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« on: January 29, 2016, 04:09:51 PM »
As a newbie on this site, I thought this could be a good thread to make my first "proper" post. Here goes:
My favourite places for free range naturism for the past few years have been in the hills of southern Spain and also on Spain's volcanic Canary Isles in the Atlantic Ocean off North West Africa.
It helps that, at least on paper, it is not against Spanish law to be naked in public - also my wife speaks some spanish which could come in handy. This makes it easier to relax and enjoy the experience without needing to be unduly concerned about meeting others on the trail.
Mainland Spain is a spring / summer / autumn (fall) destination for British naturists - just a bit too cold in the winter. As usual, most stay on the south / east coasts where there are numerous naturist resorts. But most visitors stay close to the beach and never discover the hills a few miles inland. Up at about 600m (1000ft) altitude the temperature is just right for nude hiking - low to mid 20's C (70's F), whereas the coast can become uncomfortably hot - into the 30's C (90's F).
At low altitudes, shade can be hard to come by, with low spiky vegetation (maquis / sage brush), prickly pears and aloes - where these have not been replaced by acres of apartment buildings or golf courses. Higher up, this gives way to widely spaced Pines, which whistle gently in any kind of breeze and offer a some welcome shade. Low levels of undergrowth make for easy walking and visibility is good enough to see people approaching in time to assess whether to cover up or not. Gaining a ridge, you are rewarded with views of higher rockier peaks, villages of white houses with tiled roofs, valleys sometimes flooded for water catchment. Best of all are the "Natural Parks" - Paraje Natural - where it is possible to walk for miles withoout passing a building and people are heavily outnumbered by free-ranging bell-ringing goats.
Spring is the best time of year for finding flowing streams and maybe a pool for skinny-dipping - and plenty of wild flowers and butterflies by the trail.
Moving a few hundred miles further South to the Canary Isles - these are a year round destination where day length and temperature are pretty constant. At sea level its a steady 25C (77F) give or take a degree or two. For free range hiking my favourite island is Tenerife.
The volcanic peak, Teide, at 3700m (over 12000ft), is sometimes snowcapped. The huge crater around it is a world heritage site - its multicoloured seas of solidified lava are not to be missed! This has an altitude averaging 2200m (7200ft) so feels distinctly chilly despite the intense sunlight. Unfortunately it is always thronging with visitors and this together with its aggressive climate probably rule it out for naturism!
The hardy can hike (nude) up the outside of the crater from the Vilaflor road to the rim (2400m - almost 8000ft). The wind can be chilly at times, but the sun is strong - you are usually above any coastal cloud at this level. Your efforts will be rewarded with a stunning view across the crater to the peak 5 miles away!!! Awesome.
The South West facing slopes of the volcano between 900 and 1200m (3000 to 4000ft) are the best place for free range naturism. They are sparsely clad in Pine and segmented by some quite dramatic volcanic barrancos (canyons). This zone of the island is known as the Corona Forestal. Some well marked but little-used trails criss-cross this wild hillside, with views opening up across the ocean to the nearby island of La Gomera (which often sports a cloudy Tam o'Shanter over its laurel-forested summit) to the West.
The SW coast is where the resorts are, so after a good morning hike it is easy to call at one of the nudist beaches (La Tejita near the airport or La Caletta near Adeje) on your nude drive back to your hotel / apartment.
If anyone else shares my enthusiasm for nude hiking in Spain / Canaries, give me a shout! Would be great to exchange notes.
I'll try to post a couple of trip reports at some stage. It has been very interesting reading some of the reports you guys have already posted - especially the ones from stateside.
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