How would my 30-year-old self have reacted to my 60th birthday plans to go on holiday beside a nudist beach, and bathe naked for the first time? Most probably with a combination of horror and disbelief.
Once, my idea of a proper celebration would have involved dressing up to go to a swanky hotel. Now, three decades later, I was dressing down to a whole new level and packing (extremely light) for a positively improper adventure – a camping holiday in Antiparos, Greece.
The campsite offered ‘carefree vacations in contact with nature’. Photos of bare bottoms showed exactly how closely in contact with nature… "It’s next to a nudist beach!" I squawked.
Immediately, my mind filled with images of people riding bikes and playing badminton in the altogether, but that was just based on 1969 film Carry on Camping. I’d comfortably whipped off my bikini top to sunbathe back in the day, but two children and many years later, I wasn’t sure I was ready to bare my body to the world.
My first au naturel beach experience
Six weeks, a flight and two ferries later, my husband Jonathan and I arrived at our pre-erected tent. Right in front of it was an enticing blue door, through which we found rock pools, fishing boats bobbing about on the sparkling water and a sign that read ‘Nudist beach this way’. We bottled it and scuttled off to find breakfast instead.
‘We applied sun cream all over – I mean, all over’
It took a few more days of unwinding and a couple of lunchtime rosés before we felt ready to follow that sign. In our tent, we made sure to apply sun cream all over – and I mean, all over. The thought of burning the parts never before exposed to UV rays was too painful to contemplate.
Arriving at the nudist beach, we were confronted by naked people of all ages, shapes and sizes. Some were playing volleyball, which resulted in all manner of jiggling. We tried to look nonchalant as we whipped off our towels and lay down, eyes tightly shut, on the premise that if we couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see us.
The next challenge was entering the water because once upright, there was nowhere to hide. My approach was to glide in and submerge myself as fast as possible. Jonathan followed suit and we bobbed about together, working out our exit strategy: suck in stomachs and focus on the sand.
Finding confidence in acceptance
Later, showered and safely dressed again, we felt pleased with ourselves for surviving this departure from our comfort zone and headed to a nearby taverna, where a group of English holidaymakers grinned at us. "They were on the beach earlier," my husband whispered.
At first, I cringed, but then I became defiant. They could snigger all they liked. My body had served me well until now and if these people found it amusing, it was their problem, not mine.
However, most people were friendly and we gradually relaxed on the nudist beach, although perhaps not as much as the two portly gentlemen from Yorkshire who stood starkers, hands on hips as they loudly discussed the car park at Leeds Bradford Airport.
I admired their lack of self-consciousness and almost pitied the group of young, gorgeous, nut-brown Greeks who kept their bikinis firmly on and missed out on the glorious feel of warm water top to toe and everywhere in between.
At their age, I’d probably have been the same, but now, being at the ‘nothing to gawp at’ stage was like wearing a cloak of invisibility. Just as I kept my eyes to myself, I knew there was no danger Jonathan would ogle anyone because a) he was far too respectful and b) he’s severely short-sighted!
It’s a great leveller, seeing your fellow humans the way nature intended. There’s a wonderful sense of freedom when you don’t have to contort yourself in and out of a soggy swimming costume, and an all-over tan is always a bonus.
It certainly wasn’t the kind of birthday suit I’d once imagined I’d be wearing at 60, but would I do it again? The tickets for this summer are already booked.
Have your say
We polled our Instagram followers to find out their views of nudist beaches, and were surprised that 74% of them wouldn't get naked on a nudist beach, while only 14% would go all the way.
What do you think? Vote in our website poll, and let us know your stories, tips and thoughts in the comments section below.
This article first appeared in the August 2025 issue of woman&home magazine. Subscribe to the magazine for £6 for 6 issues.
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