually) we spent some time swimming in the nude and relaxing in the sunshine. My own nakedness didn’t bother me at all, but I did find it rather strange to see middle-aged people wandering about in the nude – and that really was about that. My opinion was rather neutral, with no real desire to make a habit of it, although I did pick up an H&E and took it home. A week or so later I made the mistake of mentioning this day out to my brother, who went on to reveal our conversation to my mother. You think you know your own family, but I
Q&A
must say that that I was appalled at their reaction, which was directed not especially towards my fiancé but more towards his mum and dad. My father has ignored it, as he usually does with inter-family disputes, but my mother was quite incensed and my brother made rude jokes, at one stage calling me a slut. I don’t really care about myself , but am more concerned about their reactions towards my boyfriend’s parents, who I really like and respect. Can you please suggest the best way to prove to my family that naturists are just ordinary people? Anonymous, via e-mail
A
I will do my best, but first of all have to point out to you that naturism means many different things to many different people, who follow the lifestyle for many different reasons, not all of which – especially in these modern times – can be easily or clearly defined. The old school of naturism – the one which I suspect your future in-laws have followed for many years – consists of UK private clubs that in the main provide peaceful and restful surroundings for their members who come from a wide variety of backgrounds. They provide a healthy alternative to today’s highly organised leisure facilities. These clubs are particularly attractive to people working in the healing sector, such as doctors, who experience a great deal of stress in their everyday working lives. Whatever you and your fiancé decide to do about his naturist past or present, I suggest that you do not try to share this information with your own family. If you don’t mention it again I am sure they will soon forget all about it and find more important things in their lives to occupy themselves. In any case, whatever you say is unlikely to change their minds as most people’s negative attitude towards body image and nudity are formed in early childhood and Any questions? upbringing and are Do you have a naturistoften difficult if not downright impossible related problem or query? Email questions@henaturist.net or to reverse.
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Mike McGregor
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write to the address on page 3.
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USA
NUSA SUN Roadside attractions…
T
his is the time of year we celebrate all the great things about America, and what’s more American than a good ole’ fashioned road trip? And what’s a road trip without stopping at some amazing roadside attractions? The Mystery Spot. The World’s Largest Ball of Twine. That random Tyrannosaurus Rex statue at some outof-the-way rest stop. You know what I’m talking about. While touring America’s great nudist destinations we’ve had the pleasure to discover some lesser-known, but just as kitschy, oddities created by inspired naked people. So let me take you on a quick tour of a few of our favourite ‘nudeside’ attractions. The Pantie Tree, Shangri La Ranch Yep, it’s actually spelled “Pantie” on the sign that points the way to a palo verde tree flowering with ladies’ unmentionables (plus one inexplicable men’s athletic cup). You’ll find it along the River Trail at Shangri La Ranch in New River, Arizona. After contemplating the weatherworn undies, keep trekking and check out the wonderland of trailside sculptures – including fairies, gremlins and a frog mariachi band – installed by one of the resort’s members. Hidden Toys, Cedar Creek Park During our tour of this Pelion, South Carolina, nudist park, our guide took us down the trail that leads to Black Creek and explained a tradition among members: someone started hiding
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H&E JULY XXXXX 2013 H&E 2016
by Scott Lunt
plastic army men among the trees, then challenging people to find them. Soon members were hiding other toys (think McDonald’s Happy Meal toys) as well, and taunted each other even more by occasionally moving them to new locations. I love to take strolls down to the creek and discover new toys lurking in the brush. We even added a couple of knick-knacks ourselves. But I won’t tell you where (mainly because I can’t remember for the life of me). Lady’s Leg Sundial, Sun Aura Resort Before it became Sun Aura, this Indiana resort was known as Naked City and was run by a fellow named Dick Drost who had a 63ft-long lady’s leg built as a working sundial. Now it’s become a true roadside attraction that’s been featured in tourist publications, and as one of the earliest “Follow the Sun” locations in NUSA SUN magazine. Clothed collectors of kitsch often stop in for a photo opportunity next to the leg. While I was taking a look, a long-time resident motioned me over so she could show me another oddity. Hidden behind a bush was a rough slab of concrete with two round depressions. Legend has it that back in the seventies, Drost had one of his favourite strippers imprint her “assets” for future generations to admire.
After you’ve stopped by the leg to check the time, check out the different – and often risqué – ways locals have decorated their mobile homes in this adults-only resort. I-don’t-know-what-to-call-this, Paradise Lakes Resort Happy Drunk Stump. Transgender Tree. Whatever you call this garden wonder (above), I thoroughly enjoyed its goofy and cheerful countenance on my daily walks through Paradise Lakes in the Florida sunshine. Maybe one of you, gentle readers, can fill me in on its creation story. All I know is that it exists and that makes me happy.
About NUSA SUN...
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NUSA SUN, which was launched in 2009, is a monthly US magazine featuring articles, essays and advertisements related to and about the naturist/ clothes-free lifestyle, and in 2011 it began a regular editorial exchange of articles with H&E. For more information, visit www.nusasun.com
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UK
Something for everyone this summer at the Foundation
S
UMMER IS UNDER WAY HERE AT BROCKEN HURST IN KENT, THE HOME OF THE NATURIST FOUNDATION. We were blessed with good running weather for the BH5K run. The route took runners through beautiful woods surrounded by a stunning display of bluebells. More than 140 people took part, with a wide difference in ages and abilities. The next run is scheduled for September 25, which leaves plenty of time for any readers tempted, to get out the running shoes and start training. July sees our first Party in the Stark music festival, between July 29–31. All musical tastes are catered for – you can even dance the night away at the silent disco. There’ll be a real ale and cider tent plus the Jubilee Bar; plenty to get everyone into the festival spirit. The Tea Pot Cafe and burger van will keep you fed if you don’t fancy cooking. Unfortunately all camping pitches have already been booked, but it is always worth a phone call for cancellations. Failing that, pre-book and come along as a day visitor. One alternative is to search the internet for available hotels and B&Bs nearby. During August we have our popular Billy’s family Activity Week, a fantastic 10 days of entertainment. For sports enthusiasts we have the Aztecs volleyball on September 3–4, so why not get your friends together and come as a team? One little-known area of Brocken Hurst is the Campers’ Cabin; in here you can find regular life-drawing and photography classes. One Sunday a month the Cabin Fellowship holds a relaxed informal religious service, all are welcome. If you’re new to Brocken Hurst, then come for a day visit or stay longer in our fully furnished chalet or in your tent or caravan on the holiday meadow. Prices, availability and more about our events can be found on our website at www.naturistfoundation.org or follow us on Twitter @natfound. Telephone: +44 (0)1689 871200
Brocken Hurst – Where bare is beautiful
Advertisement feature
Tel: +44(0) 1689 871 200
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TRAVEL Q
THE NUDE WORLD ATLAS This month, Rayner Otter completes his travels as he goes naked to the end of the world‌
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VIETNAM
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Those of us who can remember the Beatles, England winning the World Cup and flared trousers still shudder involuntarily when we hear the name of Vietnam mentioned. Back in the 1960s and early 1970s it pervaded our lives. There was barely a day went past without the horrors of the Vietnam War being broadcast on our black and white screens. Had it just been a localised conflict between two Far Eastern states, North and South Vietnam, we would probably not have heard of it; however, the communist North had enlisted the help of the (then) USSR and China, so Uncle Sam came marching
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into the South with half a million Good Ol’ Boys (and “boys” they were – mostly enlisted teenagers) who were ill-prepared for jungle warfare. They were helped somewhat by USAF planes sloshing lots of nasty napalm around and frightening the locals. Who can forget that stark photograph of a little girl, completely naked, screaming in terror as she ran for her life from an almighty explosion that destroyed her village? It was almost certainly the most poignant image of that war and possibly the most reproduced news photo of that decade. Today it is rarely reproduced in the media. How an image that broke the hearts of millions of people around the world and helped bring an end to that bloody conflict can be considered unprintable now is astonishing. Anyway, the vast amount of public opinion that turned away from US involvement in the Vietnam War, in which as many as three million died, forced an eventual end to hostilities, resulting in a communistcontrolled single Vietnamese state.
Near the central coastal city of Da Nang lies the Son Tra peninsula and this also encourages many beachgoers to strip naked on beaches hidden by rocky outcrops. Then there are more nude waterfalls around Bach Ma Mountain, some with massage facilities thrown in. And the most romantic naturist site is on the Sepepok River in Dak Lak Province where the Gia Long waterfall erupts from verdant jungle, giving lovers the opportunity to bathe together in naked bliss. In the capital, Hanoi, an alluvial bank on the Red River is a recognised nudist site. Here hundreds of locals strip to enjoy nudity as it used to be enjoyed in Europe at the dawn of Freikorperkultur. Mostly men, it has to
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be said, frolic naked on the banks of the river, indulging in gymnastics, yoga, tai chi and soccer. This is mostly in view of a road bridge and local farmers, who don’t seem to object. Even the local authority at the nearby tourist town of Hoi An does not mind toplessness on its beaches and is considering allocating a stretch of coast – possibly on Cham Island – as an official naturist beach. This indicates just how welcoming the Vietnamese can be to their visitors. There don’t appear to be any naturist
Key to ratings Forbidden! Just DON’T!
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It may be possible, but is it worth it? Some naturist possibilities in remote situations Some naturist clubs or beaches exist
Regular nude destination. Naturism legal or tolerated. Fantastic naturist destination!
rrrrr
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Small coves around the famous Halong Bay’s 1,000 islands, where a dragon supposedly crash-landed, forming a hauntingly, splintered seascape and which is now a Unesco World Heritage site, are regularly used
in the buff. As are parts of Phú Quó Island, the largest in Vietnam and possibly the friendliest. It is certainly the most laid-back part of the country and a magnet for Scuba divers and hippies. Many secluded beaches here and the island’s inland waterfalls see tourists undressing completely to commune with nature.
PHOTO: © Roshan Adhihetty, Body and Freedom Festival 2015
This plodded along, as communist states usually do, until 1986 when modernising reforms led the country to become one of the success stories of the age. Today Vietnam is a vibrant nation with a booming economy anticipated, any day now, to become the 21st largest in the world. It is now also a major tourist destination with four million visitors hitting its shores each year. And what shores these are. There are 2,140 miles of coastline, much of it pristine and empty beachfront backed by lush jungle. Just right for naturists. And, yes, it is happening here. Visitors from America, Australasia and Europe, many of them backpackers initially, started to undress on the beaches and at waterfalls throughout the country and, guess what, the locals didn’t seem to so much as bat an eyelid. While being quite reserved themselves, as most Asians are, they are also very welcoming of foreigners (US invading forces apart!) and open-minded. Nudity, it appears, is now quite accepted. I don’t suggest that it is on a par with Spain or the Netherlands, but by Far Eastern standards Vietnam is way ahead of many of its neighbours.
Thousand-island undressing? Legend has it a dragon crashlanded and created the coves of Halong Bay, Vietnam
resorts, hotels or guesthouses yet, but it will be only a matter of time before some entrepreneur cashes in on the naked dollar. But for pure commercialism, how about this: there is a current emergence of “ecological girls”, aka “clean vegetables” (don’t ask me why either name has stuck!). These are women, some in everyday work, some married, who are paid by wealthy clients to join them for naked frolics on the beach. These are not mainstream prostitutes and there is no evidence that sex takes place – just professional nudists. How sweet is that? And none of them will ever be caught on camera running for their lives from a napalm attack. RATING:
WAKE ISLAND
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Last month I said that the Vatican was the smallest country on Earth. It is. But this one could vie for that title if it were a fully fledged state, per se. It is a US ‘Outlying Island’, which probably makes it a part of the States but it has its own flag and ownership is claimed by the nearby Marshall Islands. When I say ‘nearby’, mind you, in Pacific terms, where this tiny dot is located, that archipelago is not exactly next door. Wake is one of the most isolated islands in the world and 600 miles from the next atoll. It is, in effect, a static aircraft carrier. Its involvement with the West, particularly America, has been of military importance throughout its history. In World War II, it served as a Military outpost: Wake Island is one of the most isolated places in the world
YEMEN
Right next door to Saudi Arabia and just as sandy, just as rocky, just as hot and just as Islamified, Yemen is again a country with a violent history. Readers who recall the Vietnam War will also remember the ‘Aden Emergency’. Such names as ‘Mad Mitch’, the Argyles, and ‘the Crater’ will evoke memories of that awful period of British overseas history. What the Yanks were doing in South East Asia, we were doing something similar in South East Arabia. A certain chum of mine tells of how his ‘lot’ took out two villages because local tribesmen had beheaded one of their ‘boys’. Not a pleasant situation. For a time thereafter, North and South Yemen, as they had become, sat brooding next door to each other. Then, one day (in 1990, as I recall), they both shocked those of us who were in the Middle East at the time by becoming reunified. This lasted until comparatively recently when, as usual, the two opposing factions of Mohammedism, Sunni and Shia, couldn’t agree on how best to worship God, so they started terrorist bombings against each other, dragging in, first, Iran (allegedly) and, more lately, Saudi Arabia. Today, Yemen is a mess. There are far more displaced people there than in Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan – 2.5 million, in fact! Yet these poor wretches cannot afford the two or three thousand dollars it costs to get though Turkey or Libya to drown in Mediterranean waters en route to the safety and comfort of German and Swedish refugee centres. It is so sad. Especially for me, as I had several Yemeni friends when I was in Arabia and all of them were lovely people. Oh. Did I mention nudity? No, I didn’t. Of course there might be possibilities along the 1,200 miles of empty coastline bordering the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean but, a) you are never going to go to Yemen for a long, long time, and b) it would be just stupid to consider undressing in such a wartorn and sorry place. Forget it!
Destruction: A bombed house in Sana’a, Yemen
RATING: stepping stone for US troops to hit back at Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbour. The Japs came back pretty
x fast and overthrew the Americans in a bloody battle, imprisoning many of them. And here is the only recorded account of nudity on the island: US marines were made to sit naked on the runway throughout the heat of the day. When their Navy came to retake the island, 96 of these prisoners were summarily executed by machine-gun. One guy managed to survive to make a temporary escape and engraved his account of that atrocity on a rock; but he was later caught and also shot. And so Wake Island still remains a military outpost of the USA. In fact its strapline is “Where America’s day really begins”, referring to its most easterly position on the other side of the International Date Line from the rest of the States. Whether US troops stationed there regularly sunbathe in the nude
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or not has never been revealed but, knowing service personnel, it is highly likely that they would want to. Having seen the island from aerial photographs, however, there might not be many places where they could resort naked. The runway takes up much of the atoll and everything else is crowded into the rest of it. Perhaps the place works just like the US aircraft carrier it resembles, upon which no-one is ever allowed any privacy (even on the lavatory!), presumably lest there be an outbreak of man-sex. Homosexuality in the navy? Heaven forbid! RATING:
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WALLIS AND FUTUNA
When two Dutch explorers, Willen Schouten and Jacob Le Maire, first landed here in 1616, they found the men very welcoming and that the various kings all got on well together. The women, they thought, were quite unattractive, with “breasts sagging down to their waists” (a bit like one or two naturist sites I have visited!). Everyone went about completely naked and even copulated in public. Perhaps, again, this was the forerunner of a certain nude beach I could name in the South of France! Today, of course, those pesky missionaries have put paid, not to just public shagging, but nakedness as well. There is not one report about nudity on the islands and the handful of visitors who do make it here
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look at the amazing round water hole, 100 feet deep, on Wallis Island, or go to the Cathedral of Poi on Futuna, built to honour the martyred Pier Chanel (who didn’t produce perfume), Polynesia’s only home-grown saint. Doubtless visiting yotties strip naked on their boats and I cannot fathom why anyone getting dropped off on Alofi or any of the other unoccupied islands would want to keep their clothes on. Unless they are missionaries, of course.
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RATING:
WESTERN SAHARA
This is a disputed territory located between Morocco and Mauritania. For the purposes of this Atlas it is considered to be a part of Morocco, which presently has administrative control over the state. See ‘Morocco’, Nude Atlas 23, H&E January 2015.
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RATING:
WESTERN SAMOA See ‘Samoa’, Nude Atlas 31, H&E September 2015. RATING:
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Still in the Pacific and almost as remote, somewhere between Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji and Samoa, lie the twin archipelagos of Wallis and Futuna. So vast are spaces hereabouts that their own proximity leaves these neighbours 150 miles apart. Unlike Wake Island these islands are a French “collectivity” - whatever that is – and comprise two main islands, home to most of the 12,000 population, along with uninhabited Alofi, just off Futuna.
There are a myriad of smaller outcrops, too, which also seem to be unmanned. Somehow these groups are divided into three “kingdoms” which appear to have rotating monarchs.
