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Neighbors bothered by naturist B&B
Neighbors of Domain Farm, a recently opened naturist Bed and Breakfast in Staffordshire, England, are complaining about seeing more than they want to of the guests.The B&B is a converted farm and features a sun deck, hot tub, and barbeque area, and while it's set in a rural landscape, it is within sight of other homes. This brings it into the ongoing controversy, not limited to naturism, of where to draw the line between individual liberty and consideration of others. The owners are busy planting trees and shrubs around the property, but their efforts aren't quick enough for the locals.
Despite the weather, naturism or nudism is quite popular in the UK. British Naturism, the official naturist organization, reports a membership of more than 16,000. There are numerous clothing-optional beaches in places like Brighton, and naturists are encouraged by the fact that there is no law explicitly banning public nudity, only indecent exposure. What this breaks down to in reality is that if you bare all in front of Buckingham Palace, you'll be hauled away. If you hike in the nude, you'll probably be fine. In fact, British naturists say nude hiking is quite popular, although I've never seen any on my hikes.
I have, however, seen nude hikers at Seven Falls in the Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona, where nudity is clearly not legal. The falls are several miles up a rugged canyon far away from public view, so the cops don't bother doing anything about it. What with all the car thefts and meth labs in the city, they have better things to do.
So if you like to get your kit off, as the English say, don't dismiss the UK as a travel destination. The Naturist UK Fact File has tons of information. It may get cold and rainy, but at least you won't have to deal with the desert sun and cacti like those Arizona naturists!
Gallery: The best from the weird and wacky world of tourist complaints
Gallery: Top Ten Strangest Hotel Guest Requests
Photo courtesy of Peter Rivera from the Gadling flickr pool. These are statues in the Louvre, not pasty-skinned British nudists after a long winter.
Filed under: Hiking, Europe, United Kingdom, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
aussienaturistfamilyman Oct 29th 2009 5:28PM
As a Naturist myself I think a Naturist resort needs to be away from prying eyes & from people who are not used to non sexual nudity.
The nude resorts I have been to in Australia are far enough away from the prudes to stop them complaining, until society accepts that you can be nude & not after sex this is the way it has to be.....
Lisa Oct 31st 2009 4:15PM
I don't understand why people are so up tight about the human body in this country. You are nothing but hateful, greedy, selfish, up tight, prudes.
Angela Kafati Oct 31st 2009 4:19PM
I would not exzactly call a good person who does not want to see a bunch of grose nude bodies a prude.
Frank Rizzo Oct 31st 2009 10:59AM
As a New Yorker thats seen everything,did you ever stop and think that maybe they're NOT prudes,they just don't want to see your ugly naked ass,FOOL!!
Steve Oct 31st 2009 10:29AM
Totally agree...I have no problem with it. However it is still a matter of discretion.
Sorry to say, but that is the way it is.
chip Oct 31st 2009 12:19PM
I agree with Frank and Steve. The objections have far less to do with any perceived "prudishness" than with the fact that so-called "naturists" are so often posessed of bodies that you wouldn't want to see unclothed under any circumstances, sexual or non-sexual. Lisa, I'd bet you look like a National Geographic cover model.
JAMES Oct 31st 2009 2:09PM
Clothes offer protection from the elements, plain and simple. Hiking with your tenders exposed is just asking for trouble (especially here in Arizona.) That being said, there are some people I wouldn't mind seeing naked and others I would, not for sexual reason but pure aesthetics... Same reason I wouldn't want to be seen naked, I'm over weight and hairy, unimpressive genitalia, my chances of being arrested are much greater than most people. Also the prevalence of digital and video cameras these days makes the likelihood of your non sexual nudity being featured on pornotube an additional disincentive!
Brian Taylor - British Naturism Oct 30th 2009 4:50AM
"This brings it into the ongoing controversy, not limited to naturism, of where to draw the line between individual liberty and consideration of others."
I agree. Obviously as a naturist myself I find it hard to understand non-naturist's objections. Non-sexual nudity is harmless; how can it do harm? Not so smoking, for instance. Ok, I know this is an easy target, and one that is now finding greater restrictions applied to it, but even with those restrictions I still have to walk through a cloud of second-hand smoke to enter my local pub. Just try asking Roy Castle about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke! I'd far rather walk though a crowd of naked people - that would not harm me in any way. But can you imagine the fuss if there were to be such a crowd outside your local?
Loud music is another. If loud enough it can harm my hearing, but even if it isn't that loud it can spoil my enjoyment of a quiet summer afternoon in the country and looking away doesn't work as our hearing does not allow us to be so selective. Our only option is to go elsewhere. Not so with nakedness, it is easy to look away and choose not to stare.
The real harm is some people's prudish attitudes. It has been shown that the more prudish a nation is, the higher are its rates of teenage pregnancy, abortions, and STI's. The ratio between the best and the worst nations being well over 10:1.
Having said that, naturists are well aware that some people are prejudiced against them and so we generally do our best to avoid confrontation and do as the owners of Domain Farm are doing; plant trees and hedges to provide screening. You will not find many naturists willing to bare all in front of Buckingham Palace, although it wouldn't actually be illegal. It is not the place that distinguishes legal naturism from illegal 'flashing', it is the intention of the person involved. The old offence of 'Indecent Exposure' no longer exists, it was replaced by s.66 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 which requires it to be proved that the accused intended to cause shock or alarm.
Sean McLachlan Oct 30th 2009 4:58AM
Interesting points, but I have a feeling that if someone took off their clothes in front of Buckingham Palace the cops would claim the accused intended to cause shock. That's one of those open-ended laws, like "disturbing the peace", that give officers a lot of leeway.
