Book Review: Body Freedom Day

Body Freedom Day: When a Clothed-Minded World Unraveled.

Stuart Ward

This is one of the most original nudist books I’ve ever read, and although it’s only a little over 100 pages it punches well above its weight in the nudist genre.
After easing us into the book by way of a fairly conventional history of nudism, Stuart Ward catapults us forward from the present into the near(ish) future and writes as an old man looking back on an annual nude running event.
It’s an unusual device but a successful one, and if Ward’s purpose is to convince us that social nudity should be considered the norm and clothes-wearing an aberration, it serves his purpose well.
Although I found his use of abbreviated words a little jarring, the book is otherwise well written in a light, engaging style. On a recent vacation, and despite the combined distractions of sea, sun, snoozing and strawberry margaritas, I managed to read it almost at one sitting!
Recommended reading for everyone who doesn’t get freaked out by the nude body beneath their clothes.

Body Freedom Day: When a Clothed-Minded World Unraveled
Paperback: 117 pages
Publisher: Infinity Publishing (June 2004)
ISBN-10: 0741419459
ISBN-13: 978-0741419453

A lesson about stereotyping

I thought it would never happen to me, so I didn’t take proper precautions.Then one day recently whilst  doing a little surfing, flashing alarms suddenly infested my screen, and urgent messages blinked at me telling me that my folders contained about a million viruses which could only be cured if I pressed this download button now. I’d heard of other people being tricked into downloading something which eventually destroyed their system, so, not knowing what else to do and not having a know-all teenager handy, I switched off and unplugged.

I felt pretty smug. I had avoided the trap. I had refused to panic and download something nasty. I had outwitted the geeky virus writers, the  sneeky hackers and the shabby spammers.
I had a celebratory cup of tea whilst I waited for the dust to settle a bit, and then with a triumphant flourish I switched my machine back on.
Except that I couldn’t. Or rather, I could power it up, but nothing significant happened. All I got after a few seconds of whirring was a blue screen and a message about something being corrupted  in my Fat sector, which I didn’t understand but which wasn’t, I thought, a very nice thing to say to a girl.
Rebooting didn’t help, neither did swearing nor threatening it with the first floor drop.
A friend of mine suggested using the back-up disc so thoughtfully provided by Evesham Computers when I purchased it some years ago, but it refused to load ( naturally!) and the option of phoning the helpline had disappeared some months before when Evesham went out of business.
Now I began to panic.
It wasn’t the computer itself that I was worried about. It was over 6 years old and had become unreliable and due for replacement. Anyway, I could carry on working and accessing the internet etc on my laptop.
What really spooked me was the potential data loss. Although most of my writings are backed up to CD’s and DVD’s, I had hundred of digital photos and over 1000 of my favourite songs stored on my desktop computer, as well as personal documents of one sort or another. All of them, particularly the photographs, were irreplaceable. None were backed up. I felt sick, and not a little foolish.
I phoned around Yellow Pages for some professional help and nearly had the conniptions at the average rate being quoted of £50 an hour with a minimum fee of £200. Yikes! For that sort of money I could buy a posh cocktail dress AND have enough left over for some stockings.
As a last resort, I decided to pop into my local Maplins ( an chain of UK electronics stores), to see if they had any suggestions.
 The assistant was small, spotty. bespectacled and geeky and so fitted my stereotype of the the sort of little snirp who wrote the virus that caused my problem in the first place that I almost biffed him one on sight.
And how wrong I would have been. After patiently listening to my problem, and politely answering my entirely stupid, computer illiterate questions, he came up with a solution which entailed removing my hard drive ( scary but not difficult) and plugging it in via a special contraption to my lap top.
Result, thanks to a geeky kidI can now access all the data I thought I’d lost, at a cost of less than £16.
Which just goes to show how important it is to back your data up. And how foolish we are to  judge people according to sterotypes.
Including geeks. And especially naturists.

