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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 5 of 5)
Pool man Nov 1st 2009 9:39PM
they should at leat wait until they are inside the place
Sean McLachlan Nov 2nd 2009 11:20AM
USERBUB12487 said,
"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?"
That's an Internet rumor. According to Statistics Sweden the most popular male baby name in Sweden in 2008 was Lucas. Mohammed was number 68. I couldn't find statistics for 2009. I don't think they're out yet.
http://www.babynamestats.com/sweden-top100-2008.html
Brian Taylor - British Naturism Nov 2nd 2009 6:04PM
Here in the UK we have "The Christian Naturist Association". We also have many members of BN who are also members or ministers of various Christian churches.
Finally, the following is a quote from Pope John Paul II:
"The human body can remain nude and uncovered and preserve intact its splendor and its beauty... Nakedness as such is not to be equated with physical shamelessness... Immodesty is present only when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person...The human body is not in itself shameful... Shamelessness (just like shame and modesty) is a function of the interior of a person."