Latest news with #BritishNaturism
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Naked cruise' coming to popular UK beach - with live music and bar
A one-of-a-kind cruise will set sail from Plymouth this week, where patrons can enjoy picturesque views, a glass of wine and lively entertainment... entirely in the buff. Naturists from across the region and beyond cast off on the city's first ever naked cruise on Friday, 13 June. The stately vessel departs The Barbican Landing Stage at around 4.45pm, whisking guests on three-hour-long voyage across the stunning Plymouth sound and along the peaceful River Lynher, before heading towards the quaint village of St. Germans. Along the way, passengers will enjoy views of Royal Navy ships moored along the River Tamar, all while taking in the evening sun. Organised by British Naturism's South West events coordinator Keith Bowman, the clothes-free cruise is the first of its kind in the area. Inspired by successful 'Naked Cruise' events held in the U.S., Bowman saw an opportunity to bring a special form of recreation to the South West coast. Speaking to Plymouth Live, he revealed he was taken aback by the enthusiasm he encountered after explaining his idea to the first boat hire business 'he could find' in Plymouth. He said: 'To my surprise, they jumped at the chance to provide a cruise around Plymouth Sound and along the local rivers. It's surprising how people become more interested when I mention the word "Naked."' In addition to breathtaking views, guests will be treated to an onboard experience complete with electric music and a fully licensed bar. Refreshments will be available for purchase via cash or card, meaning everyone can enjoy a drink or snack as they relax in their natural state. Boarding begins at 4.30pm, with the vessel expected to return around 7.45pm. Tickets are currently available at £25 for members of British Naturism and £30 for non-members. Bowman said: 'Organising the event has been a dream and the boat company couldn't have been more helpful. Tickets are selling steadily, and as normal with Naturist events, we expect a last-minute rush for tickets. Why not come and join us.' For those still unsure about whether to take the plunge, Bowman encourages curious adventurers to imagine a 'bright, sunny, warm evening with a glass of wine or cuppa in hand' watching the world go by as they navigate the waters 'NAKED!' Meanwhile, a keen traveler has shed light on what it is really like going on a nude cruise - with less luggage to pack being one of the major perks. Writing anonymously on Reddit the man, aged 67, invited other users to 'ask me anything' about the experience. He booked a cruise via the Texas-based travel company Bare Necessities, which has been operating clothing-optional ship charters since 1990. The unnamed man said he was on a 2,000 passenger Carnival cruise liner with his 61-year-old wife for a seven-day round trip from Tampa, Florida, with stops in Mexico and Honduras along the way. He reiterated to other Reddit users that the trip - his first ever nudist cruise - was 'not a swingers cruise or a sex positive environment' and 'this was a crowd with lots of nudist experience.' Explaining the ins and outs of nudist cruising, he revealed that the captain 'generally makes an announcement after exiting a port when clothes can be removed' and 'usually it's about thirty minutes.'
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Naked cruise setting sail from seaside beauty spot and bookings are open now
The three-hour-long nude cruise will set sail on Friday, June 13 A three-hour nudist cruise is set to embark from Plymouth next week. The unique voyage is scheduled to depart on Friday, June 13 for a tour around Plymouth Sound and up the River Lynher towards St Germans. The bare-skinned adventure will commence at The Barbican Landing Stage, where guests will embark upon the grand vessel. With the stunning views of Plymouth Sound as an initial vista, followed by the quintessentially English countryside along the River Lynher, the cruise promises an unforgettable experience. Participants will have the bonus of viewing the moored Royal Navy ships along the River Tamar during their journey. Adding to the enjoyment will be live electronic music and a fully licensed bar on the ship, where cruisers can buy drinks with cash or card. Keith Bowman, British Naturism's South West region events coordinator and the planner behind the Naked Cruise, spoke to Plymouth Live regarding the inception of the event: "The idea for a boat trip came from the successful 'Naked Cruises' held in the USA so I thought to myself, if they can do it then so can we.", reports Plymouth Live. When asked about the ease of organising such an unusual outing, Keith revealed: "I contacted the first boat hire business I could find in Plymouth and explained my idea. To my surprise, they jumped at the chance to provide a cruise around Plymouth Sound and along the local rivers. It's surprising how people become more interested when I mention the word 'Naked'." As of now, approximate times to board and depart have been shared, with exact times expected to be advised at a date closer to the nude voyage. Boarding for Plymouth's unique Naked Cruise is set to commence around 4:30pm, with the vessel slated to cast off at about 4:45 pm. Following a tranquil three-hour journey along the river, the boat is scheduled to return at 7:45pm. Keith, who has been at the helm of organising the event, remarked: "Organising the event has been a dream and the boat company couldn't have been more helpful. Tickets are selling steadily and as normal with Naturist events, we expect there to be a last minute rush for tickets. Why not come and join us." Tickets for this extraordinary Naked Cruise experience in Plymouth are available to British Naturism members for £25 each, while non-members can secure their spot for £30. To entice those contemplating the experience, Keith offers an enticing scenario: "Can you imagine it? It's a bright, sunny, warm evening. You have a glass of wine or cuppa in your hand. Snacks are available if you feel peckish. You're sitting back just watching the world go by as you cruise the waters NAKED! Does that sound good, or what?".