ZIMBABWE
Sadly, this is the last place on Earth that we can look at in this atlas, and it’s one of the last places on Earth in which we would want to take off our clothes. Had the country remained as it was back in the days where we started this section – the shifting 1960s – it might, today, have a well-developed naturist scene like its neighbour South Africa. But colonial rule had to end; and Ian Smith probably didn’t do his country many favours when, in 1965, he led his white minority government into a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, ignoring the will of Harold Wilson’s government – and the rest of the world – to allow majority rule. There then followed 15 years of guerrilla warfare, culminating, eventually, in the birth of the state of Zimbabwe, headed by one Robert Mugabe. This despot, described by the great and iconic Archbishop Desmond Tutu as “a cartoon figure of an ... African dictator”, has led what was one of the continent’s richest countries into near-bankruptcy. Its inflation once hit 500 billion % and one banknote had a face value of 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars! That made the old German Reichsmark look like 24-carat gold doubloons. And this was despite Zimbabwe being particularly wealthy in mineral deposits such as platinum, gold and diamonds. Mugabe’s other great achievement, as Amnesty International might agree, has been to commit more human rights abuses than just about any other world leader this side of Adolf Hitler. A typical example was, five years ago, when 640 human corpses were found stuffed down a disused mineshaft. These were so ‘fresh’ that many still had hair and clothes attached to them and one had oozed blood over others’ skulls. Yet the ‘official’ line was that these were proof of the murder of political antagonists by the Smith regime some 30 years earlier. In Africa, decaying works a little faster than that – and Ian Smith wasn’t all that bad! As for nudity in this erstwhile magnificent country… well, Miss Zimbabwe was recently dethroned 2626
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RATING: (I nearly wrote defrocked, there!) for having appeared naked in some snaps a former boyfriend had taken. Having seen them, I can confirm that they are neither pornographic nor, for that matter, very artistic. They were enough, however, to get her back to the jobcentre overnight. Then, some models at a fashion show paraded along a catwalk, some topless and others sans panties. Some Zimbabwean women have recently taken to showing their more pleasurable bits on Facebook – much to the annoyance of the media giant’s regulators. A handful of Brazilian girls are imported each year to dance ‘naked’ – or, more likely, near-naked - during the country’s Carnival. And a few naked parties break out in private homes – just as they do in every country on Earth (excepting the Vatican, I’d guess!). Zimbabwe Nudists is listed on the internet, but this looks like a half-hearted attempt by one bisexual guy to find some bedfellows, and Harare Nudists have a Facebook entry. Good luck to them. I think they will need it. Nudity in Zimbabwe is officially illegal and, to express how liberal the Mugabe regime is in this respect, let as look at the acceptance (or not) of homosexuality in his land. The Sodomy Laws prohibit LGBT activity of any nature. Even the act of two men holding hands
is a punishable offence. Mugabe himself has gone on record likening homosexuals to “dogs” and “pigs”; that he would personally behead the lot of them; and that their activities were only practised by whites. His bodyguards even beat the gay rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, unconscious… here in Europe! If that’s how they treat gay people in Zimbabwe, how would any of us naturists survive? Better give this place a miss until Mugabe, now 92, goes to meet his maker (or the other fellow). The sooner the better!
DISCLAIMER While every possible attempt is made to research the acceptance of naturism in the countries listed, neither H&E naturist nor Rayner Otter can be responsible for the accuracy of this content. Laws change in some countries very rapidly and information may accordingly become outdated. We would never advise any naturist to break the law anywhere. Readers visiting any country should check the situation with its particular embassy or High Commission before travelling.
In next month’s issue: A round-up of the Naked World from A to Z…
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BODY & MIND +
Nude
food Peter Coates suggests some simple ways to healthier eating…
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or most people, unless they’re a convert to naturism, taking their clothes off in public is a daunting, if not terrifying, prospect. It’s a nightmare they hope they will never have to experience. In some ways, in this modern era of body image and hurried lifestyles, where looking after ourselves is a minority pastime, it’s understandable. Look on any newsagent’s shelf and glance at teen, populist lifestyle and fashion magazines and you can see how much we’re bombarded by images of superthin, super-fit, super-tanned girls and men with magnificent six-packs and arms like tree trunks. Once the warmer weather arrives it’s a race to lose those winter inches because for many women the dreaded bikini season is approaching. Thank goodness we naturists don’t suffer such paranoia. Being nude in public is more about being closer to nature, being comfortable in one’s own skin and enjoying the ultimate feeling of freedom.
I’d like to suggest, however, that a bit of body image isn’t a bad thing when it comes to social nudity. For me, feeling good about oneself naked helps us to increase our feeling of wellbeing and to do that it’s no sin to feel
healthier and in reasonably good shape. In the March 2016 issue of H&E we looked at some easy exercises to help you improve your level of fitness and in doing so increase your feeling of wellbeing. The following tips are intended to help you increase that feeling even more and to help promote a healthier diet. Like the exercise routine, this isn’t about radically changing what you eat, nor am I suggesting any kind of crash diet, the vast majority of which are short-term and unsuccessful. After all, very few of us want to exist on neat carrot juice and sprout smoothies for the rest of our lives. But being a little more aware of what some foods can do to us and what foods are good for us to eat will help to put a bounce in our step as well as help lose a bit of excess weight.
The killer in our society
Some people believe terrorists are our biggest threat. Others would say it’s global warming, while some people think computer games will mark the end of society as we know it. None of these are, in fact, anything like the threat posed by something in most kitchens – SUGAR. Sugar is the
biggest cause of obesity, which in turn can cause type 2 diabetes, and is indirectly responsible for heart disease and some cancers. Obesity in our children is running at an all-time high, mainly because of what they eat and drink. We are now a population of overweight people and the drain on the NHS is set to rocket. OK, that’s enough scaremongering, so what can we do to counter the threat of dangerous foods?
Naughty…
Here’s an ‘at-a-glance’ list of things that it would be good for you to cut down on: L Saturated fats (a major cause of heart disease, strokes, high cholesterol and increased blood pressure). Some examples are: fatty meats, sausages, and pies; hard cheese, cream, sour cream and ice cream; savoury snacks, shop-bought chocolate confectionery, biscuits, cakes and pastries.
L Salt: did you know that one in three people has high blood pressure? High blood pressure is a major cause of heart disease and strokes. Cutting down on our salt intake helps promote a healthier lifestyle. Foods that contain high levels of salt include: bacon, cured ham, smoked meats; cheese, shop-bought pickles, salted and dryroasted nuts; gravy granules and stock cubes; shop-bought sandwiches and wraps, crisps, pizza, ready meals, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and most breakfast cereals.
Nice… Some things you could eat more of: J Lean meat with no visible fat J Rapeseed and olive oil J Grilled, steamed or baked food, instead of roasted or fried
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J Unsalted nuts including almonds, brazils and peanuts (eat these instead of biscuit or cake snacks)
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If you’re thinking, “Wait a minute! Those snacks are what I enjoy and cheer me up when I’m feeling a bit low” – have no fear! You don’t have to be radical and cut out everything all at once – just do it gradually and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make the adjustment and how much better you’ll feel.
Nice uit
Eating more fruit is a great way of helping your digestive system as well as helping to fight off some cancers. J Mangos, raspberries, oranges, apples and pomegranates, guava and avocados! Yes, avocados are classed as a fruit, believe it or not. These are all brilliant to eat in order to promote a healthier diet.
Eat nude food! Dressing up your food with too much salt, sauce and ketchups isn’t doing your body any favours. Try to reduce the amount of salt you use and eat more nude food. (Being a naturist that’s natural anyway, isn’t it?) Eating more naked vegetables is very good for our bodies, especially these: J Raw onions (OK, I had to put that in because they’re recommended by most doctors, but I’ll bet few of us want to sit down to a plate of raw onion, and even if it’s mixed in some kind of salad it’s still a no-no for many people, so don’t let that put you off!) J Any green vegetables such as kale, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, peas and spinach are brilliant in helping to promote good health. You don’t have to turn vegetarian, just try to eat a few more of these as part of your daily diet. A dish of cooked mixed vegetables sprinkled with some goats’ cheese and popped under the grill is a brilliant filler and so healthy to eat. 3030
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Alcohol – the good, the bad and the ugly!
Many of us like a glass or two of alcohol in some form or another. The trouble is, alcohol is addictive, just like drugs. The difference between alcohol and drugs is you can buy alcohol off the shelf, which can make it dangerous for those susceptible to addiction. There are GOOD things about alcohol that we need to recognise. Drinking wine or beer in moderation can help us relax and de-stress, and that’s good for our general wellbeing.
J No more than 14 units of wine or beer per week for both men and women. As a guide, a bottle of wine with an alcoholic content of 13.5% has 10 units. A pint of beer with an alcoholic content of 4% is equivalent to 2.3 units.
The weight conundrum Did you know that a while ago research found that a bus driver was twice as likely to have a heart attack as his conductor colleague. That’s partly to do with the fact that he’s probably a bit more stressed, but it’s mainly to do with the fact he’s sitting for up to seven hours a day with hardly a break, so he gets virtually no exercise. Many of us have a sedentary lifestyle due to the way we work. Some of us can sit for as long as eight hours in an office with only short breaks to go to the loo. We even eat lunch at our desk!
Alcohol can be BAD if we drink too much too often, because it’s not only a contributor to increased blood pressure, but it’s also a possible contributor to some cancers. And alcohol can turn downright UGLY when it becomes a drug and someone who drinks to excess becomes dependent and… you’ve guessed it – an alcoholic.
If you have an office job that means you have to sit at a desk for most of the day, it’s a great idea to get up every hour or so and walk around. Even better, go up and down stairs from your floor to others and back to help regenerate the system. Exercising to complement the way you eat is very important. It’s a good idea to refer to the exercises we demonstrated in the March issue of H&E and we’ll be looking at gentle ways to exercise more in a future issue.
Here’s a guide to a NICE glass of what you fancy:
Here’s to healthier eating and a happier feel good nude lifestyle!
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UK
Enjoy the delights ... of
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Cornwall
arbeil Naturist Holiday Park is a family-run business that offers personal attention. The park nestles in a scenic valley only 15 minutes’ walk from a naturist beach, making it an ideal place to stay and enjoy the delights of the Cornish coast.
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Carbeil has a small bar with pool table, and there is also an informative reception area. We also occasionally host themed parties – please contact Kerry (see details on the right) for more information.
Holiday home hire
Carbeil’s six-berth holiday home is equipped with colour TV, oven, fridge and microwave. Linen, electricity and gas are all included in the price. Facilities on-site include a Jacuzzi, sauna, metered showers, children’s play area with table tennis, outdoor swimming pool, and electric hook-up points.
Out and about...
Downderry is a good central point for visiting parts of Cornwall and Devon.
Carbeil Naturist Holiday Park 10% discount voucher 2016
Please quote KH/HE052
Plymouth is only 12 miles away with excellent shopping. Dartmoor is 20 miles and Anthony House (National Trust) six miles. The Eden Project is 16 miles away. The market town of Liskeard is six miles away; Forest Railway 15 miles; Polperro 10 miles; Looe six miles and the Murraton Monkey Sanctuary only four miles. One of the oldest churches in the country is to be seen at St Germans, four miles inland. Boating and fishing trips can be booked at Looe and Polperro, and sometimes at the local beach. There are two golf courses and riding stables within a three-mile radius, and there is a boat slip in the village suitable for launching boats.
Contact and location
We are at: Treliddon Lane, Downderry, near Torpoint, Cornwall PL11 3LS. Contact Kerry on 01503 250636 or email info@carbeil.co.uk. Visit our website at www.carbeil.co.uk for more information.
Find us on Facebook! We also have holiday homes FOR SALE – please contact Kerry by phone or email for more details... Visit us online for subscriptions, shop and more – www.henaturist.net www.henaturist.net
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TRAVEL Q
A naked
diary In the second of three instalments, Fiona Ashley writes about her travels in a bid to discover how many naked days she achieved last year‌ 3232
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ow many naked days in the sun do I get a year? To find out, my naked diary of 2015 enters its second quadrimester…
The new motorhome
Our new and first motorhome, a marvel of German engineering, arrived in May. Within a week we had two nights at Morfa Dyffryn, south of Harlech, with its official naturist beach. We stayed at Benar Beach Touring and Camping Park, which boasts stunning views of Snowdonia. The proprietor was glad to see us after our first visit last summer in a borrowed motorhome to see how we liked the nomadic lifestyle. The site is basic, adequate, and mostly textile, but has a small naturist section surrounded by high stone walls which are an effective wind shield. Gaining confidence with the motorhome we ventured further and experienced a warm welcome and great facilities at Telford Naturist Club overnight and spent another two nights at Ashdene Naturist Club just outside Elland, West Yorkshire, in July.
Algarve
In June we had 19 days in the old bolthole in Carvoeiro where new experiences were encountered, not all pleasant. I planted two lemon trees in the garden, as I go through a fair few with cooking & G&Ts. We had the pleasure of meeting Serge and Patricia who run a very well-appointed new B&B near Alte, and we all had the pleasure of dining at the Otters’ residence. It was a lunch which went on very late… We also had friends join us for a few days as well and we visited Ilha de Tavira where we have not been for some time.
Pool fun: At Cabana del Sol, Portugal
The unpleasant experience was breaking my arm when hit by a hefty wave coming out of the sea. The service in Portimão hospital was excellent and the treatment was a sling for a few weeks, so no cycling. On the bright side, it was better to be somewhere warm with a broken arm than somewhere wet and cold.
Istria, Croatia
A two-centre holiday in July started with a week at Solaris naturist resort seven miles outside the ancient city of Poreč. It is a 20-hectare campsite with 280 apartments in beautiful woodland providing ample shade throughout. The coastline is rocky and just over a mile of it belongs to Solaris. Boat and pedalo hire is available. Beware of the black sea urchins everywhere in Croatia and wear appropriate footwear. There is also a huge swimming pool with a good bar and restaurant nearby. In all, there are five places to eat and drink. There are eight tennis courts and the volleyball court saw a lot of action. There were organised activities for the children and aqua aerobics for the adults. There has been major investment in the infrastructure, with electrical hook-ups and water widely available even in the remotest corners of the resort and plenty of spare pitches. There are even showers for dogs here.
Bottoms up: Dinner with the Otters, in the Algarve Croatia cruise: Sailing around the islands near Rovinj
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The second week was at Valalta, near Rovinj. It is much bigger at 85 hectares, although not all has been developed. The facilities, especially to entertain children were much more evident. The water slide was fun and huge blow-up rafts allowed plenty of climbing practice on iceberg and Saturn-shaped Visit us online for subscriptions, shop and more – www.henaturist.net www.henaturist.net
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Tranquil waters: At Koversada, Croatia objects. While mostly rocky, there is a sandy beach near the marina. No pets are allowed here. There are six restaurants. The great thing about Valalta for me was the nude boat trip opportunities, and I did four of them. They were very reasonably priced at 100 Kn (£9) a head and a fantastic way to see the sights over three-and-a-half hours. All trips has swimming opportunities. Very reasonably priced refreshments were available on board. At sea we passed other textile boats and cruises. Once people saw we were naked, they waved and cheered enthusiastically. One trip was around the islands near Rovinj built by the Venetians. We motored into the marina and within a stone’s throw of the buildings. Nobody on shore batted an eyelid. Another trip was to Poreč where we had to dress while in the harbour where we had 90 minutes ashore. A third trip was up the Limski fjord. At the end of the fjord was a village where we had to dress during the 75-minute stop. I actually had to buy a bikini especially for this, as I hardly expected the need to pack one for a naturist holiday! The fourth trip was a little more expensive at 190 Kn (£19) as it included a superb picnic on a deserted island with delicious mackerel, pork, bread, potato salad and cake with free water, wine and beer all day. All the trips are highly recommended and excellent value. Another maritime excursion was to Koversada by water taxi from Valalta marina, a trip of seven minutes costing 150 Kn (£14) return. Constructed in 1961, in its heyday it was one of the world’s largest naturist resorts accommodating 10,000 people. I first came here in 1980 and it was interesting to see the place after all these years. However, it has not developed at the same pace as 3434
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the other resorts. Having said that, it was a good place to visit again.
Kefalonia
Then there was my third visit to Vassaliki Naturist Club in Kefalonia for a week in August. Some due-to-expire flying points were burning a hole in the pocket so the cost was heavily subsidised. There was a very warm welcome from Sam, Mark, Sheryle, Simon, Nick and canines Archie and Lucy.
Rugged beauty: On the coast at Solaris, Croatia
There are 12 well-appointed apartments and a huge swimming pool, ideal for Sheryle’s aqua-aerobics. There were guests there from England, France, Greece, Holland, Italy, Norway, Wales and Yorkshire. Nick the chef provided excellent meals during the day and most evenings with themed nights such as BBQ, steak and pizzas. There are also group visits to local tavernas for meze (Greek banquet) nights. We had no car but we could easily walk to local restaurants, albeit with the help of a torch as it is quite a rural location. We could also walk to two local beaches. One was Avithos, which has two good tavernas. It was a 40-minute rustic walk along a dusty track through olive groves and we were usually glad to have a beer and a bite to eat on arrival. A short walk to the right towards the airport and you reached the naturist bit which was sparsely inhabited and had a great view of aircraft coming and going. The other beach was Klismata. A decent road goes all the way but there are no facilities and it is much smaller than Avithos. So it was proving to be a busy and eventful summer…
Total naked days so far = 73 (33%)
Life’s a beach: At Praia Grande, in the Algarve, with fellow H&E contributor Glyn Davies and his partner
Greek delight: Vassaliki in Kefalonia Visit us online for subscriptions, shop and more – www.henaturist.net www.henaturist.net
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SPAIN H&E editor Sam Hawcroft reports on an all-too-brief trip to the popular Spanish naturistยง resort of El
A wonderful flying visit...
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’d been saying for ages that I needed to visit El Portús. I’d seen and heard so much about it that I finally managed to find a few days to get over there. I mean, it would be somewhat ironic if I took too much time out and ended up not being able to produce H&E, wouldn’t it?
