The Secret Naturist Handbook

[jbeegoode]

There have been times when I'd take off with no clothing, either a spontaneous stroll from camp, or intentional in the Tortolitas, or a commitment to just stay nude as if nothing was unusual. With a lookee attitude,  would be struck with the ideas of repercussions and fears and have a challenge, but I actually with such abandon, just walking off naked, there is a sense of liberation. I feel that I have shucked off the shackles, I'm free, roaming as is my natural right meant to be. I have felt like I was grasping my natural identity, without the fears and constraints. Once again, I refer to "1984" and that scene in the woods when they get naked, together, carried away in the liberation, tasting the reality without the societal context, make love and then get caught. What story do you want to run your life?

How can I be where I am, when I'm concerned with what if?
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

NUDE CYCLING: From TSNS Handbook

Living in south east Scotland I have access to some of the best off-road cycling in the country, the forests of the Tweed Valley, as well as many other less popular forests dotted around the area. This seemed too good an opportunity to miss and it was not long before nude cycling was added to my list of favourite secret naturist activities.

Starting in nude cycling is not difficult. Obviously you require a bicycle and I would suggest you get a mountain bike or at least a hybrid capable of handling tough off-road conditions. I suggest this simply because locations where a normal road-going bicycle may be ridden naked are much less frequent. Having a good off-road bike allows you to make the most of country trails and forest tracks, locations where nude cycling is more practical.

Finding places for nude cycling should not be that difficult. In most cases, if you can walk along a trail, you can also ride a mountain bike as well. Look for commercial forestry plantations where access roads and firebreak trails can be used. Any area where there are way-marked trails can also be used, although there may be some restrictions on cycling. However, as you will probably be there alone, this should not be too much of a problem. You might also want to consider urban cycle ways and even golf courses, although both are usually only useable at night.

As mentioned in nude rambling, it is important the carry out some through planning before attempting nude cycling. I won't go over this again but would stress that a good knowledge of the area is important.

So, we have a suitable bike and have found a suitable location. What next? The first thing we need to consider is what to do with our removed clothing. One option is to use a rucksack but this reduces the "nakedness" of nude riding and I always prefer to have the bike itself carry my clothing. One way of doing this is to strap your bumbag to the handlebars. I found this works quite well but is not ideal.

The perfect solution was to fit an aluminium rack to the rear and this proved much better that the method above. This method was greatly improved when I purchased a Karrimor Karousel Trunk, a 12 litre capacity bag that fits neatly onto the top of the rear rack. Everything is held securely inside a large zipped compartment while still allowing quick and easy access should the need arise.

Nude cycling is not without its risks, with falling off being perhaps the most obvious. A fall from a bike at speed can be painful, even when fully clothed. A fall when naked does not bare thinking about. My advice is to keep your speed down and plan ahead. Get off and walk if you have to. Its not a race.

One of the problems with nude cycling is that your ability to hear is considerably reduced by the noise of the bike and also by wind noise. You may find that you fail to hear the approach of people in time to cover up. However, I find the best option is simply to keep on going. You are usually travelling faster than walkers anyway and are soon out of sight.

There are many benefits to nude cycling over nude rambling. One is that you can cover a greater distance in a shorter time. You also have a means of carrying your clothing and can keep the entire body free of baggage. I always think you feel more naked when you have nothing against your bare skin.

[jbeegoode]

Published before the cycling in cities, like WNBR and Fremont Solstice, Burning Man.

I choose 4x4 to get out to remote safe areas for better comfort. A bike will use the same roads, but is better exercise.

Who among us has biked? Ian from the pubs late at night, as I remember.
Jbee

[ric]

i havnt "biked" since i got a car , now retirement is approaching its something i am considering for naked exercise, here were close to the somerset levels where there is a network of tracks both tarmac and natural where there is very little traffic or other users and lots of wildlife to stop and photograph.  just need the free time to take advantage of it.

