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Other naturist beaches in the South West of England PDF Print
Friday, 28 May 2010

There are a number of beaches in Somerset, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset said to be used by naturists, but we don't have enough first-hand information to create a separate page for each of them.

If you have information about any of these beaches, please use the 'Contact Us' form to send it to NUFF or add a comment below.

Somerset:

  • Clevedon
  • Sand Point - Weston Super Mare
  • Brean - south of Weston Super Mare
  • Berrow - Burnham on Sea

Devon: North Coast

  • Sillery Sands - near Lynton

Cornwall:

  • Chapel Porth - near St. Agnes
  • Portreath Porthkidney - near St. Ives
  • Berepper (Loe Bar)
  • Gunwalloe Cove near Helston
  • Prussia Cove - Mounts Bay
  • Praa Sands - Mounts Bay
  • Rosemullion Head
  • Mawnan Smith, south of Falmouth
  • Porthbean - east of St.Mawes
  • Black Head - south of St. Austell
  • Gribben Head - west of Fowey

The Isles of Scilly:
Many small coves on the Scillies said to be suitable for naturism. For example: Gugh - joined to St.Agnes island by a sandbar.

Devon: South Coast

  • Thurlestone east of Bigbury-on-Sea - cove below coast path, beyond golf club StreetMap
  • Gara Rock beach East Prawle - south of Kingsbridge
  • Mattiscombe Cove
  • Raven's Cove - west of Start Point
  • Scabbacombe Sands, between Brixham and Kingswear.

Dorset:

  • Pinhay Bay - Lyme Regis
  • Chesil Beach
  • Worbarrow Bay - East of Lulworth
  • Mupe Bay - Tyneham
  • Kimmeridge
  • Chapmans Pool - near St.Aldhelms Head
  • Swanage

Selected Visitor Comments

Somerset

Clevedon

2009 - "..use Clevedon at your peril! Jools & I used to go to both Lady Bay itself as well as the ledges to the north... but about 15 years ago the police started checking this place out following reports of unsavoury activity by gays, the upshot was a local vicar got arrested, the publicity put an end to even topless sunbathing & we haven't been back since! I know that gays still frequent the ledges & no self respecting female would be seen dead there."

Brean and Berrow

June 21, 2007 - "... there are locations on the North side of Sand point and below the coast path North from Ladye bay, Clevedon towards Portishead which are often used by naturists."

October 17, 2007 - "...I have, on many occasions swam and sunbathed naked on the north side of sand point, very nice but keep your mouth shut in the muddy water"

May 06, 2008 - "Although [Berrow] is an unofficial Naturist Beach, I have been going there for many years, people normally go to the left as enter the beach and then continue past car park and then go on to the sand dunes, [but] last year a couple of times there were more and more 'Watchers' so be careful it used to be great for all the family but i dont take my kids any more, but apart from that its a nice place to go"

September 14, 2009 - "...on Saturday as it was a really nice day but, sad to say, we were the only couple there & the gawpers had a field day! It's really frustrating, this is a good beach, ideal for sunbathing, nude or otherwise, yet the only signs of life seem to be lowlife!"

August 18, 2009 - "Our advice would be don't bother! Back in the late 70s & early 80s this was a great place. Couples, families, singles all over the beach & dunes, even the horse riders were stopping to chat to the naturists! Then in the mid 80s, the council tried to make the place official & the ensuing protests from the adjacent golf club got mentioned in the press then on local telly! That was the cue for all the pervs & voyeurs to crawl out of the woodwork! It went downhill from then. Jools & I have made several return trips since, the last one in 2008, but it's still mainly meerkats & gays."

May 27 2010 - "Local newspaper website reports: "Villagers fear a growing influx of nude sunbathers is ruining Berrow's reputation as a tourist haven." Story reports local Parish Councillor as saying nudism is "not nice when kids are around." Police are said to have "pledged to step up patrols" but also confirm that nudsim is "not illegal" and that they "plan to advise and educate those involved.”

May 22 2010 - "There are definitely naturists on this beach much to the disapproval of the locals. On a quiet day it is a peaceful and tranquil place but has more of it's fair share of... [undesirables]. If you want to be left alone head for the low dunes in the middle bit between the high dunes (where the undesirables congregate) adjacent to the carpark and the taller lighthouse at Burnham. On a busy day there is a constant stream of pedestrian traffic close to the dunes so for stress free naked bliss just wander along the shoreline for about a mile in either direction where you will be too far away from the dunes for anybody to get a good look at you. I have also stripped off on Dunster beach, not the busy bit but the quiet area as you walk right towards Blue anchor. Sandy beaches are rare on this coast but these are the best two."

Devon North Coast

Sillery Sands

June 09, 2007 - "...Sillery Sands gets a good write-up in "Bare Britain"... in late May, we were the only people there, but it is a spacious beach, with interesting caves in the cove next to the main one. The beach is mainly pebbly but, when the sea is not at its height, there is some sand, and this makes going in for a swim much easier."

July 25, 2007 - "I have been swimming and sunbathing nude at Sillery Sands for nearly 40 years. Inexplicably, it seems to be less and less frequented (by both textiles and naturists.) Perhaps people are put off by the amount of (healthy) exercise required to get to it. If you enjoy tranquility, clean, safe sea bathing and freedom to enjoy your own thoughts undisturbed, in a superb location give Sillery a try."

May 25, 2008 - " At time of writing, inaccessible due to steps being damaged by storm."

