Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
Naturist articles: Summer of 2001
A Long Summer in the Wilds, 2001
Having taken early retirement from teaching and having no ties I am able to make the
most of the summer. Over the years I have developed a love for the wilderness and would
much prefer to watch the sun setting warmed by a camp-fire, wake up in the morning with a
magnificent view of the mountains through the door of my tiny tent and take a brazing swim
in a remote lake than stay in a four star hotel in some tourist trap and fight for space on an
overcrowded beach. People often ask if I get lonely travelling on my own but I have never
found that a problem in the wilderness. On your own you actually talk to people you meet
rather than pass them by which usually happens with groups. I find I often spend a few days
with another individual or group before going our separate ways. For someone on their own
the loneliest place is in a crowd! After spending much of the summer of 2000 walking in the
Sierra Mountains of California I decided to spend 2001 a little closer to home and split my
time between canoe-touring and backpacking. Paddling a Canadian canoe through lake and
river systems in uninhabited countryside gives plenty of opportunities for the naturist. It is
almost always possible find places to swim and camp without clothes and in remote waters it
is often possible to paddle naked (provided that water conditions don’t require buoyancy aid
to be worn!). In hot weather backpacking in the mountains can also provide plenty of
naturist opportunities with bubbling streams with rock pools to cool off in, sandy beaches by
distant lakes and wild campsites miles away from the nearest house. Although some people
do walk naked in remote areas it is not really comfortable to do so with a heavy rucksack
and it is not so easy to cover up if you need to avoid offending anyone you meet. Nowadays
when both canoeing and mountain walking you meet plenty of people who wouldn’t call
themselves naturists but who strip off to swim or sunbathe. On your own you see a lot more
wildlife than in a group, the canoe being a particularly good platform for bird watching.
Shortly after Easter I took my Canadian Canoe down to Portugal and spent 12 days
canoeing down the Tagus from just west of the Spanish Border to just east of Lisbon. For the
first few days the paddling is along reservoirs through wild uninhabited gorges. The seclusion
was only broken by an occasional fisherman, from the portages past the dams and from the
trains that crawl along the rail-line, which follows the river. (Rail but no roads!)
Once past the last dam the river flows freely to the sea. The flow varying from a trickle
to a flood depending on the amount of water allowed through the reservoir dams. (The first
time I paddled this river I camped on an island about 10 ft above the water level and was
woken in the night by water flowing through my tent!). Gradually the country became
gentler passing through farmland with the occasional small town. As the coast is approached
there are increasing signs of industrialisation but the only thing impacting noticeably is the
extraction of gravel and sand extraction from the riverbed.
The main canoeing problem can be fighting your way into the prevailing westerly winds
but on this trip the winds were light and plenty of sun gave ideal conditions a naturist canoe
trip. The power of the river was brought home to me when I found that winter floods had
washed almost all of a tree-covered island where thousands of Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets
and Spoonbills used to roost away.
Before returning home I spent another week exploring a large reservoir higher up the
Tagus in the Extramadura region of Spain. In this remote area I saw at least ten different
species of Bird of Prey
A period at home marking GCSE exams was followed by four weeks in Sweden. Sweden
has an extensive system of Lakes and rivers, which are ideal for canoe-camping trips. I spent
two weeks in the Dalsland area of Sweden close to the Norwegian border. This beautiful area
of large lakes and connecting canals is popular with German, Dutch and Danish canoeists.
Although there are few official naturist beaches in Sweden there are numerous small
beaches and rocky bathing places where naturism seems to thrive. Camping is allowed in the
woods along the lakes and on the many small islands dotted around the lakes and many
idyllic spots can be found. With long sunny days punctuated by the occasional thunderstorm,
air temperatures reached 30C and water temperatures approached 25C. It isn’t always like
this in Sweden but you get good weather more often than not in mid summer.