Nudist tour operator stripped of £2m funding

The future of Travelzest, the company behind the British based nudist vacation operator Peng Travel is in doubt this week after the company failed to secure £2m pledged to it in a fundraising.

Despite the uncertainty, the company is continuing to send out flyers for its naturist winter vacation programme.

A source close to the company claims that two shareholders withdrew an offer to inject fresh funds into the company after they tried to change the terms of the deal at the last minute.

AIM-listed Travelzest thought it had raised £5.7m through the issue of new shares, funds it needs to meet lending agreements with its banks. It announced on Friday morning to the stock exchange that investors had approved the share placing.

However, after the market closed in the afternoon, the company said that investors accounting for £2m of the new funds had failed to meet the deadline for paying the money, and that it would need to find an alternative means of securing the funds.

It has asked for its shares to be suspended, “pending clarification of its financial position”.

We’ve been a great supporter of Peng in the past, and we continue to wish them a great future, but if you’re planning to book with Peng this winter we would advise that you find out exactly what the position is before you commit yourself.

Free nudist beaches – Morfa Dyffryn

Free Nudist Beaches # 1 – Morfa Dyffryn

An occasional look at some of the world’s notable nudist beaches.

Morfa Dyffryn Nudist Beach, Gywnedd,
North Wales UK

Google map here.

Description:

Morfa nudist beach

Morfa Dyffryn nudist (naturist) beach forms part of the northern end of the majestic Barmouth Bay beach. It is a beautiful spot, consisting of 1 km of fine golden sand gently sloping to the clean, clear ( if sometimes chilly ) waters of the Welsh coastline. The beach is backed by acres of sand dunes, Morfa Dyffryn is considered by many to be Britain’s best nudist beach.

Directions:

• Drive north out of Barmouth on the A496
• After 4 miles you’ll come to Talybont. Proceed through the village and over a narrow bridge.
• Just after this bridge you’ll come across a road on the seaward side next to a small chapel, signposted ‘Treath Beach’
• Turn down this road ( actually a lane – very narrow in parts)
• One mile down you’ll come to toilets, beyond which is a free car park. This has height barriers which makes it unsuitable for van/campers etc
• From the car park follow the marked path through the dunes for about 1 mile to the nudist beach.
• ALTERNATIVELY, nudists may want to turn right at the toilets and drive into the Dyffryn Seaside Estate and park there. It is a shorter walk to the nudist beach, but the Estate may make a nominal charge in high season.

Nearest air / rail links.: The Welsh Coast railway line from Barmouth to Porthmadog runs just inland from the beach, with stops at Dyffryn Ardudwy and Llanbedr. Also the Shrewsbury-Machynlleth-Pwllhei railway stops close to the beach.

Facilities:

None on the beach itself, but there are shops and a pub at the nearby Dyffryn Seaside Estate. There are public toilets at the car park. Camping and caravanning is available nearby at Benar Beach Caravan Park.(mostly textile, but with a small nudist area), and tents and small campers at “Glyn’s Field”( on the right of the road to Dyffryn Seaside Estate, off the side road down from the A496 on the edge of Dyffryn Ardudwy.) Disabled A boardwalk runs from near the National Park Car Park through the dunes to the beach to allow disabled access, although it is still a long but level trek over hard sand from there to the nudist section. The board walk is also good for cyclists.

Designation:

Official since 2000

Who goes there:

Up to 500 nudists on a sunny Sunday in summer , including a substantial homosexual community who tend to congregate at the northern end. The main nudist beach attracts a good mixture of couples, families and singles.

Other nearby attractions:

For directions, links and more information to all the following attractions, see our Morfa Dyffryn map here.

Snowdon: Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales.

Centre for Alternative Technology: Machynlleth. Demonstrating practical ways of dealing with some of the most serious challenges facing our planet and the human race, such as climate change, pollution and the waste of precious resources.

