Tag: beach

kayaking in Cold Spring Harbor

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

As Juan wrote in his first blogpost, kayaking, although often overlooked, is probably the easiest outdoor activity to practice in the buff without anyone noticing. It’s hard to tell whether one wears shorts, speedos or… nothing 😉

Last sumer, I had a couple of fun kayak trips with a few buddies in and around Cold Spring Harbor in Long Island.

Cold Spring Harbor hosts the world-famous laboratory that contributed to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. Most of the land along Cold Spring Harbor and Oyster Bay is privately owned, but you can definitely explore the area by the sea.

Once you reach the edge of the Oyster Bay, you could head out to the open waters of Long Island Sound

or turn Eastwards in the direction of Caumset State Park.

This is how it looks from the air (these photos were taken on another occasion, obviously).

To reach the beach of Caumset Park, you need to paddle around the sand spit that is a part of private land. You won’t see many people on the shore, perhaps a lonely fisherman.

Once you go around the tip of the sand spit, you will see a beautiful beach of Caumset State Park.

It is surrounded by lush forest which gives it almost tropical appearance.

Cormorants seemed to to be the only ones to welcome us.

The beach doesn’t see many visitors, it has a touch of the lost world…

Which also meant we could stay there as nature intended, without clothes 🙂

The sand cliffs appeared to be even prettier than from afar, revealing different shades of orange and pink.

Some shorebirds, possibly sand martins, have a colony there; my friend Martin :D, who climbed the cliffs couldn’t confirm what they were, we didn’t see any birds leaving the nests.

We enjoyed viewing the scenery for a bit and strolled along the beach.

Low tide revealed a lot seaweed, that tried to anchor at anything solid.

We found a flat white rock that was perfect for a lunch break,

and a golfinch was pleasing our ears while we took a nap…

On another occasion, we actually did some jumps instead of a nap 🙂

After the nap, we discover that a storm was on our way. The forecast for the day was ambiguous, but we were not anticipating to paddle in the sea during a thunderstorm!

We prepared to leave hastily, but as soon as we got on water, the sky started clearing ahead of us and we just tried to escape from the menacing clouds.

It got quiet again.

The storm seemed to get sucked into the Atlantic Ocean over Long Island.

The only place where we got a bit worried again, was around the tip of the sand spit that I mentioned above, because it gets quite strong currents and waves during tide change.

But it wasn’t a challenge after all, and we got back safely. We definitely look forward to more kayaking!

nudist kayaking down the Ebro River

by J, posted in active naturists

español

Water is definitely the most popular element that invites many to try and practice nudism, and besides obvious swimming/snorkelling or just plain fun skinny-dipping, kayaking sounds like the next best thing to do naked in water. We organized a kayak tour through a naturist forum and got a very good group of people to go down the Ebro River in Spain.

Kayaking is a lot of fun: it’s a good exercise and a great way to explore the area. Although I bet not many people think about it as a naturist activity, it is probably the easiest one to practice on public land (water, that is), as no one can really see from aside whether you wear a swimsuit or not.

We found that we could rent kayaks at the town of Miravet (Tarragona province), which also sounded like a great place to experience Ebro, one of the mightiest rivers of Iberian peninsula. It is a town with long history but is well kept; it was very important during Medieval Ages as a river port. The medieval structure of the town has been maintained till now, and the castle is certainly worth a visit.

When came to rent kayaks, we wore swimsuits, of course; also we were given lifejackets.

But as soon we departed a few meters from the bank, off went the clothes!

The day was just perfect for kayaking, and although we had just tow hours for the whole trajectory, we made a lot of stops to relax and take photos. Aurelio lives in Miravet and knows the area well, so he brought us to an Ancient Roman mill, almost in ruins. This place seemed to be unknown for other travellers.

By the end, we got really tired. I went in a double kayak with my friend David, but it appeared that people that went in single kayaks could move faster. It takes time to learn to coordinate well with your partner, and otherwise, it is more difficult to control a double kayak.

So we definitely enjoyed the rest of the afternoon by the pool at the rural house. Excellent weather, excellent group of friends!

Hopefully we will organise something of that sort next year 🙂

Sandy Hook is stronger than Sandy!