[jmf]

Who among us has biked?
Jbee

I've done that sometiomes:
http://www.randonnues.fr/?p=5768

http://www.randonnues.fr/?p=5315

http://www.randonnues.fr/?p=1906

[jbeegoode]

ric- that sounds wonderful, now that there is no fear of arrest. Everything better naked.
JMF- I remember my former girlfriend wore a vest and swim suit to work to test the waters, so to speak, about riding nude. She took the River walk asphalt path that morning. When she got to work, a couple of cohorts told her that they thought that she was naked under it at first. She decided to not attempt the nude thing. I thought that it looked that way, too. I found it sexy, but poor stealth, because the florescent jacket drew attention to her and then her bare legs, etc. it was advertising "look at the naked chick on the bike."

I tried black paint bike shorts and a bright semi-blinding light to hide behind on the river walk, many years ago. I rode fast so no one could catch up from behind. It didn't feel particularly great. It wasn't freeing, more just avoidance of hassles, which is a hassle.  More trouble than pleasure. There are police bike patrols occasionally on that route. I wouldn't attempt it in that busy area again. Too much risk, not enough pleasure.

It was the difference between a SN trick, and a pleasurable nude walk in the woods. One is excitement and getting away with something at some risk and one is pleasure that can be bring a spiritual aspect to the adventure. If it was a legal activity to be taking a nude ride, it would be different.

I used to notice when I would ride my bike in the desert, that the animals were snuck upon. The bike was quiet, no steps and quick moving, even when coasting. Perhaps it wasn't a dangerous sound, like the soft  tick-tick of a coasting bike. Timid rabbits would just sit and stare, "What's that?"
Jbee

[barerider]

How about five World Naked Bike Rides, a couple of sheep station solo rides in New Zealand. Quite a few coast track rides on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, and, over the years, a great many early morning short rides in a forest area a couple of miles from where I live.

I love it!

Barerider

[jmf]

In France, the high visibility jacket is mandatory when cycling at night outside urban areas

[jbeegoode]

How about five World Naked Bike Rides, a couple of sheep station solo rides in New Zealand. Quite a few coast track rides on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, and, over the years, a great many early morning short rides in a forest area a couple of miles from where I live.

I love it!

Barerider

barerider, I'd like to hear much more of sheep station solo rides in New Zealand. I can only guess what that means. What is the terrain? How does that work? How does it come about. How far is that? What are the risks? What are the roads or trails like?

I know only of JoHnGW's reports on Canary Islands. I've seen a two lane coastal road and lots of desert. He has trekked the coast from town to town. He never mentioned designated trails. What are the coast track rides on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura like?

I used to love mountain biking.
Jbee

[Safebare]

While working in Shreveport, LA., I lived in a lake cottage on Caddo Lake across the street from the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddo_Lake_National_Wildlife_Refuge
This abandoned armory was the site of Reagan's nuclear disarmament.  They actually diffused nuclear weapons at this facility.  More recently it was established as a National Wildlife Refuge with continuing efforts to clean up the radiation and other pollutants, clearing timber and establishing trails for visitors.  There are paved and unpaved roads through out the 8,000+ acres and trails that lead deeper into the forest.  I often hiked and biked clothes free throughout the property, rarely encountering others.  I generally started out in a pair of shorts and packed them away as soon as I entered the park.  I encountered a lot of various wildlife, including a crocodile.
I was biking through a particularly narrow trail when I hit a fallen branch and was launched over the handlebars.  That caused a hematoma within my left knee.  I thought I could rest and the pain would ebb, but the longer I rested the worse it became.  I ended up pedaling one footed and nude back to my cottage.  By late evening, I was convinced that I needed to go to the ER.  My landlord, the only one nearby that would come to my aid, had imbibed a bit too much to drive me.  So, I drove myself to the ER.
After 3 hours at the ER, they gave me Tylenol and said that time would solve the hematoma and they could not give me anything stronger because I was going to drive myself home.  In the end they gave me a prescription to fill in the morning and a Tylenol - Codeine to take when I got home.
Anyway, I miss those days when I could simply cross the street to explore on bike or foot, completely clothes free for hours.  I have participated in 5 - 6 WNBRs in Austin and Houston.  Those are always fun. 
I also was able to slip out of my shorts while paddling around Caddo Lake, sometimes stopping at a bank and hiking into the forest without worry about what I was (not)wearing or the possibility of offending others.
Another quick story: My landlord had a pontoon boat, named the Shanty, that he'd built a cedar shack on top of.  It was decked out in Spanish moss, alligator skulls and turtle shells.  I helped him get the engine running and took it out for a test run, he didn't come with me.  I stopped for a quick swim across the lake and was air drying on the return trip, with the fore and aft doors open and me enjoying the cross breeze.  Of course, the Shanty was well known among the lake community.  A bass boat had sped up behind me thinking that owner, my landlord, was at the helm.  I didn't notice them until they were in my wake, immediately off my stern.  The neighbors were obviously humored by the sight of my bare ass airing out in the breeze, and quickly back off and away.  My landlord has waiting for me at the boathouse.  He was not happy.  He already knew about my clothesfree compulsion, so wasn't completely surprised.  We remain friends.
Pardon my rambling post, I hope you enjoyed the read.