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bournemouth Writing Festival set to host first naked session
Aspiring writers are being urged to "strip off to get inspired", following in the footsteps of authors like Victor Hugo, Agatha Christie and Ian Writing Festival, which runs from 25 to 27 April, has announced it will be offering its first naked writing ticket-only event was organised in partnership with British Naturism and will take place on 23 April at Springbourne Director Dominic Wong said: "Obviously some people may be shy at first but once you're in the swing of it everyone wants to be involved." The writing festival will feature authors, TV and film screenwriters, journalists, editors, writing coaches and literary Wong said: "Whilst this session will be a first for the festival, naked writing certainly isn't new in literary circles. "Agatha Christie was said to be a huge fan, whilst Ernest Hemingway not only stripped, but also stood up naked to write."Indeed, when faced with writer's block the great Victor Hugo was said to have ordered his manservant to take all his clothes and leave him with only a pen and paper, so he would have nothing left to do except sit and write."Poet Jon Seagrave, who will be leading the workshop, said: "Delivering a workshop unclothed will also be a first for me, but sharing my love of writing and encouraging a new group of people to explore their writing is always a fantastic experience."Another plus point of course, is that I won't need to worry about what to wear."Andrew Welch from British Naturism said "social nudity" was on the rise in the UK."The number of nude events now available is wide-ranging, from hotel weekends to naked dining, and boat trips to museum visits, with hundreds of opportunities around the country," he added. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Telegraph
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Buttoned-up Britons are finally embracing the nudist beach
Last week naturists got their knickers in a twist – the ones wearing any, that is. A parish council erected a signpost that outlawed nudity at Cotton Beach near Lowestoft. 'Lewd behaviour will not be tolerated,' warned the parish prudes. It turns out the council ban was a storm in a D-cup. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, bathing in your birthday suit is a harmless and completely legal pursuit. Enjoying nature au naturel is growing in popularity too. British Naturism spokesman Andrew Welch puts 'the huge amount of acceptance today' down to a desire to celebrate real bodies in a digitally perfect world. 'Our assessment is that if more people got to know what a real human being looked like, there'd be fewer body confidence issues, which can even lead to suicide.' According to an Ipsos poll, around 39 per cent of Brits have enjoyed some form of public nudity. It helps that British Naturism has promoted the pastime without the strident willy-waving of some charities. The organisation invites all-comers to its naked rambles, bare-all boat trips and Nudefest, a week-long festival with music. In fact, this news story is a century old. In 1929 Charles Macaskie opened a nude resort in virgin Hertfordshire woodland as a leafy antidote to industrial London. Macaskie was inspired by German ideas of Freikörperkultur (which translates as 'free body culture'), a movement dedicated to outdoor wellness. He called his nudist utopia Spielplatz, which means 'Playground'. Spielplatz residents came for freedom, not politics. In the 1950s the resort attracted druids, Wiccans and vegetarians – free-thinkers in a buttoned-up post-war world. Today the club offers glamping breaks and even lunchtime swims for time-pressed nudists. 'Before the Victorians,' continues Welch, 'the concept of having a special set of clothing just to go and get it wet would have been as laughable as some people find being naked now.' Naturism's journey to acceptance has navigated choppy water. During the discontent of 1979, for example, Brighton councillor Eileen Jakes tabled a motion to reserve 200 yards of shingle for naked bathers in order to boost tourism. To prove the concept worked, Jakes passed around topless photos of herself taken in Ibiza. Fellow Brighton councillor John Blackman was having none of it. 'A flagrant exhibition of mammary glands,' Blackman thundered. 