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

As life in New York metropolitan area slowly returns to normal after the Frankenstorm, some of the city dwellers start thinking beyond the most vital issues. I’ve heard from several people already their concern about whether we’ll have a proper beach season next summer, because of some rumours that beaches got destroyed. So, yours truly got on a plane and went to check it out. Well, luckily I have a friend who is a pilot on a small plane and we planned a flight on the clear morning last Sunday…

When we reached the coastal area of Rockaway, it was obvious that for many people by the waterfront, the most essential question was still… where to live.

A large part of Breezy Point was wiped out by fire that fire department wasn’t able to reach because of the flooding.

These are aerial photographs of one of my favorite beaches, Fort Tilden, before Sandy.

And these are from this Sunday.

The beach itself looks as beautiful, but you can see that the dunes receded… and their sand covers the road now! I have mixed feeling about it being less accessible now. In a way, it is also nice to have some wilderness areas within NYC boundaries.

Jersey Shore suffered from Frankenstorm even more, but we flew only above its northernmost tip, Sandy Hook. Gunnison beach of Sandy Hook, probably my favorite one in the area, appeared totally flooded at first sight.

But it definitely remains to be a wide sandy beach as we know it!

It’s got this interesting sand barrier structure that goes along the shore, but I doubt it will last till next summer.

Parts of the road were still flooded, and I am sure there is a lot of mud and sand.

Another thing that I noticed looking at the beach, was that the parts of sand dunes covered with plants, even just grass or small bushes, seemed to have resisted the surge pretty well.

This made me think that the fence that limits access to the dunes for protection of shorebirds, such as plovers, was actually also necessary to preserve the plant cover. This, in turn, reminded me of a couple of case when I saw rangers patrolling the beach hitting the fence while passing through it and not bothering to put it back! One friend of mine took care of it, and he made it artfully!

In any case, I have no doubt that there will be a beach season next summer. Sandy Hook proved to be stranger than Sandy!

Fire Island

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Finally I am adding info on this famous getaway destination. New Yorkers, especially from LGBT community, flock to Fire Island, and for a good reason, or rather many reasons. On the one hand, it provides a totally tranquil and rustic environment, with its wooden houses and deer walking on the roads instead of cars. On the other hand, there is a number of bustling bars and a pretty big dance club, as well as special performances and private parties. Many rental houses are clothing-optional too, especially by the pool.

And of course, this narrow stretch of land between the bay and Atlantic Ocean is a lot about the beach. The part of the beach between Pines and Cherry Grove is commonly known as clothing-optional.

The beach turned out to be a good place to make friends. That’s where I got to know David, who showed me a backflip and thus inspired me to take a gymnastics class. Also I got to know two sweet dudes with a dozen of kites. Their parrot seemed to like me, or at least I was able to tame him, although at first he appeared somewhat crazy. It was so nice to get it as a present in the end! But I preferred to keep my distance from the shark, however.

Burning Man ticket for sale, plans and Tacoboy’s Beach Fest at Sandy Hook

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

I’ve already announced that I’m going to Burning Man this year, a crazy festival of artful, creative and positive spirit that several friends of mine say is the most memorable event of their lives. BREAKING NEWS: guess what, I’ve got an extra ticket to sell! Last year was the first time when the organizers had to limit the amount of tickets and it was quickly sold out. This year, they tried a new lottery system for selling tickets, and I was among the lucky ones who got two tickets! Unfortunately my supposed-to-be burner companion has got a new job and cannot join me anymore. So I’ve decided to give it a try and see if there is anyone interested among my readers!

Let me know by e-mail or leave a comment here if you want to get the ticket! I don’t think I need to advertise this sought-after item, but FYI the ticket is from the cheapest tier and in the good spirit of Burning Man I am selling it face value.

Meanwhile, I was trying to pick a theme camp to join at Burning Man and chose one that might not be the most artistic but definitely is one of the most handy camps: Playa Bike Transport. Apparently, bicycle is the way to go at Burning Man, and this camp provides bikes for rent and free repair service during the event. The idea to learn bike repair is especially appealing to me, because I plan some long bike trips.