~Safebare

[jbeegoode]

So, what did the crocodile do when you did your flip, just grin? You'll never see a croc on a bike, too dangerous

I am in admiration of that boat.
Jbee

[Safebare]

The crocodile was not to be bothered by my human antics, it just disappeared beneath the surface.  There are rumors that croco-gators live in the lake, though my niece, the 'croc expert' claims they are a scientific impossibility.  I have caught crocodiles from a kayak, but never a bicycle.

The Shanty is worthy of admiration.  There are trails on Caddo Lake that are completely obscured by the cypress forest.  Traveling through them in the Shanty can  give you the illusion that you are with Katherine and Humphrey on the African Queen.

~Safebare

[jbeegoode]

NUDE EXPLORING: From The Secret Naturist Handbook:

I suppose the first question you may be thinking is what is nude exploring? Well, I have come to define nude exploring as the naked exploration of a restricted location. For example, an Iron Age hill fort, old quarry, ruined building such as a castle or any other locations where you cannot roam extensively while naked. Perhaps this is best explained by example.

About 30 minutes drive from Edinburgh, there's an old quarry with extensive underground limestone workings. The area is lower than the surrounding countryside and quite sheltered from the wind and makes for some interesting nude exploring. As well as the old quarries, there are three areas of underground workings where limestone has been extracted. What I have done on various occasions is to take a couple of torches, leave my clothing hidden somewhere and explore the underground "stoop and room" workings while naked. It's great fun!

Another location where I have enjoyed some nude exploring is a ruined tower near Greenlaw in the Scottish Borders. Greenknowe Tower dated back many hundreds of years and is open to the public at all times. With no warden on site and only limited parking, it makes a great place for a visiting secret naturist to explore. Here, you can strip off and explore all the rooms of the ancient tower. Its not very big but is still quite thrilling all the same. You do need to keep an eye open for people arriving but you can see the main entrance from most areas of the tower. Its a great place to be naked at night, especially the dungeon!

When nude exploring there are a couple of rules I've adopted. One is that I try to explore each and every part of the location. In the case of the tower mentioned above, that would entail visiting every area or room in the building. In the underground workings above, that would include every nook and cranny I could get to. The other rule is that I try to explore nude without carrying my clothing and also barefoot if possible. You might also want to adopt these rules as they do help to make nude exploring much more interesting.

Some other places I've completed nude explorations are: a very exposed hill-top wind farm, a ruined castle, an underground burial chamber, a relatives house and garden, a disused railway tunnel and most of a four story office building where I used to work.

[jbeegoode]

Exploring is what we do. We explore nature, we explore ruins, or anything new to us. DF has subscriptions to Smithsonian and National Geographic. We love hanging out at old places and projecting ourselves into the scene of history. Around here, it is often a place of naked natives. Our ancient is usually about as old as European medieval. There has been the old west, wars, settlers and Indians,

We have ancient Native American sites, Indian hideouts, old mines, old logging roads and camps, railroads, or historic spots. The thing is that many of these places attract visitors. A weekday, poor weather, a look out, all are good to incorporate. Some places are pretty spooky at night. There are many in remote areas and ripe to exploit in liberation.

It is great to have a place to ones self without the tourist crowds to absorb the sense of it.

Jbee

[jbeegoode]

We like to explore places that Natives have inhabited in history. To get a reinactors feel for the times, that can mean nude like them. There is much to learn that way.

The only nude societies in the UK were the Pict's woad wearing in battle, and apparently around other places. Anybody ever get wrapped up considering what people didn't wear back in the day and experiment?
Jbee