My remaining time in Sweden I spent in the area southwest of Stockholm. Here it is
possible follow small rivers and lakes which are joined by tracks where it possible to wheel
your canoe on a trolley. Because of these portages these routes are less popular than the
Dalsland area and few canoeists are met on the water. With the heat wave continuing
conditions for swimming were still perfect. At the end of this trip I spent a couple of days on
an official costumes optional beach on a small island on one of these Lakes. Surprisingly this
was much less used by naturists than the many unofficial sites I came across.
After a few days back in England I headed off to the Pyrenees where I intended to spend
about six weeks walking from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. There are three
main walking routes along the Pyrenees: The GR10 which remains in France and the GR11
in Spain are on well marked and maintained footpaths which generally stay below the highest
peaks. I had decided to attempt the High Level Route, which follows the main ridge of the
Pyrenees where possible, and remains above 1500m over most of the route. The route
scrambles up airy rocky ridges, crosses high-glaciated passes and traverses rocky pathless
terrain. In these remote areas it is necessary to camp wild and often carry a very heavy
pack. I spent a few days dropping supplies along the route before starting walking from
Hendaye-Plage on the Atlantic Coast near the Spanish border. Through the Basque country
the route mainly follows the border ridge and is a gentle introduction to the walk before
reaching the alpine slopes of the High Pyrenees. Lakes and streams along the route provided
some rather cold swimming. Tea breaks and camps often provided opportunities to top up on
the tan gained earlier in the summer. Eventually Andorra is reached and the route again
becomes somewhat gentler but the shorter days meant that I had to keep going and was not
able to spend as much time lounging around in the sun. On the last day as I approached the
Mediterranean Sea near Banyuls-sur-Mare the generally good weather I had enjoyed for
most of the summer ended with storm force winds blowing me off my feet and making
progress very difficult and dangerous.
I had hoped to spend a few days relaxing on Mediterranean beaches at the end of this
trip but the deteriorating weather drove me home.
I hope this article will inspire a few BN members to leave their clubs and beaches and
get out into the wilderness for a much more fulfilling naturist experience.
What about next year? I am hoping to walk the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mexican
Border to the Canadian border through California, Oregon and Washington. It should be a
fantastic adventure and I’m sure it should provide more naturist wilderness experiences.
Having taken early retirement from teaching and having no ties I am able to make the
most of the summer. Over the years I have developed a love for the wilderness and would
much prefer to watch the sun setting warmed by a camp-fire, wake up in the morning with a
magnificent view of the mountains through the door of my tiny tent and take a brazing swim
in a remote lake than stay in a four star hotel in some tourist trap and fight for space on an
overcrowded beach. People often ask if I get lonely travelling on my own but I have never
found that a problem in the wilderness. On your own you actually talk to people you meet
rather than pass them by which usually happens with groups. I find I often spend a few days
with another individual or group before going our separate ways. For someone on their own
the loneliest place is in a crowd! After spending much of the summer of 2000 walking in the
Sierra Mountains of California I decided to spend 2001 a little closer to home and split my
time between canoe-touring and backpacking. Paddling a Canadian canoe through lake and
river systems in uninhabited countryside gives plenty of opportunities for the naturist. It is
almost always possible find places to swim and camp without clothes and in remote waters it
is often possible to paddle naked (provided that water conditions don’t require buoyancy aid
to be worn!). In hot weather backpacking in the mountains can also provide plenty of
naturist opportunities with bubbling streams with rock pools to cool off in, sandy beaches by
distant lakes and wild campsites miles away from the nearest house. Although some people
do walk naked in remote areas it is not really comfortable to do so with a heavy rucksack
and it is not so easy to cover up if you need to avoid offending anyone you meet. Nowadays
when both canoeing and mountain walking you meet plenty of people who wouldn’t call
themselves naturists but who strip off to swim or sunbathe. On your own you see a lot more
wildlife than in a group, the canoe being a particularly good platform for bird watching.
Shortly after Easter I took my Canadian Canoe down to Portugal and spent 12 days
canoeing down the Tagus from just west of the Spanish Border to just east of Lisbon. For the
first few days the paddling is along reservoirs through wild uninhabited gorges. The seclusion
was only broken by an occasional fisherman, from the portages past the dams and from the
trains that crawl along the rail-line, which follows the river. (Rail but no roads!)