Long-standing H&E contributor Charlie Simonds is just one of lots of people for whom El Portús is among their favourite naturist resorts – indeed, Charlie says it’s his number one Spanish nude destination – so I contacted him and arranged to meet him there for a week at the end of April. He was accompanied by Lola, who is a bubbly burlesque dancer and relishes the chance to shed a few more clothes when she can (as she told us in the February 2016 issue of H&E). I couldn’t really have picked a better week; as the UK shivered in unseasonably wintry conditions, in south-eastern Spain it was largely blue skies and sunshine with temperatures in the mid-20s. I flew from Leeds Bradford Airport to the even smaller Murcia-San Javier Airport. As an aside, there’s a lot to be said for the little airports – give me Leeds over Manchester or Heathrow any day. There’s just so much less hassle, everything’s closer to get to, the surrounding roads are usually far less congested, and even the hard-faced security staff seem a bit more, well, human. One of them even raised a snigger when they asked me whether I had any tablets in my bag, and I replied, blearily, that I had some Nurofen somewhere. “No, I mean, do you have an iPad...?” said the official, giggling…
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Charlie and Lola picked me up in their Fiat Panda hire car and we headed straight for El Portús, which is an easy 45-minute drive – as long as you know where you’re going. I was sitting in the back with Google Maps on my phone, and even
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Google got a little confused as we reached the small town of Canteras, but we figured out the way through in the end and then it was a straightforward hop to El Portús. The resort is perfectly located in a naturally self-contained bay, bordered on all sides by rocky hills, and gently sloping down to a small, fairly shingly, beach. Everything you should need is on site, including large indoor and outdoor pools, bar and restaurant, a well-stocked supermarket, gym and spa, boules court, etc, and despite the fact the resort is fairly big, it’s also quite compact; nowhere is particularly far from anywhere. However, if you’re like me and come from somewhere where hills just don’t exist (seriously, if you live in Hull, and are taking driving lessons, for instance, you have to find a bridge to do your ‘hill’ starts), be prepared for a bit of a leg muscle workout, especially if your accommodation is near the top of the resort, as ours was. We were staying in the Hacienda, a smart self-catering apartment complex that was built about 10 years ago. Charlie and Lola were sharing one apartment (and of course, Charlie being a gentleman, he used the sofa bed, giving Lola the lovely big double bed), and I was next door. Each apartment had a great little kitchen/lounge area, and a balcony with stunning panoramic views of the resort. Lola was a bit bemused by the fact that an iron was provided, but no hairdryer. I had to agree… I mean, who really gets much use out of an iron at a naturist resort? But coiffure disaster was averted when Lola went down to the spa, which is on the bottom floor of the Hacienda block, and the staff there kindly lent her a hairdryer. I had also foolishly neglected to bring with me any English tea bags, so I went down to the supermarket – but there was 3838
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only one huge box of PG Tips for €9.50. Don’t be so daft, I told myself, and left empty-handed. A few minutes later I returned and stared at the big box of PG Tips for some time. Spending €9.50… versus not being able to have a good cuppa for a week. There was no contest. I bought the box. And I’m probably the only person who’s ever brought British tea back from Spain… The next day we had a quick drink with the busy director of El Portús, Aurelio Vaquero, with whom I’d corresponded over email but was really looking forward to meeting. He turned out to be just as lots of people have told me: a really lovely, ebullient bloke who couldn’t do enough for us. Aurelio very kindly took us all out to the beaches at the Calblanque nature reserve east of Cartagena, which is vast, unspoilt, and perfect for laid-back naturism. It wasn’t all lying around on beaches, though – oh, no! I wished I had been wearing more than a pair of flip-flops when negotiating some fairly rocky terrain on the way to reaching some lovely deserted coves. Aurelio then treated us to a superb meal at a fish restaurant in the harbour town of Cabo de Palos.
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Speaking of rocky terrain, it was my turn to drive when we
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headed to the beaches near Bolnuevo, just west of Mazarrón, one day. After driving through this pretty little town, we came upon seemingly endless stony tracks leading to lots of coves that were, again, practically deserted. However, I recommend something a bit sturdier than a Fiat Panda, which was like trying to drive a milk float up Mount Everest. It was more than a little nerve-shredding, and very slow-going, but thankfully we made it without destroying the hire car. The gold-coloured rocks, sculpted by the sea into striking shapes, provided a stunning backdrop to Charlie and Lola’s photoshoot. I took a few photos too, as Charlie had brought two Nikons; though, being more of a Canon gal, it took me a while to get to grips with it! You don’t really need a car, as El Portús has got the lot, but, as we found, if you can drive it opens up the whole of the region and its amazing coastline, and the historic city of Cartagena is also well worth a visit. One evening we met a British couple, Tony and Liz, who have a holiday home in one of the numerous casitas in the resort. They were wonderfully hospitable and invited us in for a drink, as they told us just how special the resort was to them. Indeed, there are casitas available to rent and even buy, and, with 400 camping/ caravanning pitches, there is accommodation to suit all budgets. Charlie and Lola were wonderful company, and I must also sincerely thank Aurelio for hosting us, and also for taking a whole day out of his busy schedule to show us Calblanque. Having finally paid a long-overdue visit, I can heartily recommend a stay at El Portús. As I chipped ice from my car windscreen after landing at Leeds Bradford, I instantly longed to return…
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UK
David Evans reports on another successful British Naturism event in Scotland – which branched out further than it had ever been before…
A pioneering weekend
M PHOTOS: David Evans; John and Barbara Lower
any have heard about or been on a British Naturism weekend away. This year has seen events at Bournemouth, Blackpool, and, over the first May bank holiday, The Gathering was held at the Glenmorag Hotel in Dunoon. This year saw the event running for the fourth time, and for me and my wife it was our third visit. It’s a long way from Birmingham to Dunoon but having a son living in Edinburgh gives us an excuse to visit him and tour the magnificent Scottish countryside before enjoying a weekend of fun and nakedness. This year was significantly different, inasmuch as the event had been reported in the Scottish press and some naturist activities were to take place well beyond the confines of the hotel.
made our way south through scenery that was reminiscent of the Norwegian fjords, with blue lochs and a backdrop of snowy mountains, and the temperature was recovering too.
On the Thursday before the event, the temperature dropped to 1ºC with falling snow. The following day we
On arrival at the hotel we were warmly welcomed by Ivan the organiser who was dressed in his kilt and looking
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every bit a Scottish laird. We weren’t allowed to undress until 5pm but the time was filled up with a tea party, sponsored by Tunnocks, which makes those delicious chocolate biscuits and teacakes. Many of the activities over the weekend followed a familiar pattern
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with a quiz, carpet bowls and dancing. There was a miniature ‘flea market’ on the Sunday morning described as a ‘midge market’. During Saturday and the Sunday morning we spent some time “hunting the haggis” searching every conceivable corridor and public space of the hotel looking for a large number of elusive haggis cards. At least two escaped us but several people were successful. There was a well-attended religious observance for those people for which a spiritual moment is important. Later on Sunday we had a horseracing session which involved throwing dice to decide which horse advanced and by how many places. Each bet cost a staggering 20p but with some other contributions the event raised £100 for a local hospice. It was good to contribute to the local community. The highlight of the weekend must have been the Burns in the Buff supper. This was the full Burns night with a piper, who also piped in the haggis, an address to the beastie followed by the ‘Immortal Memory’ toasts and songs. This was followed by a ceilidh where we danced off the excellent haggis we’d consumed a short time before. As I mentioned, this year saw additional naturist activities outside and beyond the hotel. Every year there has been a boat trip and this year was no exception. The boat sails from a small quay some distance away but the journey to the quay crosses wonderful wild countryside. This year it was a little warmer and a number of people managed to strip off, but not for long! A couple of years ago it had been suggested that a visit to the local pool would be in order. Unfortunately this was not allowed for ‘health and safety’ reasons, although no-one could actually specify what the dangers might be. This year Juliette, the wife of the organiser, tackled a local councillor and won his support, and the swim was on. This got into the press and as we waited outside the pool a number of cars went by honking their support. It’s a lovely pool which has a flume, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. What more could you ask for?
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Juliette had not only made contact with the councillor but also the local police. She had explained that we intended to do a couple of naturist walks. One of the walks would be near the hotel and another in a forest park some distance away. The police were
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told we would respect any others in the area and we would carry something to cover up with. The police were most supportive and our first walk was a great success. The following day a number of people drove to the forest park, in the rain. On arrival in the dripping forest we saw a lad and a dad who went off one way while we went another. The dad was spoken to and was very accepting of the group of apparent nutters who wanted to walk naked in the rain. Off we went, and while it was wet it was warm, and we all enjoyed our walk through the forest passing a number of waterfalls. On the way back to the hotel we just happened to call in at a pub. The walks and the swim just show what is possible without aggravation. It’s reported that one man with a dog who saw the naked walkers said that if his dog objected he’d blindfold it, but he really wasn’t bothered. Both the walks and the swim were reported in at least two Scottish newspapers in a very positive way. Everyone really felt we had made a contribution to the acceptance of naturism beyond the clubs’ high walls. We also felt that we had made an impact commercially too. The hotel was so supportive and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. I mentioned that Tunnocks had contributed to the tea party. Being astute, Bug Soother had donated a large number of anti-mossie sprays and Lazy Days holidays donated a prize of a week in Fuerteventura. I had the privilege of giving the vote of thanks at the Burns in the Buff supper. One of the things I said was that, if more of us stepped up to the plate, as Juliette had, naturism would be far more widely accepted than it is. We had a wonderful fun weekend that also had an element of pioneering in getting naturism more widely accepted. That has certainly been the case in Dunoon – where next, I wonder? 4444
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NATURIST LIVES
with Jane Kendrick of Portugal Naturally
Diary of a naturist guesthouse
S
ummer’s here and all’s well with the world! Although I miss my friends and family in the UK and there are times when I feel I would like to be closer to them, when the sun comes out, the weather is wonderful, the nights warm and balmy, I think to myself, no, this will do for me! We usually stop lighting the fire at the end of April and e that celebrate by having our rug cleaned. Although we realis wine, I the rug has some spots and spillages (usually my red the have to admit), until we see the colour of the water after We have big clean it is hard to believe just how dirty it has got. red all a cleaner in every day during the season so it is hoove (also the time. I had to include a photo of the job being done who our friends’ apartment’s rug) and must recommend Clare does an amazing job.
cter We had a very mixed May this year. Very out of chara the time with 11 days of cloud and rain. It was unbelievable at some but it’s funny how quickly you forget. Although we had res bad days the month started with a heatwave. Temperatu that up to 46ºC in the sun and 35ºC in the shade. We are lucky plenty we have plenty of shady areas in the gardens but also long a for g stayin s friend had We sun. full of places to get . That weekend, and when they left, the weather left with them and was the start of the bad patch but the sun was soon back now we have months of sun to look forward to. My younger son came to stay for two weeks with his pregnant girlfriend. I’m excited about becoming a and grandmother again. I have just found out that it is a girl cute so couldn’t stop myself rushing to the shops to buy a be able won’t I so 7 er Octob on due She’s ro! little pink babyg soon as to go over for the birth as we will still be busy, but as ter. possible I will be flying to England to meet my granddaugh
is Talking about being busy, this August and even late July s, so flight of price sed increa the very slow with bookings due to ng offeri are we ng booki late a g if anyone is interested in makin ing email by ed obtain be can ls a discount for this period. Detai me on info@portugalnaturally.com. EU The day this magazine goes on sale is also the day of the have s guest UK our what referendum. It is very interesting favour of been saying about voting. The majority of them are in about us nervo are them of Brexit, it would appear, but many it effect the of sure be can y actually voting to leave as nobod so er, anoth other the and will have. One group says one thing sure, for is thing One facts. the it is almost impossible to know ng will though, and that is if the UK votes not to leave, nothi I have and rter, suppo t Brexi a change. I have to admit to being time. in arrive will hope I applied for my postal vote which saga Before I sign off for this month I must tell you about the tmas Chris for over came of the ham. Stewart’s son and family which is and Jason loves the traditional presunto smoked ham red. requi when and as sliced attached to a special board and what n, opinio my in May, by but Now they can last a long time, guest a had We y! mildl it put to was left was long past its best, day of her who agreed with me wholeheartedly, and on the last it had that rt Stewa aded persu two-week visit, she eventually any – ration celeb for cause a to go (see photo below). It was excuse…
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ARTS Thierry Follet on maverick comic caberet star Ursula Martinez…
CENSORED!
CENSORED!
The shock of the nude
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repared to bare all in every sense…One of theatre’s most non-conformist talents… Back on her dirty soapbox… Exploitative… Always manages to deliver more than she promises…Brave… Innovative and challenging… You’ll be dumbfounded… Completely nude… The over-sharing cabaret star… The Naked Magician… The Red Hanky Lady… More on those lines in a moment. Ursula Martinez once stood on stage at the Edinburgh Festival and said, “As a kid I was embarrassed by my parents, and I still am.” This would be less noteworthy if it were not for the fact that Ms Martinez
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then appeared completely nude, along with her similarly bare parents, as the family ‘confessed all’ in the form of the brutally real cult show A Family Outing. They toured it for almost three years. This gives you an insight in to the unique world of Ursula Martinez – installation artist, burlesque performer, bricklayer, stand-up comedian, one-of-a-kind, naturist champion. Hailing from “Spain via Croydon”, Martinez is a wonderful mash-up of a person – her exotic name belying a ‘proper’ south London accent and her statuesque physique belying a gentle and tender take on the world around us. Born Ursula Lea in 1966, her breakthrough came in the early 1990s with her show at the Edinburgh festival. A performance called ‘Hanky Panky’
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at the Montreal Comedy Festival in 2007 brought down, among other things, the house. A visibly shocked audience watched as the mute comedian, channelling Peter Sellers in Clouseau mode and a modern-day Windmill Theatre dancer, proceeded to remove every single item of clothing before climaxing by whipping the red hanky of the title out from between her legs. It gained her a whole army of fans (and not all of them in the magic circle) and a foot in to the world of cabaret. This led to a lengthy run with cult cabaret performers La Clique and saw the clothes-removing art honed down to ‘Light My Fire’ in which her panties and G-string burst into flames and then disappeared in thin air. Ms Martinez’s views on nudity are simple, and admirable. “It’s nothing for me, and it’s funny that not many people talk about it and in reviews and things people never mention it,” she says. “In the striptease I take all my clothes off but its powerful, not vulnerable at all because you almost build a protective wall with your own sexuality.” It’s refreshingly candid. Her next show, My Stories, Your Emails, built on this and saw Martinez both criticised for using personal emails and shaming the writers as well as lauded for taking a stance on the dark arts of internet stalking. Earlier this year she returned to the London scene with a show given the misleading title of Free Admission. The scene was set at the Soho Theatre for her first night with a minimalist stage comprising a large empty frame. Throughout the next hour Martinez literally and metaphorically filled the whole. Literally with bricks (she actually learned her trade and does this with some panache) and metaphorically with words, stories and anecdotes. As the wall went up, subjects became deeper and observations less superficial, her effortless patter evolving into something altogether more profound.
Baring all: The poster for Martinez’s first show, A Family Outing, in 1988 art or comedy is nothing new. Ursula Martinez managed to combine them all, and in doing so created something entirely new. If Frank Skinner is to be believed, burlesque dancers are nothing more than “strippers with A-levels”. In which case, Ursula Martinez is on her third Masters and is lecturing the new wave at the University of the Nude.
The level of nudity in her latest show was, up until the final two minutes, non-existent. Right at the end Ms Martinez appeared from behind her wall and was as naked as nature intended. Starkers. In the buff. Nude as a newt. Well, almost, she was in high heels. She then proceeded to take a camera and we followed her journey as she headed backstage and out of a fire exit, appearing all of a sudden in the blustery cold of Dean Street, announcing herself on an unsuspecting public. A nude woman standing alone on a Soho street corner in winter; it’s undeniably artistic. It feels less about shock value and more about her honesty as an artist. Having let us in to her own mind – her views on religion, sexuality, the tedium of daily chores… the Kardashians, she then reveals herself to us in the most literal sense. Nude Dark arts: and proud. From My Taking your kit Stories, off on the London Your Emails stage in the name in 2012 of shock, titillation, Visit us online for subscriptions, shop and more – www.henaturist.net www.henaturist.net
Visit the website to see our beautiful girls in the great outdoors!
nunude.co.uk TH E
H OM E
OF
N ATURAL
N UD ES
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LANDSCAPE FIGURES Don’t Give Up She had obviously walked for many miles and she was exhausted, physically and mentally. She had been carrying water, but that too was finished. She had just lain down to rest, hiding her face from the burning heat. Dust covered her slender naked body. I was horrified to see her like that, so vulnerable, so fragile, so exposed. I went across and offered her water, which she drunk readily as I shaded her with a jacket. I took her hand and we walked for perhaps 20 minutes until we arrived at the ocean, an ocean she’d been so close to reaching of her own accord. With such grace after her ordeal, she elegantly stepped into the surf and plunged into the cool water, her mind and body refreshed and invigorated, her head cool and her thoughts now so positive again. She emerged gleaming, bronzed, lithe and beautiful – like an ocean goddess. I handed her a fresh juicy apple that was all I had left, and she took it from me gratefully. She kissed me softly before continuing along the sea shore, the Atlantic breeze drying her blonde hair, and happiness in her stride and journey. Never give up, for sometimes our destination is closer than we imagine. From the project Landscape Figures, by Glyn Davies © GlynDavies.com 4848
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SPAIN
Ian Gutteridge tells how his holiday in Lanzarote ended up being eventful for all the wrong reasons…
Trouble in paradise W
ith Christmas and the new year period behind us, we looked forward to flying south to warmer climes for February. It seemed to us that a getaway to the Canaries at that time of year would be a great way to avoid the worst of the winter blues back in the UK and set us up for spring and, hopefully, warmer weather on our return. We feel that Lanzarote has a lot going for it as a year-round destination with a temperate climate and, for those days when the temperature drops a little, there are many opportunities for 5050
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sightseeing all within a short drive.
The island offers a number of options for naturism too. In the north-east there is the naturist village of Charco del Palo, which is set on a rocky coastline with two natural pool areas for sunbathing and swimming. For the broad-minded there is Spice Lanzarote in Puerto del Carmen, and elsewhere there are lots of hotels (some with naturist terraces and pools), villas and apartments. We chose Playa Blanca, in the south of the island, as it offers a good chance of warm weather in a pleasant resort that is quieter than the hotspots of Costa Teguise and Puerto del Carmen, but still offers a wide range of bars and restaurants.
We rented a villa for a month. It had its own private pool area, good outside space and spacious accommodation.
