Cast your cares and your clothes aside – naturist Nick Mayhew
shares his top 10 European nude beaches for you to enjoy

If there’s one thing that Europeans do better than anyone else, it’s the nude beach. From bracing Scandinavian fjords to sunny French coves, we’re baring all like never before. Once confi ned to the remoter stretches of coast, naked bathing is now a common part of the holiday experience.

Take Spain, for example. Bare bottoms– once banned under Franco – are now a common sight on more than 700 beaches across the mainland and islands, enjoyed by millions of unclad tourists every year. In Croatia, 15 per cent of the total number of tourists are naturists.

So what’s the big appeal? Perhaps we’re hoping to escape our stressed and busy lives by getting back to nature, or looking for an adventure by doing something a little bit daring? Maybe we’re just seeking the perfect tan? Nude beaches offer all of this. But the best reason is simply the chance to swim naked in the sea; try it once and you’ll never look back.

So if you thought stripping off had to end at the shower door, think again. Tried and tested, here are the 10 best European beaches (in no particular order) where you can wear your birthday suit with pride.

1 VALALTA, Croatia
If you fancy a truly naked de-stress, Valalta is everything you could wish for. It’s so good that the nudist campsite here was recently voted the best in Croatia – among all sites, not just bare ones. With two miles of sand and rock beaches lined by olive trees and vineyards, including secluded coves, this nude beach and village are well loved by bare-beach connoisseurs.
Location: the beach is on the Istrian peninsula, 8km from Rovinj. You can visit for the day or book holidays through UK nudebeach specialist Peng Travel (www.pengtravel. co.uk) or direct atwww.valalta.hr.

Fly to Pula from London (Stansted) and Dublin.

2 PLAYA EL MAGO, Mallorca
This gorgeous little cove must see more bare flesh, per square metre, than any other beach in the world. The compact bay has a sandy beach at the back and rocky shores for great snorkelling. It even enjoys a lovely restaurant right on the beachfront. Sit with a cold beer watching brown bodies diving into the crystal clear sea and wonder if life can get any better.
Location: drive south out of Palma on the PM1 motorway and turn off for the two huge aqua parks. After the parks, the road bends sharply to the right, but just drive straight on into the woods for 3km, to bare-bathing heaven.

Fly to Palma Mallorca from London (Stansted),Liverpool, Düsseldorf (Weeze), Frankfurt (Hahn) and Pisa (Florence).

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