Another way of looking at it is that all Spanish beaches are clothes optional in less stated otherwise.

Another way of looking at it is that all Spanish beaches are clothes optional in less stated otherwise.

Even town centre beaches can be OK for before breakfast skinny-dipping.

The third picture shows the beach viewed from out hotel mini-balcony.
I know that the hotel staff were aware of my naked morning swims because they mentioned it but without any suggestion that I should desist.

It is not just beaches - except where there are any local by-laws, it is legal to be nude anywhere in public on Spanish soil.

It is not just beaches - except where there are any local by-laws, it is legal to be nude anywhere in public on Spanish soil.

Just like the UK but with greater public tolerance, especially in the Canary islands.

Its good to read a report on La Gomera. We've been there a few times, though not for about 7 years now. We stayed in Valle Gran Rey and got a bus to different spots inland in the mornings, a few times right up to the cloud forest level, and hiked back through the stunning scenery among the terraces. Sometimes we hiked nude if we knew there were no villages round the corner. We ended up on Playa del Ingles most afternoons and enjoyed relaxing naked after our exercise. You're right about the sea being rough most of the time, though it was usually OK to get in far enough to get wet and cool down, only strong swimmers braved it any further. The black sand can get very hot, so beach shoes etc are a good idea. One difference was that on our visits was that about 90% of the people there were nudists. I hope your experience doesn't mean that another beautiful place used by nudists is being taken over by textiles.

We also did walks that ended up at Playa de Las Arenas. Like you we found very few people there, maybe 15-20 at the most and everyone was naked and extremely well tanned, maybe there is some way of making a living nearby where you can be permanently nude? Might have to go back and investigate, I'd be happy to just earn enough to live on if I could be permanently naked in such a beautiful natural place.

I'm just back after a week of sailing on a classic West Country ketch from Tenerife to La Gomera and back. I spent a glorious day around Valle Grand Rey, looking for the fairly poorly documented nudist beaches. The first thing I discovered, which I think it's general in Spain, is that there AREN'T any nudist beaches, there are only some beaches where nudism is banned. Usually in built up areas. Otherwise you are actually free to strip off when ever you have the nerve. Nudism is banned on the long sandy beaches in the towns, but the most used beach by nudists is at the furthest north you can walk before you hit impassable cliffs, the Playa los Ingles. It is a beautiful, but very rocky black sand beach. Very rough when the wind is on shore, which I think it's nearly all the time. Swimming is very dangerous and sun bathing can involve hunting around for a sheltered spot, but there are lots. Many clothed tourists, which makes it a bit voyeuristic.
Going in the opposite direction, as far south as you can go past the ferry port brings you to a whole different paradise, the Playa de Las Arenas. A fairly small pair of black sand beaches under towering cliffs. Very sheltered so beautiful swimming and sun bathing on the sand or the smooth rocks. You have to navigate a very rough path around a large rock fall, and then slide down a few feet with the aid of a knotted rope (!), but it is worth it. Only half a dozen people there, all stark naked, mostly young, mostly female and looking like they hardly ever wear anything anytime. I only left because I had to get back to the boat.

Thanks for the interesting report! In recent years we've been going to La Gomera most years around November time. Although we stay at Playa Santiago on the southern tip of the island, we've certainly seen plenty of naturists on the black sand beach at Playa del Ingles, Valle Gran Rey.

It's a lovely little island and very different from the big four.

La Palma island, which we've only holidayed on once, is also pretty special too.

We keeps saying we'll get to El Hiero one day, but it's not the most accessible of the Canaries - quite a long ferry journey, or an internal flight, from Tenerife.

I'm just back after a week of sailing on a classic West Country ketch from Tenerife to La Gomera and back. I spent a glorious day around Valle Grand Rey, looking for the fairly poorly documented nudist beaches. The first thing I discovered, which I think it's general in Spain, is that there AREN'T any nudist beaches, there are only some beaches where nudism is banned. Usually in built up areas. Otherwise you are actually free to strip off when ever you have the nerve. Nudism is banned on the long sandy beaches in the towns, but the most used beach by nudists is at the furthest north you can walk before you hit impassable cliffs, the Playa los Ingles. It is a beautiful, but very rocky black sand beach. Very rough when the wind is on shore, which I think it's nearly all the time. Swimming is very dangerous and sun bathing can involve hunting around for a sheltered spot, but there are lots. Many clothed tourists, which makes it a bit voyeuristic.
Going in the opposite direction, as far south as you can go past the ferry port brings you to a whole different paradise, the Playa de Las Arenas. A fairly small pair of black sand beaches under towering cliffs. Very sheltered so beautiful swimming and sun bathing on the sand or the smooth rocks. You have to navigate a very rough path around a large rock fall, and then slide down a few feet with the aid of a knotted rope (!), but it is worth it. Only half a dozen people there, all stark naked, mostly young, mostly female and looking like they hardly ever wear anything anytime. I only left because I had to get back to the boat.