The town beaches, of course, are not used by naturists, but a 10–15 minute drive will take you to the more remote beaches of Papagayo, where naturism is widely practised. There are six beaches, and of these, three have sections that are used by naturists. Our favourite is Caleta del Congrio to the east of the Punta de Papagayo. All beaches are accessed by car via a rough road in the national park. It costs €3 to enter the national park and in return for your cash a numbered ticket is provided that allows access and parking for the day.
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Caleta de Congrio
The roadway is pretty rough and care needs to be taken to select the smoothest route. It should be mentioned that it is likely that your hire car contract may not allow ‘offroad’ driving and therefore should a breakdown or, at worst, an accident occur while away from the metalled roads, there could be problems and costs incurred. The Caleta del Congrio is a lovely long, fairly narrow beach that we have always found to be mainly naturist. Parking is available either in the main car park or down a track that leads to a caravan and motor home site (easily visible to the left while driving near to the main car park). If travelling before Easter, the campsite will be closed but it seems that the site opens for Easter and in the summer season. This makes the Caleta a little more crowded and more ‘textile’. Once parked there is a short walk of about five to 10 minutes either down from the main car park or across the campsite to reach the beach. It is lovely to catch some good sunshine in February on a beautiful naturist beach. However, there are no facilities, so it is necessary to take sufficient refreshments and shelter such as a beach tent. It can be windy, as is the case on all of the Canary Islands, so some also bring a windbreak. There is a bar/restaurants by the main car park. These overlook two other beaches on either side of the point that are generally textile. For those not wishing to hire a car, one could stay at the Papagayo end of the resort, as the beaches can be accessed on foot from there and the area is still quite close to the Marina Rubicon, offering a wide range of restaurants and bars for the evening. Away from the beach, in February Playa Blanca hosted international handbike racing. This is quite a spectacle, and teams from the UK, Spain, Holland, Germany and others compete. It does mean that one needs to be careful when driving in the resort as the teams are out practising regularly in the couple of weeks or so leading up to the event.
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There is also a Lanzarote wine and cheese festival in either February or March. One can sample
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a wide variety of local wines and snacks such as cheeses, mini-burgers and the like. Back ‘home’ our villa had a private pool, but we were near a main road and there were gaps in the fence. Judicious use of the supplied sun umbrellas and a cheaply bought windbreak did enable us to create a private sunbathing area for use when the sun came out.
Trouble in paradise
On the Friday evening of our first week we enjoyed cocktails on the terrace of our landlord’s bar and a reasonably priced meal at a local seafood restaurant. When we got back to the villa, something seemed to be amiss. I noticed an open drawer that I felt sure hadn’t been left like that. Further investigation revealed glass all over the kitchen floor and other cupboards and drawers left open. The owner’s flatscreen TV was also missing. We called the owner, who immediately reported the break-in to the Guardia Civil. They attended and looked around both inside and outside. It became apparent that the thieves had climbed over the garden wall and smashed a large kitchen window to get in. We had let our guard down a bit (having never had any issues before in Lanzarote) and so we lost iPads, cameras, jewellery and other items. The thieves stole a hand-luggage case, beach bag and a rucksack to carry their ill-gotten gains. They even stole a pair of shorts, a travel razor and a hair dryer. Sadly, the rucksack they took also contained my passport. Our travel wallet with our documents, but minus cash, was found where it had been thrown down outside. The Spanish system requires that victims of an incident such as this have to go to the police station to make a full report. There is no Guardia Civil office in Playa Blanca and so a trip to the next town (Yaiza) was needed. The owner of the villa kindly took us up there and acted as interpreter. The report requires that a list of the stolen items is given together with approximate values. This is quite difficult to compile in the immediate aftermath of the event. The whole exercise took about two hours before we could return to the villa. 5252
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The rest of the day was spent waiting for the Guardia forensic officer to attend and for the window to be repaired. A day or so later, we were told that one of the villains that dropped his wallet outside our villa had been arrested, so we had to go up to the court in Arrecife (the island’s capital) to make a further statement. It was another day out of our holiday and, sadly, no property was recovered. When a passport is lost or stolen abroad, an emergency travel document (ETD) has to be obtained. This must be done in person and costs €130. Generally this cost would be covered under travel insurance.
I called the consulate on the Monday following the break-in and spoke to a very helpful lady who made arrangements for us to see the consular representative on Lanzarote (in Costa Calero, about 20 minutes’ drive from Playa Blanca) the following Friday. I had to complete a lost or stolen passport notification and an application for the ETD. I also had to show the police report, travel documents to confirm the return flight, and provide a passport photograph (obtained in Playa Blanca at a cost of €4.50). We had to go back to Puerto Calero on the following Wednesday to collect the document. This is issued for one
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return trip only and it is retained by UK border force on arrival. It crossed our minds that, should something else happen to delay or change our return trip, we would need another ETD (at a further €130). We also had to spend quite some time on the phone and online to banks and other institutions to change passwords and other details. I also had to contact the airline to change my return passport details. All in all, it was quite a lot of hassle, but this would not stop us returning to Playa Blanca again in the future. We hope that our next trip won’t be as eventful. XXXXX 2013 H&E JULY 2016 H&E 5353
BOOKS &
Devon sent Tim Forcer looks at a new book from Wild Things Publishing…
W
ild Things Publishing specialises in books about ‘wild’ swimming – the enjoyment of natural open water rather than swimming pools – and related outdoor activities. Their 2016 releases include Wild Swimming Spain, reviewed in the May 2016 issue of H&E by Theresa O’Shea, and Wild Swimming Walks – Dartmoor and South Devon. The latter offers 28 walks, all with opportunities for wild swimming. Half are on the south Devon coast, half inland on Dartmoor. They range in length from two to 12 miles, and are graded from ‘easy’ to ‘hard’ – something for everyone. The routes and the landscape they run through are described in detail. The information includes folklore, industrial heritage, history and the occasional celebrity, as well as the practicalities of getting to and from the walk by public transport. Unfortunately, bus and train services sometimes don’t run every day, and may have to be supplemented by a short taxi ride or, in one case, don’t go anywhere near the route at all. Each walk can be downloaded for printing, or for storing on your smartphone. An estimated time is given, taking account of distance, climb and stops for the swims. There is comprehensive advice on the wild swimming options and how to avoid problems. For example, shivering is a natural response on entering cold water, but it can also be the first stage of hypothermia; Dartmoor can be bleak at any time of year. Authors Sophie Pierce and Matt Newbury have been trekking across the area for years with a group of friends, seeking the best places for swimming. They have collected all the elements of a good walking guide, but have the ingredients been blended into a satisfying feast?
Dressing appropriately? On the evidence of the book’s images and what I know of the area, I’d say Pierce and Newbury have delivered the goods. The selected walks and swims offer a range of opportunities, and not just for summer: the group go out all year round, and some photos show them swimming in wetsuits for protection against the cold. 5454
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If they aren’t in wetsuits, those pictured in waters fresh and salt always wear costumes. Unlike many Wild Things books, this one does not highlight naturist-friendly destinations. Only one of the walks visits an established clothes-optional beach, Scabbacombe. The text says it is popular with naturists and nudists” (is there a difference?) However, many of the pools, rivers and flooded quarries on the inland walks are well away from car parks and major walking trails, so it’s unlikely anyone would be around to object to if you swam as nature intended. The lack of clothes-free recommendations is a shame. 2013’s Wild Guide to Devon, Cornwall and the South West includes several naturist beaches and inland swimming locations, while last year’s Wild Swimming Walks for London and the South-East gives Fairlight Glen and associated naturism good coverage. That doesn’t mean the new book is unwelcome, just that I think an opportunity has been missed. Dispensing with a costume lightens the backpack and increases the pleasure of swimming, while drying off after a swim is quicker, easier and more effective if one avoids the nonsense of a towel tango.
Worth adding to the bookshelf? Wild Things’ high standards are maintained in this guide: text, maps and the plentiful photos provide clear and fully researched information. The ‘Walks’ titles have a different format to other Wild Things guides: pages are slightly smaller and there aren’t as many of them. This is a practical point, making it easier to fit the book into a pocket. Unlike Wild Things’ other titles, these two books have identical spines; potentially confusing. There are dozens of high-quality books of walks in this area, but I don’t know of any others where the routes
incorporate wild swimming opportunities. If that aspect appeals, I recommend Wild Swimming Walks to anyone considering a holiday, short break or outing in this lovely part of the country – providing they aren’t too dependent on public transport. If you are more into strolls than walks, you might be better off with the Wild Guide. l Wild Swimming Walks – Dartmoor and South Devon by Sophie Pierce and Matt Newbury was published by Wild Things Publishing, ISBN 978-1910636077, on May 2, priced £14.99. Readers can buy it from www. wildthingspublishing.com at 30% off with free P&P by using coupon code “Naturist” at the checkout.
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ADVICE
?
Paul Rouse offers some tips to naturist ventures on how to be ‘picture perfect’ when it comes to imagery…
Photo opportunities But as somebody who makes their living from writing and marketing, I am a firm subscriber to the belief that ‘a picture paints a thousand words’. The two complement each other perfectly, and regardless of whether you are producing, or contributing to, a book, magazine, newspaper, brochure, advert, website, newsletter, blog or social media, it’s hard to imagine one without the other. Getting the balance right, however, is essential, not just in terms of the ratio between words and images but also in the choice of photos, their quality, and how you use them: a well-written article can easily be let down by scant or poor photography, just as a photo-led feature can be spoiled if accompanied by inane text that fills space just for the sake of it. So if you are involved in promoting any naturist-related business or venture – a venue, company, club or organisation, a lobbying group, a social network – here is some practical advice on how good photography, and the way you utilise it, can improve the quality and effectiveness of your marketing output. Begin by asking yourself who and what you should be photographing, where and when you should be doing it, and how much you should be spending to get a viable return on your investment. 5656
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WHO?
Sex sells. But are you selling sex? Unless you are running a resort or website aimed at swingers or libertines, the answer is almost certainly no. So lots of photos of couples in amorous clinches or suggestive poses is hardly going to be a fair reflection of your target clients, or indeed what you are actually offering. The same goes for pretty young girls: they’re very nice to look at, but do they really represent your main demographic? There’s no reason of course why an attractive 20-something with model-looks can’t be a naturist, but in reality, how many of them are? More to the point, how many are members of your organisation or regularly frequent your venue? Depending on their age and looks, meanwhile, photos of naked single men usually have one of only two connotations: gay if they’re young, trim and toned, pervy if they’re old, flabby and a bit sad. So think carefully about who is going to pose for you, and how. Naturists come in all shapes and sizes, and if you are largely aiming at families, and/or more mature couples, who after all do make up a large percentage of genuine naturists, that’s who should be seen in your photographs: normal, everyday people doing normal, everyday things – who just happen to be naked.
WHAT?
Naturism is about enjoying life. Naked. Which is exactly the message you should be putting across. If you’re promoting a holiday venue or destination for instance, of course you will
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PHOTO: © Centre Helio
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irst of all, a disclaimer: this is not going to be another of those ‘how to take great photographs’ features. I’m first and foremost a journalist and not a photographer, so I’ll leave the technical tips about apertures, f-stops and the like to the professionals.
want to show the facilities and amenities. But please: how many more flat, dull shots of empty bedrooms, gardens, swimming pools and tennis courts do we need to see? Make sure there is somebody actually in your photos, that they are doing something interesting and natural rather than just grinning aimlessly or self-consciously at the camera, and above all: that they are naked.
WHERE?
Location, location, location shouldn’t just be the mantra of the property industry. It makes perfect sense to be naked when wet, so quite righty, swimming pools, hot tubs, showers, beaches, rivers and lakes are all popular settings for naturist photography. The same goes for saunas, spas and massage tables, as well as sunbathing terraces, parks, gardens and the countryside. You shouldn’t be afraid, however, of showing some originality. Try to avoid clichés such as boules or volleyball courts unless you can put an ironic spin on things, but if you want to show off your range of facilities, or make the point that almost all activities can equally be done naked as they can clothed, why not have naked people socialising in bars or restaurants, or taking part in a host of other normal sports and leisure pursuits, just like their textile counterparts?
WHEN?
There are few naturists who don’t enjoy the sun. And fewer still who will contemplate getting naked in bad weather. So try to
Pretty young girls: Nice to look at, but do they represent your main demographic? plan ahead. Don’t sit there in the chill of March and suddenly decide that you need some new photographs for the coming summer season. And don’t wait until October before you remember that you still haven’t set up a shoot for the following year’s calendar. You can never guarantee the weather, of course, (especially in countries like the UK) but at least if you aim to take photographs on a warm sunny day, and can give yourself some leeway either side, you’ll end up with much better photos – and happier models. Indoor photography is usually more difficult than shooting outdoors, and in any case goes against the grain of what naturism is really about. And if you do decide to brave the elements and shoot on a cold, cloudy day, the end results will invariably be disappointing. Would you want to visit a place that seems to have perennially grey skies and where the only thing the guests are wearing are goosebumps? Thought not.
PHOTO: © Naturisme France; Paul Rouse
You don’t have to be explicit with nudity. It shouldn’t be sexual (after all, isn’t that what we always tell non-naturists?). And depending on where your photos are going to be seen, you might need to be a little discreet with which parts of the body can and can’t be shown. Full-frontal nudity is fine in the naturist media or on your own website, but if the photos are for a wider mainstream audience, you’ll need to get creative with camera angles, long-distance shots, the use of props, and how you crop the final images. But please: you’re in the naturist business. Like a German sauna, swimsuits should be verboten.
HOW MUCH?
This can fall into the ‘how long is a piece of string?’ category. What you spend on a photo shoot will be determined by who does it, the type and number of images you need, and naturally your budget. My advice follows that of chefs who will always tell you to cook with the best ingredients you can afford: spend as much as you feel you can justify in order to achieve the required end-product, and try not to cut corners.
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Before you bring in a professional photographer (or decide that you are going to use somebody you know, or even do it yourself, both of which are viable options if the talent is there) you do at least need to assume the role of art director. Which in essence means the following:
Focal point: Make sure there is somebody actually in your photos. Nobody wants to see an empty swimming pool
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shoot (or even need them to act as models or background ‘extras’) let them know in advance. 2) Work out what the ‘story’ is going to be, and brief the models and photographer accordingly. You’ll need to be organised and efficient to make the best use of everybody’s time, but don’t be afraid to be spontaneous if an idea suddenly hits you mid-shoot. 3) Decide what you will be using the photos for, when you will need them by, and what their shelf-life is going to be. Will you have several purposes for the finished product, and possibly need to shoot in a number of different styles? Don’t expect a photographer to deliver your images the day after the shoot. They’re busy. They have other clients besides you. There will be an editing process. Don’t skimp on the number of images you ask for: it can get boring if your clients keep on seeing the same handful of photos time after time, year after year. But don’t acquire too many either. You’ll want to get value for money out of a shoot, but you could end up being spoiled for choice. And photos have a tendency to date quickly: fashions change (even when people are wearing nothing), familiar faces age, and circumstances can alter.
1) Plan what and who you want to be photographed, and get everything and everybody primed ahead of the day (or days) you’ll be shooting. Make sure everything is working, looking neat and tidy, and available to use. If you will be inconveniencing guests in any way when you do the photo
A simple message: Naturism is about enjoying life. Naked
One final piece of advice: you might want to be as original as you can, but there’s nothing wrong in being influenced by, or taking inspiration from, somebody who has been there before you and already got it right (or wrong). Look at other ventures similar to yours: not your direct competitors, as you wouldn’t want to be accused of directly copying them, but certainly your counterparts in other countries. Great ideas are like naturists – they travel well.
Remember the mantra: Location, location, location
Be representative: Naturists come in all shapes and sizes
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PHOTOS: © Paul Rouse; Montalivet; Naturisme France; FKK Koversada
Keeping the interest: You might need to get creative with camera angles and props
Oh, we do like to be
beside the
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BEACHES
Continuing our series of unusual European bare beaches, Rayner Otter, travelling with the Naked Fräulein, found some that are a trainspotter’s delight…
RAILWAY
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So here are some beaches just like those the Naked Fräulein and I have discovered during our travels:
BARE BEACHES OVERLOOKED BY RAILWAYS:
Playa de los Alemanes, Burela, Galicia, Spain Galicia is fabulous. One of Spain’s forgotten corners, yet one that should not be missed by real travellers. Burela, itself, however, is quite a missable resort. Crossing a narrow railway bridge here to the beach area, it is advisable to park near where there is a sign “Areoura”. This can be followed along a footpath to the Chiringuito el Mirador de Carlos. This fine open-air restaurant has good views over the textile beach of Areoura below. Carlos used to run a restaurant in London’s Greek Street. Here he cooks succulent ribs over wood-burning barbecues and is one of the most welcoming chefs we have ever encountered. Continuing past the chiringuito, a footpath leads down to Playa de los Alemanes (the Beach of the Germans). This is completely visible from a railway line that connects Gijon to Coruña and which is heavily tilted as it turns a tight curve around the bay. We saw no trains during our visit
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(perhaps they had all tilted too much and dropped off the cliff) but the beach was exceptionally good – a double bay with fine golden sand, lots of rocks and a cave. There were only a handful of beachgoers that day, all men and all naked – but not one German.