Needless to say, I’ll spend a lot of time naked there – perhaps I’ll be your naked mechanic? But I still need to think of a costume for night time, as it gets really cold after sunset.

And just a couple of weeks ago, I got a bit of  a taste of Burning Man at Sandy Hook beach. One of the famous fellows from the so-called burner community, Tacoboy, organized a mini-fest there with potluck food and drinks, hula-hoops, some music (just as loud as it was allowed at this place), give-aways and lots of smiles. There was a couple of other groups that brought some decorations.

We spent a lot of time hula-hooping, as well as playing volleyball and frisbee.

As we were a lot of people, we didn’t play with just one frisbee, but with two. Simultaneously 🙂

The game provided plenty of opportunities to take photos à la discobolus statue.

But the hollow frisbee also proved to be a nice decorative tool.

As if all that wasn’t enough, we topped it up with some gymnastics! I’ll write more about our beach gymnastics classes in one of the following posts, but for now I’ll post a photo of our awesome foursome handstand.

naturist-0074-gymnastics-@-Gunnison-Beach,-Sandy-Hook,-NJ,-USA

Can you believe that the girl on the photo was able to do her handstand for the first time on that day? David, who was in charge of our acrobatic frenzy, must be a really good teacher! And again, such unexpected (and free!) class of gymnastics with a naked instructor is totally in line with Burning Man spirit the way I imagine it.

Agistri island

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

If you go from Athens port Piraeus along Aegina island you will notice a small hilly island of Agistri. Unlike other islands around, it is fully covered by forest. Also, it has plenty of small bays with sandy and pebbly beaches. One of them is known as a naturist beach. Considering that getting to Agistri from Piraeus takes about 50min, it is an excellent alternative to naturist beaches around Athens on the mainland. Or if you are on Aegina island already, you can get from there too (Flying Dolphin in 10min, Agistri Express in 15min).

Flying Dolphin brings you to Megalochori pier

From which you’ll need to take a bus to Skala beach (€1.5), but ferries and Agistri express come directly to Skala pier.

Skala is a neat beach with clean sand, small tavernas and hotels.

Go further south along the sea and eventually the road turns into a trail.

You’ll see a hill covered with pine trees that has an entire tenting camp site. And no wonder, fresh sea breeze and pine smell create a perfect atmosphere.

The bays is hidden behind a small cape, and the way down is not obvious.

When I came to the edge of the cliffs, right by my feet, a head of another naked tourist appeared.

That’s how I found out the trail leading to the beach. From down there I saw some people above who probably couldn’t find there way down. Oh well, but I couldn’t complain, as that was what probably helped to keep the beach so pristine!

**********

This story and photos were contributed by our reader from Moscow, Igor.

Sandy Hook

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Happy Independence Day! As a present for our US American readers, here is the post about Gunnison Beach at Sandy Hook. It is definitely one of the top clothing-optional beaches in the US, and for a good reason.

This beach is huge, even though large part of it is closed for protection of shorebirds, primarily plovers.

This part usually opens in the end of summer, when nesting season is over, but you can just go strolling or jogging in the protected area.

Once, the water was full of fish roe,

and it left beautiful crystal-like traces, or rather footprints, of the waves on the sand. And plovers were happy to feast on it.

But even the designated area is big enough to host numerous beach goers from NYC metropolitan area as well as Jersey shore.

Most people stay close to water, so there is a vast sandy part between people and dunes that may be used for  jogging

and of course nudists’ favorite volleyball.

The limiting factor is rather space at the parking lot which fills up quickly on weekends.

If you don’t mind spending more money – $45 0r $30 with this coupon on certain times – it is way better to get to Sandy Hook from Manhattan by ferry.

It leaves from two locations Midtown and Downtown, and you have an easy ride with fresh breeze and nice views.

Speaking of views, what makes Gunnison Beach very special is that there’s no other nudist beach that could boast with Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. You’ll definitely want a naked portrait with that background, just prepare a pair of glasses against the bright sun.

There you go!

Another option is to turn upside down 🙂

Oh wait, I think I did manage to get at least one ‘normal’ portrait. It is somewhat surreal to let it all hang out while seeing that crazy city so close.