Caernarfon Castle. Castle Ditch, Caernavon Mighty Caernarfon is possibly the most famous of Wales’s castles. Its sheer scale and commanding presence easily set it apart from the rest, and to this day, still trumpet in no uncertain terms the intention of its builder Edward I.

Ffestiniog Railway Co.

Porthmadog, Gwynedd, A must for railway enthusiasts. The Ffestiniog Railway is the oldest independent railway company in the World – being founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832.Over the last fifty years, the Ffestiniog Railway has become a leader in railway preservation and is now one of Wales’ top tourist attractions.

Lloyd George Museum

Criccieth, Gwynedd Discover the life and times of David Lloyd George, the cottage bred boy who became Prime Minister during World War 1.

More information:

The beach can attract several hundred naturists in summer during fine weather , mostly from North Wales and North West England, although visitors from mainland Europe are frequent.. Although the official designation was resisted by some local residents, complaints of indecent exposure and related behaviour have markedly decreased since 2000. The naturist section of the beach is now clearly marked by signs at both ends. Some naturists complain that the official section is too small – the traditional naturist area was 1,6km (1 mile) in length.

We say …

Although Morfa Dyffryn nudist beach suffers, like most UK beaches, from the attentions of a small number of voyeurs and other undesirables, it is large enough for most genuine nudists to enjoy themselves without problems. Families may want to avoid the northern end of the beach which is gay orientated. It’s certainly a contender for the title of the best nudist beach in Britain, but, be warned; the breeze can be chilly, even in summer.

Do you know this nudist beach? Is it nudist family friendly? Are pets allowed? Is it suitable for the infirm or disabled Please help us help the nudist community and make any helpful additions or corrections or comments.

Stay Free at SuperClubs!

SuperClubs, including Grand Lido Braco, Grand Lido Negril, Hedonism II, and Hedonism III has just announced a “Stay for 3 Nights, Pay for 2″ promotion.

That’s right. Stay for 3 – pay for 2. Stay for 6 – pay for 4. It’s that simple. For every 3 nights you stay at selected  SuperClubs resorts, they’ll give you one night absolutely free. Rates start at $86 with 3-night stays starting at just $172.

You’ll have to book by October 7, 2009 for travel through September 1 – October 31, 2009 to take advantage of these savings. Some  restrictions apply.

If you’re in the mood for a late summer naturist vacation, why not check out this  great offer?

Details from NFN Travel

World’s best nude events and beaches revealed

Trip Advisor, the travel website  has announced the winners of top 5 nude events and top 5 nude beaches. Quite what criteria they used, and who carried out the judging is unknown, but here are the results according to Trip Advisor.

The top five naked events :

1. World Naked Bike Ride
Held annually since 2004, bike riders from all around the world celebrate cycling in the nude.

2. World Record Skinny Dip
More than 12,000 people stripped off and gathered in pools across the US to form the “largest number of people skinny dipping at once,” now a category in the Guinness Book of World Records.

3. Nude Beach Olympics
The Nude Olympics take place on Australia’s sunny Maslin Beach.

4. Running of the Nudes
Held in Pamplona just after the annual “Running of the Bulls”, this is an event organised by PETA to protest against the cruelty of bullfighting.An alternative to the running of the

5. Burning Man Festival
An annual event held in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, which usually includes large amounts of human nudity.

Top five nudist beaches

1. Haulover Beach Park Florida

2. Wreck Beach Canada

3. Paradise Beach, Mykonos

4. Orient Beach, St.Maarten, Caribbean.

5. Black’s Beach, California.

I don’t disagree too much with Trip Advisor  on the events, except that I ‘m surprised that The Burning Man Festival was chosen over seriously  nude events like  the World Body Painting Festival in Austria or De Blote Billen Loop (Zandvoort, Netherlands –people have to run or walk 5 km in the nude, on a nude beach)  or even  the Valentine’s Day Nude Bungee Jump in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.

