We stayed at SM a couple of years ago...thought it was pricey!

Just been looking on line for details of this site, with a view to a visit later this year. However it appears that the website has been taken down. A check with the estate agents would appear that the property is still on the market...

  Anyone got any recent knowledge?..a check of local Cornwall newspapers doesnt reveal any recent discussions either. I do hope we haven`t lost another one.

According to the BN forum it sadly seems that it has been sold and will be textile next year. Options in the south of England are getting fewer.  A poster was wondering if the rise of free range naturism is the culprit. Whatever the reason I am an unreconstructed 1950s dinosaur who prefers to be with like minded people in an accepted setting and a decent shower. Free range I might do if viable but I don't seek it.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc?

Just because two trends are seen doesn't mean one causes the other. If people wanted a bright future for 'nude-rules' clubs then it's people that would see to that. Some clubs thrive because they change as culture changes. Some clubs close because they don't. If people want a thing they make it happen (see Bare Oaks in Canada). If people don't want a thing then it stops. The trend in "free range" naturism can be stretched only as far back as the rise of the WNBR, 7-8 years ago at most. Even around the time of the Naked Rambler's peak newsworthiness, free range naturism was virtually unknown. However the decline of club naturism in the UK can be traced back 30 or more years. I don't think the originator of the comment connecting the two trends has really thought it through, and if he really believed it, then it comes across as a little bitter. Club naturism needs to be very proactive and motivated in its outlook, and very reactive to culture change, just to survive these days. Unfortunately in the UK at least, not all clubs have enough willpower or peoplepower. As this venue becomes textile it's not because a couple went and sat on a hillside or beach rather than go somewhere naturist specific. The venue is becoming textile because modern culture makes it commonsense for the new owner to do so. Pegging the decline of a particular type of naturism on a different kind of naturism is not very constructive.

Southleigh Manor was not just a club though. It was a commercial venue with few rules other than what would be common in an ordinary site. The fact is that it has been bought by somebody who doesn't want to keep it as a naturist site. I don't really have an opinion as to whether changing habits or perhaps a decline in bookings has led to that decision (in the local newspaper report, the owners are simply retiring and make no mention of any decline) but I don't see the loss of any venue as good for naturism. The choice for those of us in the UK who like to spend a few days at a naturist site which is not necessarily a club is not what I would call huge. There has been a marked decline in the south of England when we think of South Hants and also St Annes. It is a pity.

We never got to Southleigh Manor, although we always intended to.
Sorry Simon I started to nod off while I was reading you post, but if the new owners of Southleigh Manor intend to turn it into another textile caming site in Cornwall.... good luck to them,  it is not as if there is a shortage in that part ot the world.

Well yeah, there's only about how many zillions of textile sites already in the south west. I am pleased that the new owners have spotted this gap in the market.

Well yeah, there's only about how many zillions of textile sites already in the south west. I am pleased that the new owners have spotted this gap in the market.

l:l

Copied from our reply to this thread on the BN forum:

When Richard and Anne were the owners, we took our summer holidays at Southleigh Manor from 1991 to 2001. It was a great place to take our children; they made friends over 20 years ago that they're still in contact with. It may not have been cheap, but we regarded it as, overall, good value for money. it was within easy reach of naturist beaches on both the north and south Cornwall coastline. Every Sunday evening, Richard and Anne hired the Polkyth Leisure Centre in St. Austell; as well as 2 pools we had use of the complete leisure centre, including squash and badminton courts.

Shame that Baz's idea didn't get any further. It could have been a great HQ for BN. We would have bought some shares.

I went there once and for a fair proportion of the time it rained. We took shelter in the conservatory and despite the weather enjoyed our stay. We actually left a day early as the weather turned really nasty. My only gripe was having to pay for a shower but in the scheme of things a minor irritant.

I'm sorry to see it close. As for a BN HQs yes a good site in the wrong place. I can't see many wanting to travel all that way for a meeting. Northampton can be difficult for many.

Davie  8)

We stayed at Southleigh once and had hoped to visit again this year, to be close to the Eden Project. 🙁