Beach 19, Costa da Caparica, Lisbon, Portugal From Portugal’s capital it is possible to catch a local commuter train to cross the estuary of the mighty River Tagus, traversing the 200ft-high Bridge of the 25th April. The views from this are reason enough to make this short rail journey. Lisbon’s famous waterfront is laid out below with the pretty Belem Tower easily visible and the spectacle of Christo Rei - Christ, arms outstretched – welcoming you to the south bank. The railway line serves the coastal strip known as Costa da Caparica, which is Lisbon’s beach playground. And here is Beach 19, oddly named because it is served by Station 17 of the little railway that overlooks the foreshore here. Also known as Bella Vista, this was Portugal’s first official nudist beach but, in recent years, has become a gay site with lots of chaps cruising the dunes behind it. If that isn’t your scene – as it isn’t for me
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ome people love them, others hate them; but, personally, I find railways fascinating. Now, let’s get this straight: I’m not a trainspotter. I just like trains! As a student, working in Switzerland during the summer vac, I fell in love with the array of little railways that criss-cross the Alps. Then, when the Fräulein and I were visiting Vienna for our ‘Nude on the Blue Danube’ piece (H&E May 2012), I recall lying naked in our globetrOTTERS motorhome at night listening to the wail of trains leaving the Austrian capital and imagining where they would be the following morning: St Petersburg, Copenhagen, Biarritz, Porto, Cadiz, Marseilles, Dubrovnik, Thessaloniki, Istanbul… I knew that they might possibly only be late-night commuter trains, but the magic of hearing them was lessened not a bit. Trains are like that – they’re romantic. So, what’s wrong with lying naked on a beach and to hear the rumble of a train pass by above you? None of its passengers will catch more than a glance at your nudity – and you will never know who they are anyway. And, if you are a trainspotter, you could always catch the locomotive’s number!
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(although the Fräulein always admires the aesthetics of such beaches!) – head further south to Praia Fonte da Telha. This is the end of the road – literally. Just after the Bambu Bar naturism starts and the further you go the nudier it gets. But this bit has to be accessed on foot with no romantic trains rushing past.
Cadiz and from which they could get a perfect view of the few nudists, mainly men, who flaunt the city’s bylaws on this beach. Then, after a rewarding visit to this fascinating walled city, surrounded by sea – and which is Andalusia’s capital of flamenco music – they could return by catching the Last Train to San Fernando (oh, dear, OH DEAR!).
Maia Praia, Lagos, Algarve, Portugal If you ever complete one of the great railway journeys of the world – from just about anywhere to the end of Europe – you would end up at Lagos Station, the last stop before Cape St Vincent, our continent’s most southwesterly tip. If you kept going in a straight line from here, the next train after this is from Guayana City heading up to Ciudad Bolivar in Venezuela! The penultimate stop on this line is Maia Praia, which we have visited before in this series (H&E naturist March 2016), as it is also overlooked by a golf course. As in Lisbon, this is a beach which is served by its own railway station where you can alight from the ramshackled and graffiti-decorated carriage after your pan-European journey; grab a cold beer from the beach bar right opposite the station; explore the adjacent fort; then proceed on foot eastwards to the nudist zone, about a half a mile further on. It has a fine dune system which, unfortunately, means covert activity. While down on the wide sands it is perfectly safe for families and (supervised) children to enjoy life in the nude, we have seen adult activity and a lot of cruising men up in the dunes. Maybe they were just train-spotting, too!
El Templo del Sol, L’Hospitalet de l’Infant, Spain Again, we visited this beach before in this series (H&E May 2016) when we were looking for where to get a drink in the altogether. Well, this wonderful naturist resort is lodged on a cliff overlooking one of the best nude beaches in Europe, and is backed by the mainline from Tarragona to L’Aldea. Up in the campsite, apart from pitches alongside the well-screened railway track, you are hardly conscious of its presence, but down on the idyllic foreshore, in the company of up to 1,000 others, naked to a man, woman and child, it is impossible to be unaware of the occasional express train roaring past in the trees just above the sands – because the train drivers love to blow their whistles to inform their passengers that they are passing a nude beach and should take a quick gawk. Ignore them. Or, alternatively, moon ‘em!
Playa de la Cortadura, Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain We visited this beach in the last issue because, besides the railway line connecting the ‘floating city’ of Cadiz to the rest of the world, it shares an isthmus with a motorway where rubberneckers drive into each other vying to get a view of the odd naked body on the long parallel beach of Playa de la Cortadura. Why they should do this is strange since all beaches in Spain are officially clothesoptional – except here in Cadiz where the local authority are fighting an uphill battle to prevent nudity on its beaches. Anyway, those mobile voyeurs would have a better time of it if they caught a train from nearby San Fernando into 6060
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Playa Musclera, near Barcelona, Spain Barcelona is one of the world’s most fascinating cities. And, as we discovered
in the previous issue of this series, it is possible to get naked here – if slightly unofficially! But, for more relaxed naturism, go 20 miles or so northeast, until just after Caldes d’Estrac, where Playa Musclera (aka ‘Bunker Beach’) is located. I think that it’s also known as O Forti, although this may refer to the beach next door and just around a rocky outcrop. There is a vehicular underpass to beach parking and a chiringuito, or beach bar, “H20”. From here it’s naked to the north despite being overlooked by the main coastal railway which, more or less, follows the Spanish seaboard right up to France. The trains do not seem to affect the nudists which are usually a mixed bunch, but, when we arrived, it was gays only; and apparently ‘active’ on the far side of the rock outcrop. Be careful! Playa El Moli, El Moli, Catalunya, Spain Be even more careful three miles further north at Playa El Moli, or La Murta, midway between Canet and Sant Pol de Mar. There is good parking, “El Moli”, off the southbound carriageway of the N11 with a pedestrian underpass accessing the beach. This requires a (possibly illegal) crossing of a curve in the same intercity line that passes Playa Musclera. When we visited, I left the Fräulein guarding the globetrOTTERS in the car park (it’s that sort of area!) to inspect the beach alone. I also knew of the rail crossing and preferred to risk my own neck rather than hers as well. Barril, Tavira, Algarve, Portugal
This is a must for any railway enthusiast. Like Beach 19 and Maia Praia, Barril is served by its own train station. The difference here is that this is a miniature private railway that accesses the beach from the mainland at Pedras d’el Rei, near Tavira. The 600mm-gauge track is just under a mile long and crosses a bridge to Barril on Tavira Island. The 10-minute journey in open-air carriages gives passengers wonderful views of the expansive Ria Formosa wetlands as the little steam loco puffs its gentle way across the marshes and over the lagoon teeming with wildfowl. At the terminal there are a few restaurants and bars, so naturally the beach here is Lycra-clad, but a walk in either direction accesses the natural world. This island has been used by nudists for so long now that the eastern end is called in Portuguese O Homen Nu, ‘The (place of) the naked man’.
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Platja de l’Home Mort, Sitges, Catalunya, Spain
When the Fräulein and I visited this beach a couple of years ago, we found it relatively difficult to locate. We shouldn’t have because many men of a certain persuasion easily find their way to Platja de l’Home Mort – or ‘Dead Man’s Beach’. We knew it was somewhere behind Terramar Golf Club and, after crossing the links, we found a disco club advertising a gay night. That hinted at what sort of beach this might be; then a stream of singlet-clad, slim young men with perfect haircuts and designer shades confirmed the bleeding obvious. The Fräulein had no intention of making an evidently long walk in the heat if a summer’s afternoon, so I set out alone (and with a certain amount of trepidation!) to find the beach. I followed a sign, “Cala Nudista”, up, what in my mountaineering days would have been called, a ‘V. Diff.’ I hauled my body, encumbered by a recently sprained ankle, up the cliff face wearing only flip-flops. I later discovered that
Up until then I had always thought that I was good at crossing railways. Having “stopped, looked and listened”, as I’d been taught as a kid, I hopped across the first rail then immediately heard that tell-tale singing noise. Boy, did I move fast! Under a second later an express train loomed up on me from around the bend. I felt grateful for once that I had just missed the train! I also missed seeing any naturists on this empty but otherwise pleasant beach. Perhaps the iffy weather that day had kept them away – or maybe other nude beachgoers hadn’t been quite so nimble at hopping over the railway lines as I was! Playa La Viñeta, Calella, Costa Brava, Spain Another trainspotting experience is at Calella which, on our ‘Bare Beaches’ odyssey, the Fräulein and I somehow missed. But many years ago, I had visited Playa La Viñeta alone. Parking in Calella and, crossing under the railway via an underpass, I came to a simple short stretch of public beach. Along with a dozen other naturists I tried to enjoy an afternoon’s sun while trains thundered past just a few feet away –
the ascent was unnecessary as I eventually gained a perfectly graded path following a railway along which perfectly groomed chaps were walking quite easily to their beach. A further half-mile of easy pathway led to a super little cove with a canopied chillout bar just above it. This pathway runs along the side of the nearby mainline connecting Barcelona with Tarragona and an express train roars by every 10 minutes, the drivers hooting (yet again) to inform their passengers they are passing a naturist beach. The gay beachgoers don’t seem to care. Why should they? They have carved out a nice little niche for themselves on the Catalonian coast here – and 300 yards further on is an even smaller cove which is also nude and gay – and overlooked by the railway. But I didn’t get as far as the second one. My ankle just didn’t want to go the extra mile (or 300 yards, even) so I returned all the way on the graded track, this time, waving to passengers on the passing trains.
the closest, I think, that I have ever been to rolling stock while naked. And, of course, the drivers sounded their horns to alert their voyeuristic passengers. Being so close to the railway, I doubt that, at the speed they were travelling, the passengers could have caught much more than the briefest glimpse of our nakedness. Still, if it made them happy… Castellaneta Marina, Taranto, Italy Unlike Spain and Portugal, Italy doesn’t have many nude beaches near railways. Perhaps the strict Catholic views of people prohibited such a social development until recent times when naturism is now opening up. Certainly, most naturist sites we discovered in La Bella Italia were screened off from public sight, or a long walk from nowhere. Some 18 miles west of Taranto lies Castellaneta Marina beach which is accessed by its own railway station. It is nude away from the more crowded access points and is mostly naked and gay around the river mouth, some three miles or so from the resort, but I think the blokes venture even further toward the Lido Chiatona where the beach is backed by woods and dunes. This whole
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coast is empty and, therefore nude, almost as far back as the port of Taranto itself. And most of it can be enjoyed while listening to the whistles of passing trains. There are doubtless many other beaches or inland sites around Europe – and even in dear old Blighty – where clotheslessness can be enjoyed adjacent to railways. And such sites are perfectly safe (assuming there are no unforeseen derailments!). While naturist pursuits overlooked by a road might encourage motorists to stop for a refreshing spot of voyeuristic activity (or worse!), a passing train can be no more than a minute or so’s interruption to a relaxing afternoon’s nudism. And there is the added upside that if at least one or two of the passengers observe the freedom that we naturists are enjoying, and envy us, there is the strong possibility that they might say, “Hey, that looks good. I might give it a go myself.” And it sure as hell beats sitting on a draughty platform writing down locomotive numbers! XXXXX JULY 2013 2016 H&E H&E 6161
A RCHIVES A s H&E has such a long history you could be forgiven for thinking July 2008 is a bit recent for an ‘archives’ column. It isn’t all that long ago, really, but when I think that this was the issue before I took over as editor, the intervening eight years seem both to be a lifetime ago and to have flown by at the same time. My predecessor Sara Backhouse had recently departed to begin a career in teaching, and the editorial was written by the then-magazine manager, Sylvia Smith. The magazine was based in Goole, East Yorkshire, until I took over the business nearly four years ago and moved it to my home city of Hull.
In 2008, the cover price was £3.95, and it’s only very recently that it was raised to £4.20. I said in an editorial a few months ago that I hoped readers would not be put off by this, and would instead appreciate that in recent times the magazine has been made far bigger and better than it ever used to be. Indeed, this July 2008 magazine is a fairly slim-looking 84-page saddle-stitched (the fancy printing term for ‘stapled’) publication that is a bit lighter on content than today’s version. It wasn’t light on pictures, though; there is a good selection of people of all shapes and sizes, which is something I still strive for
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every month, despite the reluctance of a lot of people to be pictured in a high street naturist magazine. The news section, written by the excellent and incisive Bob Janes, is larger than today’s, mainly because the rapid growth of the internet and social media largely means any ‘breaking news’ is old-hat once it finally hits the shop shelves. Besides this there isn’t a huge amount of UK content apart from Peter Roberts’ visit to Lower Poulza Post in Cornwall and Andrew Coffey’s trip to Corton Beach with Lorraine, who had many fans. Long-standing contributors John and Barbara Lower visited Papagayo in Lanzarote, while Olaf Danielson reported on Club Orient. Janeen Johnson’s piece on the rather well-endowed ‘Redemption Song’ statue in Emancipation Park, Kingston, Jamaica, is particularly interesting. Meanwhile, Duncan and Suzanne Laurence have a bit of fun in the kitchen cooking food – nude… Sam Hawcroft l A selection of 2007–2008 H&E magazines has just been added to the online subscription back issue archive – for the same great price of £29 a year. Visit subs.henaturist.net
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R EVIEWS I like offbeat and weird. I do. But there’s offbeat and weird and offbeat and weird. Nina Forever, the debut feature from the writer/ director team of Ben and Chris Blaine, was given an R rating by the MPAA Motion Picture Rating, for “strong sexual content, nudity, bloody images, and language.” (I think there could be a misplaced comma there – I mean, language in a film, whatever next? But you get the idea.) Those of a delicate disposition should abstain, and supper on the sofa while you watch is most definitely not recommended.
FILM NINA FOREVER UK, 2015 Directors: Ben Blaine, Chris Blaine
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Available to buy on DVD or rent online
It isn’t the slightest bit scary. And it’s not supposed to be. It is gross, and it is supposed to be. Above all, though, I think it’s supposed to be amusing. But the joke wears thin
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The death of a loved one is a serious subject, but Nina Forever is dark comedy gore, so a flippant tone is almost impossible to avoid. When you lose a loved one, how do you eventually move on and let go? Well, Rob (Cian Barry) does his best. After a failed suicide attempt, he finally starts to get over his grief by dating co-worker, loner-supermarket checkout girl, Holly (Abigail Hardingham). Despite the fab sex, something isn’t quite right, and Rob’s killed-in-a-car-accident girlfriend, Nina (played by Fiona O’Shaughnessy – she of Jessica Rabbit fame in the cult comic book series Utopia) threatens to come between them. Literally. There they are, Rob and Holly, having hot, young, perfect-body sex, when slowly the sheets start staining red and two bloodied hands rise up through the mattress to grab Holly’s feet. So there you have it, the literal intervention of jealousy from the grave - or the literal bloody embodiment of Rob’s inability to move on. It isn’t the slightest bit scary. And it’s not supposed to be. It is gross, and it is supposed to be. Above all, though, I think it’s supposed to be amusing. But the joke wears thin; after all, there’s only so long you can keep an ironic smile on your face for one laboured conceit. Nina herself tries to be jokily nasty or nastily jokey, but I mostly found her intensely irritating. Of course, in a normal universe Holly would have run
a million miles after Nina’s first bloody intercession, but we simply have to accept that she’s so in lust with Rob that she’s prepared to put up with more than the usual relationship baggage. I quite enjoyed the bits without the annoying Nina – which, I guess, is kind of missing the point. And, in my opinion, Shaughnessy aside, the acting is top-notch. Hardingham in particular is mesmerising to watch, and I’m sure we’re going to see a lot more of her. (Well, we’ve already seen all there is of her, but you know what I mean.) She plays the laconic, slightly oddball Holly perfectly, and makes it almost possible
to understand how she gets entangled in the bloody threesome. Ditched by a previous boyfriend for being “too vanilla”, she’s unabashed and comfortable in her nakedness and sexuality, and relatively unfazed by Nina’s bloody and sarcastic intrusions in their sex life. She seems to just accept that this relationship involves rather more washing of sheets than the norm. And, hey, no-one could ever say she’s too “vanilla” ever again – more like raspberry ripple! However, while the ending is not what you might have expected, I would have to concur with the reviewers who felt that Nina Forever lacks real story progression, and that it would have made an excellent short, rather than a full-length feature. Apart from that, while I could cope with a gory, resuscitated corpse, a gory, sarky resuscitated corpse just did not do it for me. Which is why, for this reviewer, despite some excellent performances, Nina Forever only manages to scrape a pass. Theresa O’Shea VERDICT
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BOOKS
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WISE CHILDREN, by Angela Carter Wise Children is published in paperback by Vintage Classics, ISBN 9780099981107, and as an ebook for Kindle.