I personally have no problem seeing public nudity. I studied enough Classical art that seeing it in real life makes me feel like I'm back in my archaeology department! But I'm not sure I'd class all people who object to public nudity as prudes. Some people have moral or religious systems that make them frown on public nudity. They have the right to not see nudity as much as you have the right to be nude, and therein lies the problem.
bill Oct 31st 2009 12:51PM
non-sexual nudity is boring. I used to tan on nude beaches when I was young. These days I prefer wearing baggies and watching beautiful bikini women because I can look! But as a Darwinist-libertarian, I am against any government laws promoting nudity or forbidding nudity.
Brian Taylor - British Naturism Oct 31st 2009 3:55AM
Thank you Sean. You are right. This is why naturists would not bare all in front of Buckingham palace - their motives would indeed be in question! You are also right when you say that the police may use the public order act or some similar open ended law. We often have to educate the police about the true intention of the law regarding non-sexual, non-threatening nudity. The fourth plinth was a recent case in point.
Having said that, I have ridden naked on a bicycle through Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and past the houses of Parliament so I have come close! But this was the World Naked Bike Ride, so I was with about 1,100 others doing the same thing, complete with a police escort. No law was broken. (And the public reception was great!)
It is hard to avoid the word 'prude', but I agree it is an emotive word. I didn't "class all people who object to public nudity as prudes.", I said "some people's prudish attitudes". One point I was trying to make was that if someone is offended by nudity, for whatever reason, they have the option to look away, unlike the other offensive (to me) behaviours I mentioned.
Robert Oct 31st 2009 4:16PM
The middle eastern nations cover there women from head to toe and blow up bus loads of children and want to force everyone to live and believe as they do. In Scandanavian conutrys they Beleive in non interference of other nations and have no interal wars, and virtually no laws regarding public nudity. If you examie the relative freedoms of a nation you notice the more liberated the less violent a society will be....People who are not uptight are not as likely to kill each other off.
Jimmy Oct 31st 2009 10:24AM
Hi Robert, history plays a part of a nations' dress. Whereas, the Middle Eastern nations have been invaded by peoples since the dawn of the written word. Over and over again history reports ravaged Middle Eastern lands, property, and destroyed families. Covering the ladies of the family; and limiting their mobility, increases their chance of survival in event of another invasion. This is in fact the reason why an Egyptian Muslim will say Islam means "peace" just as an Syrian Muslim will, and an Iranian Muslim will say it as well. Islam did cut way back on the number of wars fought between historical enemies. While approving of jihad on non-Islamic peoples.
While the Scandinavian countries as you stated have no internal wars, at least not nearly as many as the Middle East. Therefore, Scandinavia retains features of a more tribal day you label as freedom.
As for the so called prudes, or prudish attitudes, folks granted mostly of the USA. I would like to thank the Stewart, and Hanover Kings of Protestant England, and the Bourbon Roman Catholic French Kings for sending them all, over to our continent during their religious wars. At a time when our side of the world was very naturalistic.
The whole world got together just over 500 years ago, we can no longer send unwanted sects and types off to some strange land on Earth. If, we begin now with understanding maybe we can all learn to live together in peace within the next 500 years.
userbub12487 Oct 31st 2009 10:40AM
seeing that the #1 chosen name for newborns in sweden last year was muhammed it won't be long before wearing the burka will be law throughout scandanavia. how funny is that?
Master Shake Oct 31st 2009 11:46AM
Trying to tell Americans to stop being prudes is like trying to tell a bee not to buzz. The entire culture is based on both the fear of, and the excitement of sexuality. It is absurd in both extremes. The idea of being able to walk around naked without wanting to have sex is almost inconceivable to most Americans - and I can say that with considerable experience after having lived there for over twenty years. Americans have two modes: running in abject fear, or attacking anything that moves (whether with gun or penis).
Steve Oct 31st 2009 4:16PM
If you don't like what you are seeing then why are you looking??????????
thatYERnakedBALL Oct 31st 2009 4:16PM
they ought to throw manure at em on a regular basis if it bothers them that much - Lookin at a ball saX - suXin on a tater tot - was that her elbow ???
Steve Nov 23rd 2009 8:37AM
If you don't like what you see then why are you still looking at it???
Brian Taylor - British Naturism Oct 31st 2009 4:17PM
I don't believe there is a difference between nudism and naturism, but I'm sure some would disagree! I get the impression the term nudism is used more in the US (where, I deduce you are?) and naturism is the favoured term here in the UK.
You make a good point about the orthodox Jew. It is a pity that they take this view given the harm that such attitudes can have (see my original reply, I won't labour the point again). Assuming that the teenage pregnancy rate amongst orthodox Jews is no higher than the rest of the population, perhaps the level of restriction placed upon the behaviour of their children / teenagers works to counter the problem?
Does this mean that mankind has a choice between complete obedience to a religious behavioural system, complete freedom of choice including the freedom to not be ashamed of our bodies, or the half-way house most find themselves in where we have considerable freedom, but are programmed to feel this shame?
Unfortunately, evidence suggests that the latter is not a good solution.
In general naturists prefer to choose places out of the public gaze, if for no other reason than not to be stared at! But it is also out of a desire not to cause offence. Bringing the subject back on track, this is why Margaret and Mike are planting trees to provide a screen as many naturists do in their own back gardens.
Thanks for posting the link to our website, so many of these systems refuse URL's that I've tended to assume they all do. (and yet most ask you to enter it in a separate box, some even then link to it from your name)
Sean McLachlan Nov 2nd 2009 4:25AM
Brian,
Not sure you'll hear me through all the shouting; I was born in Canada but I was raised in the U.S. So yeah, I'm basically American when it comes to vocabulary. Now I divide my time between Missouri, Madrid, and Oxford (UK).
I think that the comments to this article show that you have a long way to go before you'll be able to change public opinion to your way of thinking.