Have just come back from a week in North Wales. During which time we spent quite a few days at Morfa Dyffryn. They were enjoyable days except for the fact of what can only be described as a prowling perv. Yes, the usual Meerkats were there, but these you can ignore, I find it amusing how they are using a naturist area but won’t use the beach where true naturists are. One user in particular was more concerning and quite obvious in his white hat and sunglasses, scrutinising everyone on the beach through binoculars.
On one occasion when it was too windy to use the beach shelter, we did find shelter from the wind in a ravine in the dunes. I must stress here that we are usually on the main beach and not hiding in the dunes. We were not long settled in when my partner noticed ‘white hat’ staring at us through a section of thin grass on top of the dunes right above us, at which point he either fell backwards or took a few steps back to hide.
Thinking that the embarrassment of being caught staring sent him away, we resumed sunbathing. Still on my guard I was watching where he had been to see if he was still there and sure enough there was the white hat beaming out like a beacon from behind the grass. Being caught this time did eventually send him away.
Before we left that evening, and out of curiosity I had to go and have a look at where ‘white hat’ had been. On getting to the point where he was the second time I saw him, I got down on my haunches to replicate where his head was, too high my partner says. Down on my knees, still too high she says. The only physical way to get low enough was to be lying on my stomach, now if that isn’t a perv trying to cop a view I don’t know what is.
Either these people are so stupid to realise that actions like this will stop people using the beach, and if it’s not being used by naturists the designated area status could be removed, or they don’t care as long as they get their kicks.
On a good point, there was at least one genuine naturist on the beach, other than us, that day as he did come and offer assistance when we were attempting to put the beach shelter up earlier in the day.
We had similar a few weeks back, oddly enough he had a white hat on too but was prowling up and down the beach part of the naturist section in a kite powered dune buggy thing. He came within 2 feet of our little beach tent, was most (amusingly) disappointed that I hadn't undressed yet (we'd only just got there) and did the same to my (male) partner coming nude out of the sea. He veered off sharpish when he realised me partner was male. He came back about six times while we were there, coming up really close in his buggy. Tbh I would have reported him if I knew who to report to/if he hadn't driven off faster than I could catch him! It seems 'we' have few rights in these instances. As for guy with binoculars I would have gone up to him,asked him what the **ll he wanted, and took his blasted binoculars off him! I can't see him going to the cops about it as he was clearly being a peeping Tom. I find that clothed solo males anywhere near a naturist area are universally up to no good. If they want naked people, why don't they use Google and leave us alone!! We too had a nice chat with a lovely naturist solo guy while we were there though, he had the etiquette down pat; he invited us to his little campfire later on but we weren't staying that long so had to decline.
**Gleaming like the grief of trees, they sang themselves away**
I had an experience with a guy in white hat at Morfa Dyffryn last summer (not sure whether it was the same guy). Anyway, I was in the water having a swim/paddle, looking back every-so-often to where I'd left my stuff just to check everything was OK. Suddenly I noticed white-hat sitting on an old log which was literally just feet (10ft max) from where I had left my stuff. Now sometimes on a busy beach you can't help but set up camp close to the next person (anyone who has been to Studland in high season will know what I mean!), but on this day the beach was quiet with plenty of room for people to spread out.
I watched him for a bit hoping he would just go away. Something about his unnecessary proximity gave me the creeps. When it became clear he was going nowhere I decided to return to my stuff, making a point of ignoring him when I got there. After a while he eventually moved on. Still not sure what he was after. *shudders*
We should take photos of these people and have a rogues gallery haha. And 'rogues' is a nice term!! Maybe call it the 'Beware of the Meerkat' Files, with locations where we encounter them!? THESE are the ones being odd/perverse,not us!
**Gleaming like the grief of trees, they sang themselves away**
Sounds like this person is a repeat offender, quite possibly local by the way he seem to know the locale
It's a shame we have idiots like Mr. Whitehat around, always considered the mobile prowlers like this much more of a problem than relatively immobile Meerkats.
I suspect that striking up a "friendly" conversation with him, fraught as it will be, might be an effective deterrent.
JOhn
Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.
George Bernard Shaw, Maxims for Revolutionaries
On every visit to the beach we saw this individual acting in the same manner. Even when we went further down the beach past him thinking he wouldn’t venture that far, we were wrong. It was almost as if he was making a point of ‘you can’t hide from me’, when he went from his camp to the extent of the beach (he’d never been that far down the beach before) and over the top of the dunes.
I wouldn’t want to strike up a conversation with anyone acting in such a furtive manner for fear that they would see it as an acceptance of their company and it encourage them further.
We should take photos of these people and have a rogues gallery haha. And 'rogues' is a nice term!! Maybe call it the 'Beware of the Meerkat' Files, with locations where we encounter them!? THESE are the ones being odd/perverse,not us!
Never mind a rogues gallery, the posting of fliers on the beach was a real possibility, if I’d had access to a computer & printer.
We had a similar incident at Studland beach a few years ago and in the end I approached the lone male and told him that if he didn't clear off I would take his picture and send it to the local police station. I had my camera ready and I have never seen any one move so quickly in all my life. It was like something out of a cartoon as he ran away across the dunes!
Don't blame you Andy! My post was more tongue in cheek but tbh I think if 'we' did have such a 'gallery' on here and/or similar sites then people would be warned in advance, and we could go to the police about them/club together and hound these idiots off the beach. I would do what Pete and Janet did, and would have a couple of weeks ago if we'd not just arrived and had only just put up our beach tent, my camera was tucked away in a bag. If you're in the naturist part of the beach then surely the law is on our side. The rules on peeping Toms when out of doors (whether in your back garden or an official naturist place) need to have a major review.
**Gleaming like the grief of trees, they sang themselves away**
I've told this story before but it seems relevant here. We visited a naturist beach in New Zealand, spent time there swimming and sunbathing and left to get a bite to eat and then move on. On impulse I thought it would be an idea to have one memory jogger wide angle picture of the beach. I returned, clothed, took a single photo with a small camera (by big lens camera was with my wife further sown the beach) and was immediately challenged by a single naturist who had been sitting with his wife.
, and he was right to challenge me.
Perhaps we need to be a bit more robust about these sort of people who infest our beaches. We pick up the consequences of their perverted activity when beaches are closed to naturism.
Davie 8)
I get the same problem at my local beach in south wales I even had an aeroplane fly low over the beach maybe 100ft above me trying to look unfortunatley its a known haunt for gay men in certain places and certain activities in the sand dunes behind the beach so I stay well clear of that area but I do get the odd one or two who venture further along the beach just to spy on other people
I'm really beginning to think that a "rogues gallery" (and networking them between naturist websites to warn others) would indeed be no bad thing! (As well as what I previously said, a tightening up of the rules on being a peeping Tom in naturist areas.) And maybe a guide for naturists who feel they are put in an untenable postion by this sort of behaviour, on how to deal with such pests that is within the law.
**Gleaming like the grief of trees, they sang themselves away**
I certainly think official naturist beaches should have wardens. Unfortunately nobody would want to pay them do they would need to be volunteers. Rogues galery might be difficult since it would be open to misuse where the accused start tit for tat accusations.
Whilst we support the idea of a rogues gallery it would be impossible to police and you run the risk of a website being prosecuted for misrepresentation, in addition I think the Data Protection Act would come in to effect, as storing a persons photo without their permission could be considered a breach of that, and their privacy - stupid as it may seem!