'What distresses me is that people naively believe what is good for the Continent is good for Britain.' In my experience as a naturist, the Continent has always had a rosy indifference to nudity. Textile-free beaches in the Balearics are Edens for all ages. In Germany, most thermal spas are nude. At bare-all campsites like Koversada in Croatia, happy campers perform aquarobics and windsurfing in the buff, as if they've simply forgotten to get dressed that morning. Accoutrements associated with naked bathing in Britain – knotted hankies, dirty postcards, Sid James – are anathema to our continental cousins. A handful of naturist destinations, like Cap d'Agde in the South of France, are swinger-orientated. You don't have to erect a tentpole to understand what goes on at the campsite. If you get caught in someone's gaze, while they suggestively fist-pump a Calippo, it can only mean one thing. By comparison British naturist beaches like St Osyth in Essex, with its tickle-your-cheeks sand, have an Adam and Eve innocence. Unless your OnlyFans preference is for middle-aged couples holding hands behind a windbreak, the scene is decidedly unsexy. Compare that to the widespread availability of pornography, which promotes body perfection and – in some cases – sexual violence. A windswept nude beach seems like a beacon of tolerance by contrast. Perhaps that's why the liberty of strolling starkers along the sand is appealing to a new generation. Like nudism pioneer Macaskie a century ago, swapping the confines of capitalism for the freedom of nature has evergreen appeal. 'There's something incredibly liberating about stripping away not just clothes,' agrees Estelle Keeber, a social media expert, 'but all the pressures and expectations that come with them.' Keeber is fairly new to naturism but has become a keen advocate. 'It's amazing how much body confidence and self-acceptance you gain when you start seeing yourself (and others) as just people, without all the filters.' When clothes are discarded, egos follow. Since starting her new Instagram account @nakedadventurewithme, Keeber found it 'eye-opening to connect with so many like-minded people'. She is excited about the Great British Skinny Dip, a series of wild swims organised by British Naturism and the British Heart Foundation. Keeber has found a sense of tribal belonging. Albeit within a tribe that seldom turns on their washing machine. For Brits, naturism quite simply means a return to nature – an opportunity to bathe, birdwatch or camp in the nude. In these straightened times, participants don't even need to buy a new bikini. Just a bottle of SPF 50.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Yahoo
Naturists' anger at council attempt to ban ‘lewd' naked sunbathing
A parish council has become embroiled in a row with naturists after trying to ban nude bathing on a local beach. Corton Beach, near Lowestoft in Suffolk, was designated for naturism in the 1970s and in 2009, it was decided non-nudist bathers could also make use of the area. It remains legal to use the beach with and without clothes, however the British Naturism organisation and the council have fallen out after it put up a sign insisting it was not a nudist beach. The sign reads: 'Warning, Corton Beach is not a naturist beach. Lewd behaviour will not be tolerated and may be recorded by CCTV and reported to the police. Causing an offence to others is a criminal offence and all cases will be reported for prosecution.' In response to the sign, Nigel Newman, organiser of the British Naturism eastern region, told The Sunday Times that it was 'inaccurate' to say Corton Beach was not designated for nude bathing. 'Corton parish council hasn't got the authority to state that because it's enshrined in national legislation that naturism is perfectly lawful.' He added that use of the word 'lewd' implied 'that naturism is lewd'. 'They are two completely separate and different things,' he said. 'It's not criminal – it's perfectly lawful.' In a blog post on the British Naturism website, Mr Newman added it was inaccurate to suggest it was a 'criminal offence' to 'cause offence'. 'If it were, the jails would be full of people charged with causing offence by their clothing, the colour of their hair or their mere existence,' he wrote. 'The law is quite clear on what is needed to cause a criminal offence.' According to Mr Newman, at the most recent parish council meeting earlier this month, the council insisted its wording was correct. A spokesman for the parish council insisted it was not 'targeting' or trying to 'outlaw' naturists and that it 'recognises that naturism in the UK is legal'. British Naturism currently has around 8,500 members, with the average age being about 60. In 2022 the biggest survey ever into naturism found that 14 per cent of people now describe themselves as naturist – an estimated 6.75 million. The findings by Ipsos show a huge increase on previous figures, with the last survey conducted by British Naturism in 2011 finding just 6 per cent considered themselves to be nudists or naturists. A spokesman for East Suffolk council said: 'I can confirm that we have requested removal of a sign placed, without relevant permissions, on a signpost on East Suffolk council land.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