Thanks for the interesting report! In recent years we've been going to La Gomera most years around November time. Although we stay at Playa Santiago on the southern tip of the island, we've certainly seen plenty of naturists on the black sand beach at Playa del Ingles, Valle Gran Rey.

It's a lovely little island and very different from the big four.

La Palma island, which we've only holidayed on once, is also pretty special too.

We keeps saying we'll get to El Hiero one day, but it's not the most accessible of the Canaries - quite a long ferry journey, or an internal flight, from Tenerife.

We got to  El Hierro by ferry from La Gomera and then went direct to Tenerife from there for the flight home. El Hierro is an interesting island, some great landscapes,  the sheer cliffs/ remains of the caldera reminded us of northern Lanzerote. We had some interesting hikes there but only got naked a few times at very quiet spots, the weather wasn't that sunny while we were there and we saw no other nude people.

I'm just back after a week of sailing on a classic West Country ketch from Tenerife to La Gomera and back. I spent a glorious day around Valle Grand Rey, looking for the fairly poorly documented nudist beaches. The first thing I discovered, which I think it's general in Spain, is that there AREN'T any nudist beaches, there are only some beaches where nudism is banned. Usually in built up areas. Otherwise you are actually free to strip off when ever you have the nerve. Nudism is banned on the long sandy beaches in the towns, but the most used beach by nudists is at the furthest north you can walk before you hit impassable cliffs, the Playa los Ingles. It is a beautiful, but very rocky black sand beach. Very rough when the wind is on shore, which I think it's nearly all the time. Swimming is very dangerous and sun bathing can involve hunting around for a sheltered spot, but there are lots. Many clothed tourists, which makes it a bit voyeuristic.
Going in the opposite direction, as far south as you can go past the ferry port brings you to a whole different paradise, the Playa de Las Arenas. A fairly small pair of black sand beaches under towering cliffs. Very sheltered so beautiful swimming and sun bathing on the sand or the smooth rocks. You have to navigate a very rough path around a large rock fall, and then slide down a few feet with the aid of a knotted rope (!), but it is worth it. Only half a dozen people there, all stark naked, mostly young, mostly female and looking like they hardly ever wear anything anytime. I only left because I had to get back to the boat.

Thanks for the interesting report! In recent years we've been going to La Gomera most years around November time. Although we stay at Playa Santiago on the southern tip of the island, we've certainly seen plenty of naturists on the black sand beach at Playa del Ingles, Valle Gran Rey.

It's a lovely little island and very different from the big four.

La Palma island, which we've only holidayed on once, is also pretty special too.

We keeps saying we'll get to El Hiero one day, but it's not the most accessible of the Canaries - quite a long ferry journey, or an internal flight, from Tenerife.

We got to  El Hierro by ferry from La Gomera and then went direct to Tenerife from there for the flight home. El Hierro is an interesting island, some great landscapes,  the sheer cliffs/ remains of the caldera reminded us of northern Lanzerote. We had some interesting hikes there but only got naked a few times at very quiet spots, the weather wasn't that sunny while we were there and we saw no other nude people.

Ah, good to hear you made it to El Hiero! We just feel there is still a tick to be put in a box, because we know the other six main islands.

Unfortunately, I don't believe it's possible to get directly to El Hiero from La Gomera by ferry any longer, although I know it used to be feasible. I've researched reasonably intensively, and we asked where we were staying on La Gomera last November. It seems from Gomera you have to go back to Tenerife on the ferry, then set out again from there to get to El Hiero. It's the same with flying - La Gomera to Tenerife North, then Tenerife North back to El Hiero!

But hey, maybe we'll get there some time. And thanks for your feedback on the island.

Cheers, Mike

That's a shame about the ferries, it was at least several years ago that we did that route. El Hierro was the last of the main islands that we visited too, we'd felt like we wanted to do the set as it were.

Like many here we'd started going to the Canaries for out of season sun, over time we've been to many of the places there where you don't need clothing. The lack of well-known nude beaches on El Hierro was a major reason for it being the last of the 6 that we got to. As it was it was fairly cloudy while we were there so we did a lot of walking, another of our interests, so we were relatively happy, having spent more than a week on La Gomera where we'd been nude much more.

Hope you get there someday, its definitely worth exploring, particularly if you enjoy walking or tours that take in the scenery.