I was just reading on link from here that there is now a sign in the car park saying no naturist activities, is this the case as i was hoping to go this summer as we have often gone to Croyde beach (but not as naturists)
Any info would be great.
Chris
It was certainly true the last time I was there which was probably around four years ago.
There was no visible sign last year, but I use the Middle Car Park at the end of Sandy Lane.
Don
hi I also use this Car Park at the end of Sandy Lane, theres some great walks around there, and great spots to sit and relax, can't wait for a little warmer weather...lol 8)
The sign stating no naturism at the main carpark is a hangover from around the mid nineties when some male nudists seemed to have a right to roam attitude which was not shared by textile families.I was not using the beach at this period but I can remember mentions in the local rags & spoke last year to a nudist on the beach who says police were brought up from Devon (Plymouth) to mount patrols/surveillance & apparently one short sighted gent. was caught.
Saunton is vast & complex compared with most other beaches particularly it's length (4-4.5 miles), 3 carparks, huge dune formations, military use & recent new grazing enclosures, also the potential for discrete nude use to occur over large areas of it.
Is there a facility to post an article which can act as a guide to the area on NC ? Maybe there is one & being new to the site I haven't found it yet.
If not I wouldn't mind having a go at writing it then the membership can rip it apart/ refine it into a final draft
I have been informed by two nudists on thursday (24th) that the middle carpark for Saunton is now charging initially £1.50 soon £2.50 a day for cars (hopefully less for bikes). Apparently season tickets that can also be used in the main carpark are to be available.
We were there last week (half term) a couple of times we parked in the sandy lane car park but we did get lost on the sand dunes on the way back the second time, so the last time we went which was on wednesday 6th we parked in the main Saunton car park at a cost of £5 but it was an easy walk then along the beach for about fifty minutes to reach some man made huts where we secured the beach tent as it was windy but very warm.
I still cant believe we were the only ones on the beach naked, we got there about three and got back to the car about ten past nine and managed to walk almost all the way back to the car park naked it was great.
Steve :).
I used to visit Santn sands but I used to park at the deep carpark down Sandy Lane. Quiet and met a few others using the far end of the beach. The dunes had gay men inside but you do get allsorts.
This was early 90s so it may be different now.
Things have changed since the '80's & early '90's partly thanks to the issues I related too in my post of May 5th last year, also the change from RAF to Royal Marines at Chivenor around 1994 with the latter heavily using the central & particularly south central areas of the dunes for training.
I can remember naturist families using an area about 1.5 miles from main car park in central section north of the footpath from Sandy Lane carpark in the '80's in numbers on weekends which rarely if ever happens now. Thanks to the signs at the car parks naturists either use the foredunes or use windbreaks at the base of them although you do see the odd one or two on open view on the sands.
I use an area called North Tail bend at the southern end of the main straight about 2 miles south of the main carpark which is closer to Sandy Lane & perhaps, Crow Point car park but on weekdays & quieter weekends possible to use other suitable sections of the c.4.25 mile beach, which I do if short of time or energy. Most of the modest number of fellow nudists I meet are male pensioners many divorced/widowed, only seen one regular couple & she isn't except when down by the sea at low tide, no families or single women but not surprised given the remoteness & distances.
In the half a dozen visits i've made to Saunton this year (all on weekdays) the number of naturists seems to be down compared with previous years, hardly surprising given last years weather, although I've met 3 regulars I know.
How is saunton in 2014?
Been approx. 9 times since late May, and despite better weather, there would seem to be fewer naturists than 3 years ago but then i can't do Sundays when I suspect there are many more than the mid weekdays I visit on.
One couple and a single elderly man are the only ones I've seen consistently this year also fewer ' tourist ' nudists - shame given some of the gorgeous days I've been down there on.
As for the beach itself storms in the winter banked and 'escarped ' the face of the foredunes making it harder for naturists without windbreaks to find spots out of sight of passing textiles and have easy access to the sands and sea.