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of Venice
t is a wise child that knows his own father” – The Odyssey “It is a wise father that knows his own child” – The Merchant
The prominent feminist Angela Carter was only 51 when she died in 1992. A prolific, versatile and stimulating writer, her fairy tales took magical realism into exciting and challenging new territory – Company of Wolves is a very different story to the Red Riding Hood one remembers from childhood! Wise Children was Carter’s last novel, written after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Despite that context, the book celebrates life and living – “what a joy it is to dance and sing” – as Dora Chance looks back on her 75 years living in Brixton with her identical twin sister Nora. Their birthday, April 23, is
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shared with several other characters – including William Shakespeare. Nora and Dora are not the only twins in Wise Children; Wikipedia’s family tree diagram can be useful, and won’t spoil your enjoyment. While Carter’s writing is grounded in reality, with much to say about life and love, she adds a touch of magic much as the Chance twins use make-up, costume and hair dye: to enhance, to disguise, to increase the entertainment and enjoyment of the beholder. One recurring motif is the distinction and relationship between “legitimate” and “illegitimate”. This applies both to birth – where legality and DNA can be at odds – and to the arts: Nora and Dora have a long career in music halls and revues, pantomimes and summer shows on the pier, while their father is Melchior Hazard, a prominent Shakespearean actor. Melchior’s legitimate children include the host of a popular programme “Lashings of Lolly” and a TV chef. Carter’s publishers must have worked very hard to ensure the book didn’t trigger libel actions! “Grandma” Chance adopted Nora and Dora when their unmarried mother died. Grandma is a strong and feisty character, who ensures her wards are brought up bright and clear-
eyed, healthy in mind and body. They also follow her lead in embracing some unconventional principles, including Angela Carter vegetarianism and naturism. There is nothing regimented about this: they don’t belong to a club or attend meetings, they simply avoid meat and clothing in the house and garden. Bodies are celebrated, their own as well as those of animals. Although social nudity plays only a small part in this brilliant novel, it is no more there by accident than any other detail of Carter’s fantastic and elaborate scheme. She presents naturism fairly, being neither evangelical nor condemnatory. These days, successful authors – whether writing for the mass end or the literary end of the market – studiously ignore social nudity. Why can’t they more be like Carter? Tim Forcer VERDICT Naturist content Good read Value for money
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CLUB GUIDE BEDFORDSHIRE Blackthorns Sun Club Sharnbrook, near Bedford 01234 782212 BERKSHIRE Heritage Club Heath Ride, Crowthorne, RG45 6BS 01344 775032 BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Diogenes Sun Club Near Chalfont St Peter and Rickmansworth Near J17 of the M25 www.diogenessunclub.co.uk CAMBRIDGESHIRE Cambridge Outdoor Club The Orchard, The Borough Aldreth CB6 3PJ 01353 741335 Croft Country Club Toll Rd, Three Holes, Wisbech PE14 9JD 01354 638445 www.croftcountryclub.co.uk 185 OP S C G M Pet SH V CP SE ST HOL £200 ALL DV £18 Covered indoor pool, sauna suite, clay pigeon shooting, archery CHESHIRE Manchester Sun and Air Society Near Knutsford, Cheshire Visitor Enquiries 07821 805866 email msaswarden@hotmail.com Heated outdoor pool, minitens, petanque, bowls, clubhouse, Wi-Fi sauna, childrens play area. For full details visit our website www.springfieldmsas.org North Western Sunbathing Soc Email: membsecnwss@mail.com CORNWALL Southleigh Manor St Columb Major Cornwall TR9 6HY 01637 880938 CUMBRIA Solway 07943 496100 Lakeland Outdoor Club Stoup Dub Farm, Haverigg, Millom Marion (Secretary): 01484 863036 marion@lakelandoutdoorclub.co.uk DORSET Rivendell Horton Heath, Wimborne BH21 7JN 01202 824013 Bournemouth & District Outdoor Club Matchams, Nr Ringwood BH24 2BU 07775 968518 bdocnat@hotmail.co.uk www.bdoc.co.uk South Western Outdoor Club Dorchester 07534 091443 www.swoc-naturist.co.uk secretary@swoc-naturist.co.uk DURHAM Greenacres Club 0191 491 0648 ESSEX Springwood Colchester 07789 044072 Oakwood Sun Club Romford/Brentwood 07960 109041 Arcadians 07813 346631
Not listed here? Get in touch! Email listings@henaturist.net with your details or call 01482 342000 GLOUCESTERSHIRE Pines Outdoor Club 07754 543841 Wyvern Club 07563 678253 HAMPSHIRE Haslemere Sun Club Headley Down 0799 959 8402 Family-oriented BN club, woodland setting, heated pool, games courts, hot showers, well-equipped pavilion. memsec@sunnyacres.co.uk www.sunnyacres.co.uk HERTFORDSHIRE Fiveacres Country Club Junction 21a M25. Bricket Wood, St Albans AL2 3PY 01923 673073 Spacious grounds and lawns, heated pool, licensed clubhouse, caravan and camping facilities. Day visits available. www.fiveaacrescountryclub.com Sun-Folk Society The Spinney, Hazel Road, Park Street, St Albans AL2 2AJ Inquiries: 0845 217 8931 (Calls will cost 3p per minute, plus your phone company’s Access Charge) Clubhouse: 01727 873576 info@sun-folk.org.uk www.sun-folk.org.uk OP S C M Pet B V CP Spielplatz Naturist Club Lye Lane, Bricket Wood St Albans AL2 3TD 01923 672126 www.spielplatz.club information@spielplatz.co.uk Licensed bar and clubhouse. Large heated swimming pool. Sauna. Extensive grounds and lawns. Day visitors and new members welcome. ISLE OF WIGHT Valerian Sun Club 07931 281360 KENT Eureka Nudist Club Manor Lane, Fawkham Longfield 01474 704418 The Naturist Foundation 01689 871200 Silverleigh London Rd, West Kingsdown Kent TN15 6EX 01474 853438 LANCASHIRE Lancashire Sun Hazel Grove, Sandy Lane, Rufford, Ormskirk L40 1SX 01704 823323 www.lancashiresun.org.uk secretary@lancashiresun.org.uk 130 OP S C M Pet V CP SE ST £100 per adult, children free. DV £5 per adult LEICESTERSHIRE Oaklands Sunclub PO Box 8020, Leicester LE9 3WX. Phone: 07876 770 384 www.oaklandssunclub.co.uk info@oaklandssunclub.co.uk
LINCOLNSHIRE East Midlands Sunfolk 07734 882333 Lakeside Farm 07932 784918 Sungrove Sun Club 07745 106008 MERSEYSIDE Liverpool Sun & Air Sunnyside, Fox’s Bank Lane Whiston, Merseyside L35 3ST 07967 884448 www.lsas.org.uk secretary@lsas.org.uk 180 OP S C M Pet SH CP SE ST £98 per adult, children free. DV £4 per adult Wirral & Liverpool SCN Club email: smoothandnude@yahoo.co.uk NORFOLK Broadlands Brickle Road, Stoke Holy Cross, Norwich NRL4 8NG 01508 492907 Breckland 01362 858871 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Nottingham Sun Club 07977 490428 OXFORDSHIRE OXNAT (Oxford Naturist Club) Lovely 12-acre secluded woodland site enclosing sunbathing lawn and clubhouse with cosy wood stove, sauna, showers and kitchen for informal gatherings. Regular socials, group activities, games from scrabble to pool. 24/7 member access to facilities, occasional camping. Indoor swims (off site). Balanced membership. £72 couples, £52 singles. Families welcome. www.oxnat.org.uk enquiries@oxnat.org.uk 07941 435021. SHROPSHIRE Telford Naturists 01952 610873 SOMERSET Ridgewood Sun Club, Clevedon Email: ridgewoodsunclub@live.co.uk www.ridgewoodsunclub.co.uk SURREY The White House Club Warlingham, Surrey 07952 788377 SUSSEX Aztecs Sun Club 07854 823565 Bristol Gardens Health Spa 01273 698904 Mill Bank Sun Club 01323 484794 TYNE & WEAR Tando 07970 328144 Three Rivers 01207 233275 WARWICKSHIRE Avon Outdoor Club 01922 416670 YORKSHIRE Ashdene 01422 379500
DEFINITIONS
First figures are membership numbers. n/a – not known. 123 – number of members or units in club. OP – outside pool. IP – inside pool. OP + IP both inside and outside pools (n.b. where known). S – sauna and associated facilities. C – clubhouse or other building. LB – licensed bar. G – games courts (general). M – miniten courts. Pet – petanque (boules). B – badminton. SH – shuffleboard. V – volleyball. CP – dedicated play area for children. SE – special events held during season. ST – stays in tents caravans and/or accommodation for hire. HOL – holiday venue. £000 – annual membership fee for 2 adults and 2 children. F&C – families and couples only admission policy*. All – membership open to all. Q – quota for single men and women. DV £00 – cost of day visit for 2 adults/2 children. * Discriminatory admissions policies are against the law. H&E naturist includes this information only when requested by club officials. Hawk Editorial Ltd accepts no responsibility for any consequences of information in these listings and cannot guarantee their accuracy.
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Ryedale Naturist Club www.ryedalenaturistclub.co.uk Tel 07528 409332 email info@ryedalenaturistclub.co.uk Valley Club (Harrogate) Clubhouse, licensed bar, 3 miniten and 2 boules courts. Nine acres with 75 members’ caravans & caravans available for visitors. 07980 028417 100 C S M Pet ST by arrangement £10 DV by arrangement. veronicaatvalley@googlemail.com www.valley-sun-club.co.uk The White Rose Club PO Box 25, York, YO60 7WZ Tel: 01904 468293 ansaphone www.whiteroseclub.co.uk Licenced Bar/Clubhouse. Pool & Sauna. Sports facilites. Theme nights/disco. Caravan/camping with electric hook-up. Visitors (CCBN, INF, members of other clubs) welcome. Applications for membership invited from genuine naturists. 140 OP S C LB M Pet B CP SE ST HOL Yorkshire Sun Society In 26 acres of woodland. Clubhouse with licensed bar. Heated swimming pool, sauna and Jacuzzi. Caravans for hire. Tent and touring caravan sites. Website: www.yorkshiresun.co.uk Email: yorkshiresun@msn.com Write to: YSS, Carlam Lane, off Cumbrian Way, Wawne, Hull HU7 5YX, or phone Jim on 07860 877866. SCOTLAND Scottish Outdoor Club Secretary: Doug Beveridge 01563 534320 scotnaturist@freeservers.com Forth Country Club www.forthnaturists.co.uk Sunnybroom 07794 711627 WALES Tything Barn West Williamston, Kilgetty. 01646 651452 Vale of Glamorgan Sun Club 07821 270752 Western Sunfolk Family-orientated club in unspoilt countryside with excellent facilities on grass for tents, caravans and motorhomes including electric hookup, wifi, showers and kitchens; clubhouse, games courts and heated swimming pool with telescopic cover. Walks include Wye Valley, views of Brecon Beacons and prehistoric sites of Trellech. www.westernsunfolk.org.uk enquires@westernsunfolk.org.uk 07972 385428 IRELAND Irish Naturist Association PO Box 1077, Churchtown, Dublin 14 Club Aquarius Suite 117, 28 South Frederick St, Dublin 2 00353 87685 7279 clubaquarius@gmail.com UNLANDED GROUPS/CLUBS Naturist Spa Club nodel@tiscali.co.uk naturistspaclub.wix.com/ naturist-spa-clubSolaqua solaqua@hotmail.co.uk Three Rivers Outdoor Club www.threeriversclub.org.uk The Singles Outdoor Club www.soc-uk.info
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Not listed here? Get in touch! Email listings@henaturist.net with your details or call 01482 342000 BEDFORDSHIRE Bedford Naturist Swim www.bedfordnaturistswim.co.uk BERKSHIRE Reading Naturist 0118 975 2202 or 0118 937 1902 BRISTOL Aquasol 0788 446 3713 (before 8.30pm) CHESHIRE Wirral Naturist Club Northgate Arena, Chester, Saturday evenings. 07884 022146 enquiries@wirralnats.org.uk www.wirralnats.org.uk CORNWALL Far West Swim 07891 256130 DEVON Torbay Sun Club 01752 893990 or 07786 227242 Plymouth Sun Club 07527 414009 info@plymouthsunclub.org.uk plymouthsunclub.org.uk Facebook: http://fb.me/plymouthsc DORSET Naked swim nakedswim.co.uk ESSEX Springwood Sun Club Prested Hall, Feering: 07789 044072 The Naturist Spa Club at Aqua Springs Colchester Leisure World, 1st & 3rd Sundays. 01206 824113 naturistspaclub.wix.com/naturistspa-club GLOUCESTERSHIRE Wyvern Swim 07563 678253 Severn Vale Swim 01452 522896 HAMPSHIRE Alton Saturday: 023 8063 2199 Sunday: 01420 540040 New Milton 023 8090 5935 Halcyon 023 9238 8482 HERTFORDSHIRE Watford Naturist Swimming Club Watford Leisure Centre – CENTRAL, Peace Prospect, WATFORD, WD17 3HA. Fridays (exc Bank Holidays) 2045-2200 £5 visitors, £4 WNSC members. Under-18s £1, underfives free. ID: BN, club card, or trial visitors’ letter from club secretary. www.wnsc.org.uk; info@wnsc.org.uk Recorded Information: 0845 347 9319 (Calls will cost 3p per minute, plus your phone company’s Access Charge) KENT Silverleigh 01474 853438 LANCASHIRE Poulton-le-Fylde swimming centre 01253 771528 www.blackpoolandfyldesunclub. moonfruit.com Morecambe Bay 07842 124 610 Acqua 01253 294610 LEICESTERSHIRE Desford Swim 07762 732601 www.desfordswim.org.uk LINCOLNSHIRE Sleaford Swim 01522 871096 sleafordnude@gmail.com sleafordnaturistswim.blogspot.co.uk LONDON Naturist London Sunday Swim 12-2pm at Student Central (formerly ULU); web: naturist.london Altogether Yoga www.altogetheryoga.com Naked Yoga London www.nakedyogalondon.co.uk NKD Training (exercise sessions) www.nkdtraining.co.uk Rio’s 020 7485 0607
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SWIM GUIDE
NORFOLK Club Naturel hillhousefarm@live.co.uk NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Northampton Sun 08707 650558 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE South Forest Leisure Centre, Edwinstowe First and third Saturdays every month, from 7.30pm to 10.30pm: 01623 823866 OXFORDSHIRE Oxnat 07941 435021 STAFFORDSHIRE The Potteries Swim Jubilee Pool, Newcastle-under-Lyme Alternate Sundays, 1800-2100 30-metre pool & water flume, sauna & plunge pool, Turkish suite. ID required. 01782 281189 www.potteries-swim.org.uk WaterWorld Stoke-on-Trent. Next swim: Sep 3, 2016 – www.bn.org.uk SUFFOLK Mildenhall Swim 07946 886843 Newmarket Swim 07946 886843 Helsinki Health 01473 724196 SURREY Noah’s Ark Club 01372 456536 Shabden Leisure 01797 364315 SUSSEX Eastbourne 01323 422421 TYNE & WEAR Newcastle Turkish Bath www.nudeswims.co.uk WEST MIDLANDS Spectrum Club 07876 661483 membership@spectrumclub.org.uk Swans 07811 451545 WILTSHIRE Pickwick Club 07952 298741 or 07840 985693 Madnat 07092 031130 YORKSHIRE Leeds Naturist Group Bramley Baths – weekly swim and steam room. leedsnaturistgroup@gmail.com www.leedsnaturistgroup.com HTB Naturists Sessions at Harrogate Turkish Baths, Ripon Baths and Doncaster Dome. Various Saturday evenings: contact htbnaturists@gmail.com Ryedale Naturist Club Alternate Sundays 3pm-5pm www.ryedalenaturistclub.co.uk 07528 409332 Sheffield Chapeltown Baths 0114 221 5579 WALES North Wales 07932 745897 Chepstow 07804 309130 Cwmbran 01633 482832 Llandudno 01978 751209 Swansea and District Leisure Club 07890 129777 Nudie Dudies South Wales, Llantwit Major Third Sunday of every month, 5.15pm. 07817 773479 SCOTLAND Sunnybroom 07794 711627 Forth www.forthnaturists.co.uk Tay Valley 01250 884 323 Scottish Outdoor Club 01563 534320 NORTHERN IRELAND Northern Outdoor Association noaclub@yahoo.com IRELAND Southern Naturist Club 0857 215000 (6-10pm only)
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See page 71 for order form. Many more items available online at www.henaturist.net/shop
H&E SHOP
Books Wild Swimming Spain Discover more than 150 magical places to swim and explore in Spain. With stunning photography, this book reveals the best crystal mountain lakes, secluded lakeside beaches, and turquoise pools hidden deep in waterfall-filled gorges. With recommendations for places to camp and eat, this is all you need to take you off the beaten track.
Code BKSWSS Price £11.99
Code BKSWGSE Price £10.99 Wild Swimming Walks
This is the extended 2014 edition of Wild Swimming Coast. Daniel Start charts Britain’s most beautiful secret beaches, describing the best places to swim, walk and explore. Includes 50 new locations and directions to over 400 magical spots, with suggestions for good pubs and campsites, plus difficulty ratings and safety guidelines.
Join the famous swimming ladies of Hampstead on their favourite country walks – all accessible by train – across southern and eastern England. With walks from a few miles to a full day out, this book is ideal for naturists, families and the more serious adventurer too. With original illustrations and scenic photographs, plus detailed instructions, maps and intriguing anecdotes.
Code BKSHB Price £11.99
Code BKSWSW Price £10.49
Wild Swimming
Wild Swimming Italy
The best-selling photo guide has been now fully revised and expanded to include 150 new amazing wild swimming locations (almost 400 in total), brand new coverage in the South-East and the Midlands, new information for kids and families, new ideas for pubs, campsites, boat trips and weekends, plus new ratings on safety and access.
The Wild Swimming series travels to Italy to explore freshwater lakes, river beaches and lagoons. Perfect for family explorers or romantic adventurers, this stunning travel book combines beautiful photography with practical information including maps, directions, grid references and walk-in times. There are also recommendations for canoe trips, campsites and tavernas.
Code BKSWS
Code BKSWSI Price £11.99
Price £9.99
Many people may be surprised to discover that hiking naked in public spaces is fully legal and actively supported in many countries. Richard Foley’s book brings together some of the best writers on the subject, including Stephen Gough (the Naked Rambler), Stuart Pitsligo (author of Naturist, Red in Tooth and Claw), and many others. Including more than 80 full-colour photographs.
Code BKSHIKE
Price £19.99
Wild Guide: Devon, Cornwall and the South West This compendium of adventures features the best wild places to visit in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, including the best secret beaches and wild swimming locations, amazing ancient woodlands and wildlife spectacles, and even treehouses, gypsy caravans, yurts and traditional pubs.
Code BKSWG Price £9.99
Charlie’s Angels – Naturally
World Naked Bike Ride
This highly acclaimed and lavishly illustrated book records, in words and pictures, regular H&E photographer Charlie Simonds’ stories of working with 20 stunning ladies who have starred around the world in his 68 Parafotos films.
The WNBR is a global protest against oil dependency and urban pollution, promoting greater cycling safety, and encouraging body freedom. This book visually describes the event, its history, those who take part, and the motivations behind this very public demonstration. Including 250 photographs and images. Written and compiled by Richard Foley.
