Spain and Portugal for Visitors

Bare Beaches

The Spanish naturist association FEN says, and it is a commonly repeated affirmation, that "At this time there is freedom of nudism in any public area in Spain and no authorization is required," going on to clarify that private areas are a whole different ballgame (so to speak). The reason is that legislation prohibiting "el escándalo público," indecency, was removed from the statutes back in 1989 as unconstitutional and not replaced. Does this mean you will find nudists everywhere you look in Spain? Of course not. Apart from the fact that the FEN stance is at least controversial, Spanish naturists are as interested as anyone else in maintaining a degree of discretion (though naturists are frequently activists, as a result of which Madrid, about as far from the sea as you can get in Spain without tunneling, has its own nudist beach, at the San Juan reservoir in the west of the province, and certain swimming pools in the city have naturist sessions). But beaches are normally declared to be nude or non-nude by the corresponding local authority, the majority of the former being clothing optional, though a few are exclusively nudist. And many have never been defined one way or the other, which may explain why the FEN's list of naturist beaches in the province of Almeria alone contains more beaches than Bare Beaches has for the entire Spanish mainland. But the FEN adds an ambiguous disclaimer to its lists, that "it does not mean... that you will find more nudists there" (and the Spanish Environment Ministry seems to have given up keeping track of which beaches are classified as nudist altogether). This makes Bare Beaches all the more useful as a guide to just where you can doff your kit and feel comfortable about it.

Spain is not the only country in this guide to naturist beaches. France, Greece, Croatia and the Caribbean are all covered, and Bare Beaches even goes as far as the Americas and Australasia. But Spain and Portugal together occupy nearly a third of the text, the meat and potatoes of which is the beach-by-beach presentations, each being given in context, with a straightforward, hype-free description, instructions for getting there, the facilities you will find and, where appropriate, an account of the options available for overnight stays. A nice balance is struck between commercial beaches like Vera Playa, with its four-star hotel, various apartment and villa complexes and campsite, family beaches, and more remote, far-from-the-madding-crowd beaches such as those in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.

The sales slogan is "the book your pale bits have been waiting for," which will give you an idea of the overall tone of Bare Beaches: light and highly readable (the word "bare" is milked for maximum jocularity - bare facts, getting your barings, you get the idea). It is profuse in maps and more than passable photographs with a charming hint of an H&E look about them, about which a spot sample of this reviewer's Spanish friends and relatives remarked, almost to a man, "Culos" (bottoms), the predominant camera angle being from behind; this could be either because the photographer did not want the hassle of carrying model release forms around or, more probably, to avoid showing genitals: the world as a whole may be becoming progressively more liberal, not so book retailers.

In short, anyone thinking they might want to get nekkid while visiting any of the countries included, especially Spain and Portugal, will find Bare Beaches an inestimable help. It is published by Lifestyle Press and can be purchased directly from their website for £14.95, UK postage included.