June 21, 2008 - "The steps have been damaged, there's a sign at the top of the path down saying not to go... However, once you get to the bottom, you find that someone has strapped a ladder across the chasm caused by a little landslide, and after you've negotiated that, it's just a 12 foot scramble down a couple of rocks to get to the beach..."

August 30, 2009 - "the steps have been repaired, and in full use, just the energetic walk to undertake now"

Cornwall

Porthcurno and Treen

February 27, 2009 - "The beach at Treen which is adjacent to Porthcurno has to be the nicest un-official naturist beach in uk BUT it is accessible during low water at spring tides but when the tide comes in it can cover the beach (which changes yearly) the only other access is via a steep well used path, not accessible with any sort of pram but I have seen young kids down there. Parking is at Porthcurno then follow coast path to the right of the cove"

June 10, 2009 - "the beach at Porthcurno is one of the best, very popular"

Devon South Coast

Thurlstone Sands

August 28, 2008 - "Thurlstone Sands is probably the nearest to Cornwall about 20 miles from Plymouth. You need to park in the village walk across the golf links and down a steep path to a very sociable beach. Soft sand good swimming and not overlooked."

September 15, 2009 - "I have now come across this beach and it does seem quite popular "most likely with the locals." I had parked my car in the Golf club car park for £3.00 for a whole day. You do need to walk along the coastal path westwards (facing the sea turn right) head along the public coast path - but stay off the Golf course, signs do indicate that. Further up slightly, you then come to a steep path that leads onto this beach. Not very good for the infirm as you may have to clamber down the path carefully. The vast majority of people were textile and it does happen to be a very sociable beach. The only 'nudes' I saw were one elderly male and a young family. The rest were textile. However, I felt that I wasn't brave enough to strip off as the naturists were hugely outnumbered by textiles! It was an uncomfortable experience and would therefore encourage naturists to use this beach more often as it is in a secluded section, hence the amount of textile users."

Bigbury on Sea

August 15, 2009 - "I am pleased that NUFF have actually pinpointed the naturist section of Bigbury bay as naturist. I had searched for this area last year with no luck. I have now checked the area on multimap and it is shown on the other side of the estuary. I think it would have been a good idea to class it under Thurlestone beach. As this is the correct area it is shown. Many Thanks for the information. Also to David who has mentioned it as Thurlston sands Aug 28 2008."

Wadham Rocks

August 03, 2009 - "We haven't been there for two years, mainly due to the weather, but the small cove at Wadham Rocks is awesome if you like swimming and rock pools. The regulars who go there are very friendly and welcoming. The amount of sand is severely restricted and the beach itself is unofficially divided into naturists on the east, textiles on the west. The beach (strictly speaking its access) is privately owned and the owners have indicated in the past that they could close the beach to naturists if we were to stray too far along the coast."

Dorset

Lyme Regis

June 22, 2008 - "This is the closest beach to me but I have to travel to Budleigh Salterton still for the nude beach. I can't think of anywhere you could strip off on the beach in Lyme Regis. It is far too dangerous to walk out past the right hand side over the rocks to the hidden beach around the corner due to tides and crumbling rock."

 

Comments 

 
#1 Citizen 2010-06-11 09:08
I think it is really sad that some individuals seek to spoil the harmless relaxation of others . Bigots will always seek out groups who are not popular or powerful in order to make them selves feel more powerful . the fact that the majority of naturists simply seek to commune with nature in their own most natural form and do not shout are make a point of it sadly gives these muppets fuel for their own personal (sad little) fire.
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#2 Phil & Jools 2010-06-24 19:28
The wife & I have managed to both have the weekend off together for the first time this summer, the question is where do we go? The heart says Budleigh salterton, our favourite beach! But the economics don't quite stack up the way they used to, a 145 mile round trip means £27 in fuel. So the head says Berrow, only 21 miles away, barely £6 in fuel there & back.
The problem is, we just know we're going to be pestered by creeps!
So, if any COUPLES are thinking about going to a beach in this area on Saturday, please come to Berrow & provide us with company! We shall be on the bit reached from the Berrow Inn in Berrow itself, not the bit begind the church where all the perverts seem to congregate.
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#3 P & J 2010-06-27 18:07
Well, it was a good news-bad news situation! The good news was that there wasn't a creep in sight yesterday at Berrow, in fact the place was deserted! On what was the hottest day of the year so far we were the ONLY sunbathers around! And that brings me to the bad news, on such a perfect day there should have been others around! Where are all the sun lovers going?
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#4 bazzer56 2010-06-29 12:56
While the kids are at school we have some good days at Ladye Bay Clevedon. People seem happy to ignore us. Have to see how things go in the weeks ahead
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#5 david db 2010-07-01 20:49
Details of the our best beach for nude sun and swimming. Thurlston, south Devon.
Called 'broadsands'
It is down a steep path and lies below cliffs so has a micro climate and can be quite hot even on windy days. People on the cliff path look down in amazement, when the wind is blowing and they are covered up, to see bare bums on the wonderful sand below.
It is near Bantham sands along the cliff path towards Thurlston. There is a seat at the top of the steep path. Otherwise park in Thurlston -follw the lane past the church over the golf course(white posts) and you will see the golfers hut on the coast path over the beach.
Enjoy the beach, and don't annoy any of us locals that have been coming here to enjoy naked sunning and swimming for over 50 years.
2 hours each side of low tide you can go for a long naked walk over the rocks towards Bantham. Don't get cut off though.
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