Once past the last dam the river flows freely to the sea. The flow varying from a trickle
to a flood depending on the amount of water allowed through the reservoir dams. (The first
time I paddled this river I camped on an island about 10 ft above the water level and was
woken in the night by water flowing through my tent!). Gradually the country became
gentler passing through farmland with the occasional small town. As the coast is approached
there are increasing signs of industrialisation but the only thing impacting noticeably is the
extraction of gravel and sand extraction from the riverbed.
The main canoeing problem can be fighting your way into the prevailing westerly winds
but on this trip the winds were light and plenty of sun gave ideal conditions a naturist canoe
trip. The power of the river was brought home to me when I found that winter floods had
washed almost all of a tree-covered island where thousands of Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets
and Spoonbills used to roost away.
Before returning home I spent another week exploring a large reservoir higher up the
Tagus in the Extramadura region of Spain. In this remote area I saw at least ten different
species of Bird of Prey
A period at home marking GCSE exams was followed by four weeks in Sweden. Sweden
has an extensive system of Lakes and rivers, which are ideal for canoe-camping trips. I spent
two weeks in the Dalsland area of Sweden close to the Norwegian border. This beautiful area
of large lakes and connecting canals is popular with German, Dutch and Danish canoeists.
Although there are few official naturist beaches in Sweden there are numerous small
beaches and rocky bathing places where naturism seems to thrive. Camping is allowed in the
woods along the lakes and on the many small islands dotted around the lakes and many
idyllic spots can be found. With long sunny days punctuated by the occasional thunderstorm,
air temperatures reached 30C and water temperatures approached 25C. It isn’t always like
this in Sweden but you get good weather more often than not in mid summer.
My remaining time in Sweden I spent in the area southwest of Stockholm. Here it is
possible follow small rivers and lakes which are joined by tracks where it possible to wheel
your canoe on a trolley. Because of these portages these routes are less popular than the
Dalsland area and few canoeists are met on the water. With the heat wave continuing
conditions for swimming were still perfect. At the end of this trip I spent a couple of days on
an official costumes optional beach on a small island on one of these Lakes. Surprisingly this
was much less used by naturists than the many unofficial sites I came across.
After a few days back in England I headed off to the Pyrenees where I intended to spend
about six weeks walking from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. There are three
main walking routes along the Pyrenees: The GR10 which remains in France and the GR11
in Spain are on well marked and maintained footpaths which generally stay below the highest
peaks. I had decided to attempt the High Level Route, which follows the main ridge of the
Pyrenees where possible, and remains above 1500m over most of the route. The route
scrambles up airy rocky ridges, crosses high-glaciated passes and traverses rocky pathless
terrain. In these remote areas it is necessary to camp wild and often carry a very heavy
pack. I spent a few days dropping supplies along the route before starting walking from
Hendaye-Plage on the Atlantic Coast near the Spanish border. Through the Basque country
the route mainly follows the border ridge and is a gentle introduction to the walk before
reaching the alpine slopes of the High Pyrenees. Lakes and streams along the route provided
some rather cold swimming. Tea breaks and camps often provided opportunities to top up on
the tan gained earlier in the summer. Eventually Andorra is reached and the route again
becomes somewhat gentler but the shorter days meant that I had to keep going and was not
able to spend as much time lounging around in the sun. On the last day as I approached the
Mediterranean Sea near Banyuls-sur-Mare the generally good weather I had enjoyed for
most of the summer ended with storm force winds blowing me off my feet and making
progress very difficult and dangerous.
I had hoped to spend a few days relaxing on Mediterranean beaches at the end of this
trip but the deteriorating weather drove me home.
I hope this article will inspire a few BN members to leave their clubs and beaches and
get out into the wilderness for a much more fulfilling naturist experience.
What about next year? I am hoping to walk the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mexican
Border to the Canadian border through California, Oregon and Washington. It should be a
fantastic adventure and I’m sure it should provide more naturist wilderness experiences.
photos to be added