Code BKSCAN
Code BKSWNBR
Price £15.99
Price £19.99
Bare Britain
Wild and Free
This is a beautiful guide to Britain’s best places for baring all, with more than 50 beaches and 100 naturist clubs described. On a region-by-region basis, it highlights tranquil locations both on the coast and inland, and is packed with useful advice including travel directions.
This is legendary H&E photographer Charlie Simonds’ tribute to one of his ‘Angels’, Suze, with more than 150 pages of stunning images featuring naturist venues in the UK and abroad, and many more fascinating locations and unusual settings. With introductions by Charlie, Suze and H&E editor Sam. Naturist and artnude photography at its very best.
Code BKSBB
Code BKSSUZE
Price £14.95
Swimming with Frogs Robert Cooper had an idyllic life as a resident at a UK naturist club, so why, aged 50, did he give it all up and move to an old farmhouse in France? He and his wife went in search of a better life, but were they ready for the challenge? Would they get over the disappointment when they realised who their true friends were? Featured in H&E May 2014.
Code BKSFROGS Price £7.99
H&E
This naturist-friendly new compendium features more than 1,000 hidden places to visit, including ideas for slow food and wilder accommodation. From the wild swimming rivers, secret beaches and lost ruins of Norfolk and Suffolk, to the ancient woods, meadows and orchards of Kent and Sussex. Includes the New Forest and Isle of Wight.
Wild Swimming Hidden Beaches
Naked Hiking
68
Wild Guide: Southern and Eastern England
JULY 2016
Price £19.55
The World’s Best Nude Beaches and Resorts An enticing look at nude beaches in in 50 countries across Europe, the Americas and Australasia, with an emphasis on quality destinations within easy reach of the average traveller.
Code BKS0083
Price £14.95
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H&E SHOP
Books The Naked Truth About Cap d’Agde
The Naked Truth About Hedonism II
This 192-page book (with 16 pages of colour photos) tells you why – and how – to make the most of a holiday to this famous ‘naked city’, which attracts 300,000 naturists and libertines each summer.
A totally unauthorised, naughty-but-nice guide to Jamaica’s adult resort. Learn why Hedonism II has a 90% repeat guest rate – even though the facilities may be tired, and the food mediocre...
Code BKSCAP
Code BKSHEDO2
Price £15
Body Freedom Day
Price £15
Strange Days Indeed
This book’s premise is everyone is a nudist at heart. A brief history of nudism, naturism, dress and trends segues into a fantasy of an annual running event which triggers a quantum leap in social nudity and body acceptance. Paperback, signed by the author, Stuart Ward.
Imagine a world at peace. Harmony and respect for all living things. All-natural diet. And... the freedom to go naked! This visionary-fantasy novel paints such a picture – with a twist. Paperback novel, signed by author Stuart Ward.
Code BKS0068 Price £14.95
Code BKS0067 Price £14.95
Back issues November 1997
December 1998
Featuring: A nude way of life in Kent, Devon and Brittany; naked secrets for a fit body; Cap d’Agde – the ultimate naked holiday? A sixpage special; medicine gardening – natural healing; and more. Edited by Helen Ludbrook.
Featuring Greece, Corsica and Cornwall; Vera Playa TV special; stripping off in winter; naked Christmas gifts; horoscopes Christmas special; and more. Edited by Helen Ludbrook.
Code HENOV1997 Price £7.99
Code HEDEC1998 Price £7.99
January 2000
June 2001
Featuring nude skydiving, naturists and water, naturism on the internet, and Future 2000 – six views on the past, present and future of naturism. Edited by Mark Nisbet.
Featuring: The ‘sex on the beach’ debate; Expanding Naturism in the USA; Naked New York; Mexico Magic; the 2001 Grand Naturist Tour; Colonial Cover-up; and much more. Edited by Mark Nisbet.
Code HEJUN2001 Price £5.50
Code HEJAN2000 Price £5.50 H&E-February-2013:Layout 1 08/01/2013 14:02 Page 1
November 2008
naked lifestyle l naked travel l naked health
Screen milestones: landmark naked exposés February 2013 £3.95
Featuring: Melanie Investigates; the Croatian resort of Koktebel; a visit to Millbank; clothingoptional beaches in Canada; and ideas for winter sun. Edited by Sam Hawcroft.
Code HENOV2008 Price £3.95
GRAN CANARIA: OPEN FOR NATURISM CLOVER SPA: A HAVEN FROM WINTER STORMS
iconic
ANDALUSIA PLUS: What’s On, news, views and reviews
February 2013 Featuring: Andalusia – the ‘real Spain’; Gran Canaria; how TV publicity has affected Clover Spa; the most significant naked screen milestones; Where are the Naturist Hotels?; and more. Edited by Sam Hawcroft.
Code HEFEB2013 Price £3.95
H&E magazine binders These English-made ‘Cordex’ binders are a great way to store your H&E magazine collection with pride. They come with securely fastened cords to hold all your magazines in place. With a rounded spine featuring the H&E logo in gold, these attractive red binders give the appearance of a bound book, and allow for easy insertion of magazines by opening them to around the centre pages and slotting them underneath the cord.
Code HEBIND Price £9.99
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H&E SHOP
See page 71 for order form. Many more items available online at www.henaturist.net/shop
International magazines TAN 69
TAN 68
The Australian Naturist Magazine, number 69. Featuring: Queensland push for nude beach; DIY Summer Solstice; Bali unseen; Fiji nude cruise; Birdie beach solidarity; Byron Bay WNBR; and more. Published in winter 2015-16, and imported directly from Australia.
The Australian Naturist Magazine, number 68. Featuring: Mass skinny-dip in Hobart; Seclude rainforest retreat; World Naked Bike Ride in Melbourne; naked golf; and much more. Published in autumn 2015, and imported directly from Australia.
Code TAN69 Price £7.50
Code TAN68 Price £7.50
gonatural 236
TAN 67
The official magazine of the New Zealand naturist federation, published in March 2016. This issue includes: Sarah and Keith’s naked odyssey; media’s naked obsession; decline of nudity in clubs; Nude Golf International; Auckland’s Oranui games; and more. Imported from New Zealand.
The Australian Naturist Magazine, number 67. Featuring: Flying the Flag at Kiata; A-Bay Beach Carnival; Streak the Cove Run; Samurai Beach Run; Sydney Confest; and much more. Published in summer 2015, and imported directly from Australia.
Code GONAT236 Price £7.50
Code TAN67 Price £7.50
gonatural 235
gonatural 234
The official magazine of the New Zealand naturist federation, published in December 2015. This issue includes: Facebook and nudity; the future of rallies; Paul Henry talks nude; breastfeeding naturally; Women’s Renew weekend. Imported directly from New Zealand.
The official magazine of the New Zealand naturist federation, published in September 2015. This issue includes: Anniversary Climbing Wall at Vantan; Nude Golf in Wairau Valley; Life Drawing at Oranui; Is Going Naked the New Black?; and much more. Imported directly from New Zealand.
Code GONAT235 Price £7.50
Code GONAT234 Price £7.50
gonatural 233
gonatural 232
The official magazine of the New Zealand naturist federation, published in June 2015. This issue includes: 35th World Congress of Naturism; Pineglades Rocks; World Naked Bike Ride; A Day at Rotota; Nude Adventure in Marlborough; and much more. Imported directly from New Zealand.
The official magazine of the New Zealand naturist federation, published in March 2015. This issue includes: Through a Teenager’s Eyes; Passing of a Naturist Icon; Rapere Film Festival; Sunny Days in Hawkes Bay; and much more. Imported directly from New Zealand.
Code GONAT233 Price £7.50
Code GONAT232 Price £7.50
gonatural 231
gonatural 230
The official magazine of the New Zealand naturist federation, published in December 2014. This issue includes: Croatia Naturally; The only naturist club in NZ with a gym; Rotorua and surrounds; INF Congress 2014 report; European Vacation; and more…
The official magazine of the New Zealand naturist federation, published in September 2014. This issue includes: INF Congress 2016 - bid update; Nudefest 2014; Nude Golf International; Polar Plunge; A Tribute to Joyce Fleming; and much more...
Code GONAT231 Price £7.50
Code GONAT230 Price £7.50
gonatural 229
Going Natural Fall 2015
The official magazine of the New Zealand naturist federation, published in June 2014. This issue includes: Nude adventure in Marlborough; Hash House Harriers visit Te Maura; NUDVAN Mystery Safari; Naked Overlanders Deep South Trek – and much more…
Quarterly naturist magazine published by the Federation of Canadian Naturists and imported directly from Canada.This issue features: life drawing from an early age; a successful 2015 festival in Quebec; losing a great defender of naturist values; yoga on the high seas; and more. In French and English.
Code GONAT229 Price £7.50
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Code GNFALL2015 Price £7.99
Going Natural Spring 2015
Going Natural Winter 2013-14
Quarterly naturist magazine published by the Federation of Canadian Naturists and imported directly from Canada.This issue features: 25 years of naked cruising; nude art nude; getting nudists to speak with one voice; go natural in New Zealand; and more. In French and English.
Published quarterly by the Federation of Canadian Naturists. Includes: INF 60th anniversary; the sarong – “destroyer of naturist worlds”; Une Expo à Paris; and more. In French and English.
Code GNSPR2015 Price £7.99
Code GNWIN2013 Price £7.99
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H&E SHOP
Merchandise H&E tea towels
Code 2TOWEL
These 100% premium cotton hemmed tea towels should appeal to lovers of naturist nostalgia! One design features a facsimile of the October 1935 cover of Health & Efficiency, while the other design features a selection of adverts from magazines of the wartime era. Large-size, approx 79x51cm.
Code 1TOWEL
Price each £7.99 – or £15 for both: Code TOWELOFFER
1934 nostalgia mug Featuring the cover image from Health & Efficiency, May 1934, and on the other side, one of the adverts from the magazine. Dishwasher-safe.
Code 1934MUG Price £6.99
H&E white bucket hat Keep a cool head with this allpurpose hat, made from 100% brushed cotton twill and featuring the H&E logo. One size M/L, 57cm headband.
Code HEHAT Price £9.99
1949 nostalgia mug
Nostalgia mouse mat
Featuring the cover image from Health & Efficiency, March 1949, as well as two adverts from the magazine. Dishwasher-safe.
Featuring various covers, images and ads from 1940s Health & Efficiency. Soft fabric mat with foam backing.
Code 1949MUG Price £6.99
Code MMAT1 Price £5.99
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2. I enclose a cheque/postal order for £____________ made payable to HAWK EDITORIAL LTD. Overseas customers who are unable to pay in GBP drawn on a UK bank are advised to pay by credit card. Otherwise, please add £7 to the order total to cover bank conversion charges.
Send your order form to: H&E naturist, Hawk Editorial Ltd, PO Box 545, Hull HU9 9JF or call 01482 342000
IF OUTSIDE UK, PLEASE NOTE POSTAGE BEFORE YOU SEND YOUR ORDER! POST IS FREE IN UK Europe: orders £10 and under, £1.50; orders over £11, add £3 n ROW: orders £10 and under add £3; orders over £11 add £6 You are welcome to scan or photocopy this order form, or continue on a separate page
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LADIES, GENTS & COUPLES are most welcome, and why not try our fantastic COUPLES MASSAGE TEL Judy: 07818 471490
HAWAIIAN MASSAGE M1 J28 Deeply relaxing Lomi Lomi/No Hands massage offered by mature male. Very experienced. Shower and parking available. Inside/outside. NG17 area. Call David 0795 2800 218. KENT MASSAGE Sensual, Relaxing, Whole body experience – massage by skilled ITEC qualified mature therapist for over-40s. In-calls/Visiting 7 days a week. Also tuition – learn to massage, from pleasure to professional. M/F/ Couples. Close M20/M2. www.massage. gb.com 01622 884730. No withheld numbers or texts.
HOLISTIC HANDS NATURIST MASSAGE From the sublime full-body aromatherapy massage to a true tantric experience. Two/four-hand available in secluded countryside location in South Staffordshire. 07469 752843 Sakso2015@hotmail.com
ALEXA, OF WEST LONDON (early 60s) offers physically pleasing massage. Wine buffs welcome. Inquiries by text only please to 07984 551 409. LOUISE ATTRACTIVE CARING masseuse for the over-50s offers 1.5-hours sensual, soothing, relaxing massage in her private home set in peaceful location. Ascot 01344 297051. SENSUOUS LADY AVAILABLE for sensational massage. Available to pamper you day or evenings. Bucks area. M40 Junction 4/5. 07970 507925 HEAVEN ON EARTH Qualified therapist. Therapeutic massage for relaxation and stress relief. Ladies and gentlemen welcome. 07940 820 725. Herts area, J25 off M25. GUILDFORD, SURREY Professional, experienced, elegant, mature masseuse. Light, firm, sensual and very nurturing massage. Safe, easy parking in quiet, rural location. Valerie 07582 449290. BURTON-ON-TRENT A38 Mature lady and lady friend offer 2 & 4 hand massages in a naturist environment. 07528 406113. No withheld numbers. HEATHROW NATURIST MASSAGE Full-body sensual massage by ITECqualified professional. Just mins from Heathrow and M25 J13. Shower facilities and secure off-street parking. Call Gavin on 07796 035317 any time to book.
DONCASTER, MALE THERAPIST
offering mini-hamam, naturist and tantric massage for men, women and couples. Training also available for singles and couples. Four-hand massage by arrangement with a female colleague. www.naturist-massageuk.com
or text/call 07780 772928.
INDIAN LADY OFFERS Sensual and relaxing naturist massage and waxing available for men and women. Set in peaceful surroundings, fully qualified and experienced. Shower facilities available. Call 01827 251 995 NWN. Based in West Midlands.
NATURIST MASSAGE Qualified experienced lady masseuse working at home. Stress-calming and muscle relaxing for total relaxation. Reiki and Indian head massage.
Tel: 07976 906 260 North Doncaster. No withheld numbers.
www.theholisticwellness.co.uk SENSUAL VELVET –
Massage for ladies and gents by Knightsbridge-trained beauty therapist. 25 years’ experience. Dorking. Tel: 07946 076 486. No texts. LUXURIATE Mature English (fully qualified) lady offers sensual massage. West London, Zone 1. Please call Vanessa on 07754 745438 for details.
GYM-FIT MALE NATURIST MASSEUR
offers relaxing massage for men in a private rural location South Lincs/ Peterborough area. Call 07847 787 171 – no withheld numbers please.
MALE MASSEUR FOR MEN NEAR M1-J23, LEICS Whether you wish to relax or re-energise, each massage is uniquely tailored to your requirements. Open to males regardless of age or orientation. For a friendly and attentive service, do not hesitate to call or text for an appointment. Qualified and insured. Showering facilities available. 9am till late, 7 days.
07780 161672
LIVERPOOL CITY CENTRE Male naturist massage. Fully qualified in deep tissue, Swedish massage. Experience the wonderfulness of being at one with nature, in my luxurious apartment. Shower and parking available. 07468 604306
LOUISE OFFERS sensual and relaxing naturist
massage for men and women. Waxing and other beauty treatments available. Fully qualified and experienced. Shower facilities available. Based in West Midlands. Call 07947 152 157. No withheld numbers.
SENSUAL MASSAGE SOUTH YORKSHIRE Doncaster-based 49-year-old professional male offering a combination of styles (relaxing, sensual and tantric) to females and couples. Each session can be tailored to the length of time or style desired. Phone Karl
07583 181 446 RELAX AND UNWIND Five-star massage in luxury surroundings. Attractive, sophisticated female masseuse gives high-class sensual/ professional massage. Rural location, ample parking. Discreet. J9 M1. Call Amanda
07881 921814
ESHER – NORTH SURREY – KINGSTON AREA
Zensation
Mature experienced male offers an enticing range of naturist massage experiences for ladies, gentlemen and couples to enjoy either in my discreet Reigate therapy room or at your home/hotel within Surrey, Sussex and W Kent. Call or text today on 07880 992311 or visit
www.1zensation.co.uk
www.tranquilitymassage.co.uk
LOVELY BLONDE ENGLISH LADY offers relaxing, soothing pampering massage. Peaceful, easy to find private house in upmarket area. Free parking. Fully qualified and experienced. Based in Worthing, Sussex. BN14. 10.30am – 7.30pm. Call
07511 681931
Relaxing sensual naturist full-body massage offered by attractive mature professionally qualified and insured holistic therapist for men, women or couples (also available: fourhanded with my husband). Comfortable private location, safe parking and shower facilities. Visit our website at: www.qandatherapies.co.uk or call Yvonne on 07515 262907. No withheld numbers please.
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CLASSIFIED ADS Massage
ATTENTIVE MASSAGE
MY SPECIAL TOUCH MASSAGE
Relaxations Ipswich
Lovely lady offering: firm/medium touch - Sexy light fingertips
I offer an enticing range of sensuous massage therapies, including naturist massage
07903 169301
(texts preferred prior to conversation)
www.soulcontact.co.uk
therapist@soulcontact.co.uk For the discerning gentleman who requires the “special touch”. Tranquil surroundings with two experienced ladies. Monday-Friday 10am-8pm
01473 270120
M25 Brentwood, Essex J28 and Colchester CO2 area Calm, clean, friendly environment
07415 123923
I look forward to healing you!