Coming back to Manhattan after that feels like coming to another world.

Nikita beach and forest (Crimea)

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

 Русский

One of very few places where primeval dry subtropical forest meets the sea on the South coast of Crimea. Simply a beautiful place! This is my last post about naturist places in Crimea for now.

Probably you’re surprised to hear about subtropical forest in Ukraine Russia (depending on your political views and the map issued by your state), but the South coast of Crimea is indeed one of the northernmost areas with subtropical climate, as it is  protected from northern winds by Crimean mountains and warm Black Sea keeps temperatures milder.

The protected forest of Nikita, officially known as Cape Martyan Reserve,  is right next to the Nikita Botanical Garden (and formally, it is a part of it), and it hosts some plants that are common in the Mediterranean, for example, arbutus, or strawberry tree.  I couldn’t resist resting on low branches of one of those the way to the beach: the bark is very smooth and has a very pleasant, slightly velvet-like, touch.

Just too bad its strawberry-like fruit were not ripe yet.

First time, I was came the beach walking by the shore starting at this point, where I also paid a park fee, but sometimes it was too rough too hike through the rocks, and later I discovered that it was easier to walk by the trail starting here. In both cases, you can use trolleybus #34 from Yalta in the direction of the Nikita Botanical Garden.

When I first reached the beach, it really appeared like paradise lost!

And after having walked behind that upright rock, I saw a man walking in Adam’s suit, so I knew I was in the right place 😉

By the way, Cape Martyan Reserve does not only include the forest but a part of the sea too, with many fish species. Numerous cormorants resting on the rocks indicated at the sea riches.

And indeed, the underwater rocks seemed teeming with life.

Second time, I brought my sister too. She is not an adamant nudist like me, but she was impressed by my photos from the first trip to cape Martyan and was eager to come along. We got some rain, but we didn’t mind it, as it was warm.

And this was what kept this place so green at the height of summer. After the clouds started disappearing behind the hills,

we climbed some of those strawberry trees again.

And then, with the beautiful sun rays on the background, I felt like posing in the role of some ancient sun-god.

The “sun” that I held in my hands was a juicy Crimean melon, which we happily ate afterwards :p

What a nice day it was to celebrate both the rain and the sun!

Uchkuyevka beach, Sevastopol (Crimea)

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

 Русский

Uchkuyevka (aka Lubimovka) is the only beach within Sevastopol city area with well established nudist area. This beach is very long, with nice soft sand and picturesque sandstone cliffs. You can get there from the main part of the city by boat directly (once an hour from Artilereyskaya bay) or by more frequent ferry to Severnaya side first (from Grafskaya pier) and then minibus.

Naturists gather at both southern and northern edges of the beach, but the latter is more popular. As soon as you pass these sandstone cliffs,

you will see most of the people enjoying the sun and the sea without swimsuits. So you can disrobe immediately and pick your spot, there is still a couple of miles of beach ahead!

So you can find a quiet spot for yourself, come with your family (like I did, but I will talk about it some time later), or a big group of friends.

La spiaggia nudista di Guvano si trova alle Cinque Terre in provincia di La Spezia.

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

English

Il nudismo in Italia non è legale ma qui è tollerato. E’ proibito il campeggio, accendere fuochi o usare droghe.

La spiaggia è raggiungibile dalla stazione ferroviaria di Corniglia. Si va in direzione del paese ma non si salgono le scale che portano al paese e si prende l’ex tunnel ferroviario in direzione Vernazza che sta sotto. Attualmente l’accesso al tunnel è libero anche se le ferrovie ritengono sia pericoloso attraversarlo, ci vuole un po’ di attenzione ed essendo completamente buio è indispensabile una torcia. Le informazioni su cancelli e pagamento di pedaggio sono riferite a qualche anno fa. La concessione è scaduta da anni.

Il tunnel resta l’unico modo per arrivare in spiaggia non essendo più praticabili i sentieri dopo l’alluvione dell’ottobre 2011. In 15 minuti si raggiunge questa incantevole spiaggia ben frequentata da italiani e stranieri, ma che resta sempre un posto assai tranquillo.

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