With regard to the beaches, well, I guess it’s entirely subjective, so who am I to argue, except to say that Paradise Beach was overtaken years ago by Panormos beach on the north of Mykonos and neither of those two would get into my top five! In fact my list would include only two of the Trip Advisor selection.

Still, it all depends on what makes a beach the best for you, and until you’ve visited them all how can you judge which is the best in the world?

Guess I’d better get packing. So much to see, so little time…

China’s New Naturist Resort

A NATURIST swimming resort to be open Saturday has ignited heated discussion in China where public nudity is still taboo.

The resort in Lin’an County of the eastern Zhejiang province was the second attempt by local people to have a naturist tourist site. The first nude pool in Lin’an opened five years ago but was closed two weeks later under fierce public criticism.

Although men and women will use separate, screened pools, the concept of social nudity is alien to Chinese culture and the development has come under attack.

Encouragingly, an internet survey indicated that a majority of respondents supported the resort. It’s a start, but they will need to translate their support into actual visits, and hard cash, if the resort is to flourish.

Previous naturist enterprises have withered and died under the disapproving gaze of the Chinese authorities. We wish this one the very best of luck. It’ll be needed!

New Nudist Beach at Key West?

Proof that the world recession isn’t wholly a bad thing.

The City fathers of Key West, Florida are “considering whether or not to allow nude bathing at one of their beaches”, citing the success of the designated naturist beach at Haulover Beach Park on Miami Beach.

The clincher may be the economic situation. Commissioners point to the success of Haulover and also the increased tourist revenues of nearby Cuba, which has official nudist beaches.

The commissioners hope to put it to the ballot in October. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

July Celebrations at Club Orient!

on the nudist beach

Club Orient is set to host its first 4th of July party in a long time. They ‘ve got a red, white and blue Papagayo with great entertainment and all your favorite July 4th foods from Hot Dogs all day to Great Grilled Steaks with Corn on the Cob, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans and Strawberry Short Cake for dinner that evening. They’re even lighting the Bon Fire on the beach to celebrate.

On the 14th it’s Bastille Day and being French they want to highlight their heritage. The Papagayo will feature a special menu reminiscent of traditional French Bistros and of course  unparalleled wines to accompany the dining. If you enjoy eating this will be a Papagayo event not to be missed.

Wireless at Club Orient

On March 7, Club Orient switched to an all-wireless network for all chalets. Over the next few days they will be adjusting the system to assure the very best coverage possible, so you may experience some brief periods of no or slow service.

Club Orient

Changes at Grand Lido Braco, Jamaica

There have been lots of rumors going around about the Grand Lido Braco. After an early meeting with management, Aaron & Rhoda Block of  NFN Travel International have confirmed the following resort changes!

• Beginning November 1, 2009, Grand Lido Braco will be renamed “Breezes Rio Bueno”.
• The French restaurant will keep the same name and become upscale French/Italian and jackets for men will no longer be required.
• The streetside Italian restaurant will become the “Starlight Grill” offering Mongolian BBQ for dinner and late night snacks.
• The Japanese/Sushi and Reggae Cafe will remain the same.
• Victoria’s Market will offer a buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Room service will only be available for the Au Naturel rooms and the one bedroom rooms on the main side. Room service will come out of the Au Naturel clubhouse which will also offer expanded food service.
• The current liquor offerings will remain the same but may be upgraded on the Au Naturel side at some point.
• The Au Naturel side will remain Au Naturel. There are talks about making the Au Naturel side a separate resort with a unique name and one of the names being discussed is “The Village at Rio Bueno”.
• Management plans to make significant improvements to elevate the amenities and service on the Au Naturel and includes the addition of eight gazebos around the pool area with many more quality umbrellas.
• There may also be a separate hotel manager responsible for the Au Naturel side.

Management’s goal is to take the Au Naturel side to another level and to be recognized world wide as the premiere resort for Au Naturel vacations.

Grand Lido Braco