CENTRAL NORFOLK (Close to NORWICH) No withheld numbers or texts
SOUTH YORKSHIRE PROMASSAGE
Naturist and tantric a speciality Mature, slim, blonde, fully qualified female masseuse invites you to relax in peaceful, tranquil surroundings while indulging in a sublime sensual massage of your choice. Choose from a range of sensual naturist tantric massages. Also a full range of holistic treatments and body waxing available.
www.promassage.me.uk 0871 234 2587 (No withheld numbers)
07928 251453 Location – A1, Junction 38, near Doncaster
SECRET SERVICE for bi and gay men all ages welcome (over 18)
I’ve short brown spiky hair, eyes of blue I’m here to please and tantalise you Visit my little place, it’s clean and cosy Discreet and comfortable, no-one’s nosy
10.30am-9pm Erotic sensual naturist massage
07769 180 569 / 01252 546 536
Farnborough M3, J4 (no texts or withheld numbers)
Call John for further details: 07891 036285 Please NO TEXTS OR WITHHELD NUMBERS.
ebonynaturistmassage.co.uk
Sensual masseuse Ashley: I am black (British but of Caribbean origin), offering naturist massage. I have gorgeous ebony skin, I am 27 years old, tall (5ft 9ins) with brown eyes and long black hair. I am blessed with (natural) breasts, curves in all the right places and no piercings or tattoos. I have lots of massage training and experience and I mix this with my natural sexy persona to offer a sensual experience. Fully insured.
Call any time
NORWICH
** Recruiting female therapists **
Qualified naturist masseuse Mature, slim, attractive 32DD Surrey M25, J7/8: Peaceful, private, plush surroundings. Off-road parking, relaxing & luxurious. Outcall (hotel) visit sometimes available: Kent, Surrey, Sussex.
Be fully pampered Call 07593 725130
Accountancy ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE ACCOUNTING Tax and accounts advice Free initial consultation Absolute discretion assured ALS Accounting
07541 673750
Photography IN SUPPORT of a wider diversity of quality photography in H&E naturist – patrickphotos.co.uk
NUDE CLEANING SERVICES FOR NATURISTS
SWINDON AREA
07582 916 270
Trantralise Massage
MALE MASSEUR FOR MEN
079 841 98769
Luxury naturist massage by warm, friendly, well-spoken African lady therapist. Guiltfree pleasure and sensual erotic tantric massage that can be adapted to your requirements
Call Alice: 07539 624346
Cleaning
GTR MANCHESTER/LANCS Sensual and relaxing naturist massage for MEN only. Body shaving and Reiki also available First timers welcome Daytime and evening appointments Jim 07580 290 732 No withheld numbers please.
(NOTTINGHAM)
Attractive qualified therapist offers a naturist full-body sensual massage for men and women. Other treatments: Aromatherapy oils, Swedish, Indian head, Thai foot; shower and sauna facilities in a clean and tranquil atmosphere.
For bookings please call before 12 noon if possible. Please leave a number with a voicemail message.
My name is Eva (Black Beauty), an attractive, eloquent, happy and clean masseuse offering naturist discreet unique sensual erotic HOT-OIL massage. Your time with me will be intoxicating and memorable. I am 32, genuine size 12. I stand at 5ft 7in. Visit me, you won’t regret it. Touch of class massage.
MISS NATURIST
www.henaturist.net
Qualified male masseur, early 50s, offers full range of naturist massage experience to discerning male/m/f curious types in nice relaxing/friendly environment. I’m 20 mins from Stoke-on-Trent, off A50/A500, in quiet rural surroundings.
07905 141856 – Leeds
BEST NATURIST
North London/Herts
STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS MASSAGE
GENTLEMAN JACKS is the alternative naturist massage for the more discerning gentleman or couple. Mature English lady in private home. Foot, hand and shoulder massage while you relax in the bath with a glass of wine. This is followed with a fullbody Swedish, deep tissue or sensual massage. Relaxing, stress-free and healthy fun service. Please call Emma for more options and details. Appointment times from noon until 8pm, Mon-Sun for in-calls. Mobile massage available to hotels within the Leeds area.
PURRRFECT NATURIST MASSAGE Enjoy a relaxing, sensual/tantric full-body naturist massage by a fully qualified female therapist. Private and discreet home environment. Intimate shaving also offered. Male, female and couples welcome. Shower facilities and parking available. Please call or text Mon, Tue, Wed & Thurs, between 9am-5pm. (No withheld numbers)
A truly unique experience with an attractive, understanding female therapist, in a warm, safe and secure environment All appointments tailor-made to suit individual requirements Massage training available
NATURIST MASSAGE & SPA
Call 07874 326426 or visit www.ashleys-massage.co.uk
Naturist Cleaners is a professional cleaning company and offer cleaning services to all naturists or everyone who wants to relax, have a different experience and watch their home being cleaned by one of our friendly naturist cleaners. We cover most areas in Gtr London, Kent, Oxon, Sussex and Surrey.
Recruiting female staff
07507 622981 www.naturistcleaners.co.uk info@naturistcleaners.co.uk
Shaving
Bikini Line
Mobile bikini/Brazilian/Hollywood shaving service. A one-off shave before your holiday or regular trims. Daytime and evening appointments. Call/text James any time to check availability. Also leg and armpit shaves for those unable to shave themselves due to illness or disability. Introductory offer: first appointment half-price.
James 07837 105339 email: imjames@therapist.net
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PERSONAL ADS
Now only
LOOKING FOR NATURIST FRIENDS OR RELATIONSHIPS? SUBMIT YOUR PERSONAL AD TO H&E!
STROKE VICTIM requires naturist girlfriend with vehicle and towbar to transport all-terrain mobility vehicle to agricultural events and natural festivals. I’m looking for a girl who would not mind being treated with kindness and respect. 07522 426 583. SENIOR, LATE 70s GENT, smooth-shaven naturist, seeks similar-minded male or female to form friendship. Interests include naturist holidays/massage/ travel/dining out. I can offer accommodation. I am resident in the north-west of England. No timewasters please. Email ron466@mail.com GENUINE NATURIST MALE, 51, seeks males, females or couples for naturist hikes, beach walks and friendship. Any age. West of Ireland. Contact +353 (0)87 931 8724 MALE, 58, GENUINE NATURIST, 5ft 5in, slim, very fit, would like to meet petite lady, 45-55, for companionship. I like travel, music, pubs, eating out, keeping fit. Will travel/accommodate. Member of BN, based in Northumberland. Contact David on 07946 174091. COME NUDE SAILING (FREE) through the Great Glen from INVERNESS aboard Naturist Photographer Doug’s 36ft yacht (Jul/Aug). Mature, tactile, fun-loving. Ladies/couples welcome. (Own ensuite cabin.) TEXT 07788 828949, email ketchfalcon70@yahoo.com (PHOTOS EXCHANGED) Thank you. NATURIST FIT MALE, 55, looking for a retired person who needs companionship, help, or to share a blanket on the beach or garden. Southampton and surrounding area. 07922 723946 or paul.carer@ yahoo.com. STRAIGHT MALE, 61, friendly, easygoing, seeks female/couple for friendship/playmates. Likes massage, DIY, indoor/outdoor adult fun. I’m discreet, fit, clean, can travel or accommodate. Contact Gerry 07787 941 618. TALL, SLIM, SINGLE MALE, late 60s, seeking nudist friends – male/ female – near Yorkshire coast, for meetups, beach, inland, home or with secluded garden or nude picnics on the moors. Please reply, text or evening call to 07532 068025.
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£10 HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR AD: Visit www.henaturist. net/personals and fill out the form. You will then be taken straight to PayPal to make payment. Alternatively, use the form below. All ads are subject to moderation, and should appear online within 48 working hours of successful payment, and be entered into the next print magazine. They will remain on the internet until after the relevant print issue has been taken off sale (so about 4-6 weeks online depending on when you book). Advertisers and respondents MUST be genuine and courteous, and no adverts of an offensive or overtly sexual nature will be allowed. Please also note this page is for personal ads (e.g. people seeking friendship or relationships) only – ads offering massage (paid or otherwise), business ads, or people providing any paid services to customers, will not be allowed. Refunds will be issued for rejected ads. DISCLAIMER: H&E is not responsible for any matters arising from placing adverts – you place them at your own risk, and you contact/meet people at your own risk. Please do NOT phone H&E complaining about timewasters. We will also NOT enter into any personal disputes which may arise as a result of placing or responding to an ad.
All personal ads now cost just
£10 (including VAT)
for a month’s insertion into H&E. Please see the Media Pack for details of print deadlines (www. henaturist.net/mediapack/). I WOULD LIKE TO MEET a gentleman aged 75-83 years for friendship only. Cannot accommodate. May be local, Plymouth. No gays, please. I enjoy gardening, music and sunny weather. Please write to me at 8 Leanway, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 4SU.
DEADLINES The deadline for the August 2016 issue is July 4 at noon. Phone 01482 342000
PERSONAL ADS SUBMISSION FORM YOUR NAME: .......................................................................... YOUR ADDRESS: ................................................................... ................................................................................................... WRITE YOUR AD HERE (50 words max, continue on separate sheet if necessary) – don’t forget contact details!: .................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... ................................................................................................... o Tick if you would like a complimentary copy of H&E PAYMENT OPTIONS (tick one)
o Payment by credit/debit card I authorise you to charge my card account the total sum of £10 Signature................................................................................... Card no.
oooo oooo oooo oooo Valid from oo / oo Expiry date oo / oo Security code ooo
o Payment by cheque/postal order I enclose a cheque or postal order made payable to HAWK EDITORIAL LTD to the total value of £10. Post to: H&E Personals, Hawk Editorial Ltd, PO Box 545, Hull HU9 9JF.
www.henaturist.net
HOLIDAY GUIDE
SPAIN ALICANTE BED & BREAKFAST B&B £70 per room per night, including breakfast. S/C possible. Or 2 cabins £70 per night, including breakfast, no S/C. Email: magsandhodge@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: Maggie (0034) 662 049 021
www.alicantenudists.com
CARIBBEAN Skinny Dippers MALLORCA
A unique rural retreat for discerning naturists www.skinnydippersmallorca.com
FOR SALE
UK YORK B&B
WEST HIGHLAND Naturist guesthouse
**PRICE REDUCED**
Superior non-smoking accommodation in warm friendly naturist home 5 miles from city centre. Double bedroom with own bathroom and sitting room. Extensive naturist garden.
Holiday let, camping, caravan Double/single/twin rooms available Contact us via www.westhighlandretreat.co.uk or phone 01687 470404 (No withheld numbers)
Contact: Duncan and Hilary
07982 741952
(No withheld numbers)
YOUR AD COULD BE HERE!
All ads paid for in the magazine go on www.henaturist.net at no extra cost
Call 01482 342000 or book online at www. henaturist.net/holaccom
PORTUGAL
IMMACULATE 1-bedroom cabin for sale at Croft Country Club. The cabin has a fully fitted kitchen, shower and toilet, plenty of storage, heated towel rail, large decking front and rear. Ideal location. Fully furnished. Offers around £19,000. Will consider any sensible offer. Further information contact
07919 620398
USA
3 DATES, 2 VENUES – 1 HELLOVA HOLIDAY! Holidays with a difference for couples at Portugal’s most luxurious naturist venue – Cabana Del Sol, where great hospitality and quality are the norm
Conscious Connection breaks for individuals in a typical Portuguese retreat centre
Nurture in nature – learn the art of sensual massage – meditation & yoga – living tantra
www.cabanadelsolpt.com
www.living-tantra-retreats.com
www.bookyogaretreats.com/tantrapure-international
www.henaturist.net
JULY 2016
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
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WHAT’S ON 23-26 25 25 25 25 26-3
JUNE Jazz and real ale festival, Naturist Foundation, Kent. Picnic in the Park, Croft Country Club. Chelmsford WNBR. Scarborough WNBR. Firth of Forth boat trip (BN SANER region event). Newperran Naturel 2016, Newperran Holiday Park, Cornwall.
16 17 17
22-31
22 23 23 29-31
3 5
HIGHLIGHT: Ryedale Naturist Club at Helmsley Walled Gardens, July 9 5-7 2 2 2 3 4 5-11
9 11
JULY Folkestone WNBR. Worthing WNBR. Newcastle/Gateshead WNBR. “Bare if you Dare” fun run/walk, Tything Barn. Exeter WNBR. Nudefest 2016, Thorney Lakes Camping and Caravan Park, Langport, Somerset. Ryedale Naturist Club event at Helmsley Walled Gardens. Naturist afternoon, Charleston Farmhouse, East Sussex.
www.henaturist.net
11 12-14 19
Colchester WNBR. Clothing-optional day, Abbey House Gardens. Little Orchard, Slad, Gloucestershire, open garden. Mee(h)r Erleben, naturist festival, FKK Camping Ostsee Rosenfelder, Germany. Torbay Sun Club nude cruise. 70s & 80s theme night, Croft Country Club. Clacton WNBR. Party in the Stark, Naturist Foundation. AUGUST Houghton Lodge garden visit, Hampshire. Clothing-optional day, Abbey House Gardens. Summer camping weekend, Oskada Park, Sherburn, North Yorkshire. Streak for Tigers, ZSL London Zoo. Solos weekend at Liverpool Sun & Air. Bare All For Polar Bears,
19-20 19-29
16-18 17 17-24 24-25 25 25
HIGHLIGHT: Couples weekend, Clover Spa, September 24-25 21 26-29 27
27 28 28
2-4 3 4 11
HIGHLIGHT: Bare All For Polar Bears, August 19
Yorkshire Wildlife Park. RAW 48 SANERs summer camp, Marthrown of Mabie, Dumfries. Billy’s Family Activity Week, Naturist Foundation.
16-24
Little Orchard, Slad, Gloucestershire, open garden. Kids’ Camp Weekend, Avonvale Sun Club. Toga theme night, with hog roast, talent show and disco, Croft Country Club. Splashdown swim, Dorset. Studland Beach Day. Vintage tea party, Tything Barn, Pembrokeshire. SEPTEMBER Great British Skinny Dip, across the UK. BN WaterWorld Swim, Stoke-on-Trent. Clothing-optional day, Abbey House Gardens. Little Orchard, Slad, Gloucestershire, open garden. EuNat/INF South European Event, El Portús.
14-16 22-23 29
5-12 18-20 16-20 26-27
Diogenes Boule Open. Fast Rabbit Farm, Devon, open garden. BN members’ holiday to Naturplaya, Mallorca. Couples-only weekend, Clover Spa, Birmingham. North East Skinny Dip, Druridge Bay, Northumberland. Naturist Foundation BH5k Run. OCTOBER BN NatConv and AGM. Couples-only weekend, Clover Spa, Birmingham. Halloween Party, Clover Spa, Birmingham. NOVEMBER BN members’ holiday to Charco del Palo. BN Alton Towers weekend. 35th World Congress of Naturism, Te Marua, Wellington, New Zealand. Couples-only weekend, Clover Spa, Birmingham.
Get in touch!
8
If you would like your event listing here, email listings@henaturist.net
PLEASE NOTE: Although every effort is made to ensure information is accurate when going to press, H&E cannot guarantee entry to any of the events above, and any changes or cancellations are beyond our control. Always contact the venue before travelling.
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CONTACTS/PUZZLES © All authors and photographers retain individual copyright; all other content copyright Hawk Editorial Ltd. Please can any unacknowledged copyright holders get in touch. The opinions of individual writers are their own, and not of the publisher or editor. No part of this publication can be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher. Managing editor Sam Hawcroft ( 01482 342000 @ editor@henaturist.net Postal subscriptions ( 01778 395173 @ hande@warnersgroup. co.uk
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CROSSWORD
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Distributor Comag ( 01895 433777
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Advertisers’ Index Carbeil Naturist Park ............................................31 Clover Spa ..................................................................80 Croft Country Club .................................................. 9 Eagle Peak.................................................................... 9 El Portús .....................................................................39 Gran Hotel Natura .................................................25 Nudism Lifestyle .....................................................27 Naturist Foundation Party in the Stark .........21 NuNude ......................................................................47 NUSA SUN .................................................................65 Oböna ..........................................................................35 Parafotos ....................................................................41 Sea Mountain Inn ..................................................75 Silverleigh ..................................................................67 Southleigh Manor...................................................77 Spielplatz ...................................................................67
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Turbulence, disorder (8) Fiona Ashley had lunch with them, as she reports in her diary this month (6) El ......, Spanish resort visited by editor Sam this month (6) The most (7) This country is rated zero in this month’s Nude Atlas (5) Hideous, not good-looking (4) Mode of public transport (3) Fish (3) Vanity ...., popular culture and fashion magazine (4) Surpass (5) Injured (7) Deprive of food (6) Scottish town where British Naturism’s The Gathering was held in May (6) Talking (8)
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This device has come a long way since Alexander Graham Bell first patented it in 1876 (5) Graduate (7) She accompanied Sam and Charlie to 8 Across, as reported this month (4) Mythical female sea creature (7) Large broad-brimmed straw hat (8) The world’s fastest steam locomotive (7) Changed colour with age, especially paper (8) Begin the ......., popular song by Cole Porter (7) Country visited by Fiona Ashley in her latest diary instalment this month (7) County which is the focus of Wild Things Publishing’s latest walks guidebook (5) Ages (4)
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IN THE PICTURE Lisa
by Ian Roberts Visit us online for subscriptions, shop and more – www.henaturist.net www.henaturist.net
XXXXX 2013 H&E JULY 2016 H&E 7979
CHEEKY
NATURIST SUMMER BREAKS. Meet new people and make good friends. ULTIMATE BLISS SO CLOSE TO HOME...
LET THE SUN
touch YOUR NAKED BODY IN OUR CHARMING SECLUDED GARDEN. FEEL THE WARMTH OF OUR NATURIST SPA SINK
ENJOY THE SENSUAL LONG free GO AND
deep INTO YOUR BARE SKIN.
flowing STROKES OF A TOTALLY NAKED MASSAGE.
Lose yourself FOR THE DAY OR STAY IN LUXURY FOR A WHILE.
SPA DAYS FROM £39 PER PERSON OR £69 PER COUPLE. 2 NIGHT SUMMER BREAKS FROM £160-£280 PER COUPLE. *SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY.
Book your naturist summer break now on 0121 350 6836 cloverspa.co.uk 759 Chester Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 OBY Clover Spa & Hotel
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@cloverspa
Clover Spa & Hotel
LUXURY UNCOVERED
Visit us online for subscriptions, shop and more – www.henaturist.