Exploring Spanish nude beaches
Before going to Spain I looked up the map and list of nude beaches from the FEN website https://naturista.org. I got the details for Catalonia and Valencia district as we were staying at Peniscola on the boundary between the two districts.
We landed at Reus early in the morning. so we chose to call in to Torn beach near Tarrigona and the airport. We'd been there before and knew the coordinates (N 40deg 58.398' E 000deg 53.628') of the best car park next to the big Temple of the Sun campsite. It is a long sandy beach sloping gently into the Med with two beach bars, one being set amongst trees which border the beach. Unlike most beaches it is Nude only (not CO) as shown by the sign banning swimwear and dogs. After lunch we went on to check in at Peniscola. During the following days we were to visit 10 more nude beaches along the coast. We would also return to Torn beach as it's a favourite.
The best beaches in Peniscola are textile. But we knew of some nearby nude beaches. We offered to take another guest to see them. He was new to nudism and to nude beaches. A track runs a short distance south west from the resort. It has a number of tiny, stony coves. The track ends at Cala l'Arjub, a small sandy beach which is used by both nudists and textiles. Not many were on the beach and we were the only nudists.
The surfaced road south west from Peniscola serves some developments and the peters out on a ridge in the low mountains behind the town. Not far up that road there is a left turn into the Serra d'Irta national park (marked by a big sign with a bee on it). This is the start of a long track which follows the shore for some distance south west of the town. It was the route to the next beaches. Very soon there is Cala del Volante on the left. It is a small inlet strewn with boulders (1st picture below). We continued bouncing along the rough track. It rises over a headland with a local landmark, Torre Badum, which gives great views over the Med (pics 2 and 3) . Eventually we reached Playa de El Russo (the Russian beach) (4th pic) where we stopped for some sunbathing and our guest had a dip in the sea. It is a small sandy beach sloping gently into the sea. Though CO it was filled with textiles who, like us, must have bounced along the rough track to get there. We were the only nudists and even our guest kept his shorts on. This turned out to be a blessing as he'd failed to apply any sunblock. The heat was intense with temperatures in the mid 30's C. We continued to Cala Argilaga (another sandy beach) on a tight bend in the track. Eventually we reached civilisation and had lunch. We always drive naked, going from nude resort to nude beach after beach. But something had to be worn for lunch. I wrapped something flimsy round my waist. My friend donned his skirt and our guest still had his shorts on.
The third day (Friday) was slightly cloudy but still very hot. It was ideal for a long naked hike in the Serra d'Irta national park - the mountains behind Peniscola rising to about 450m. We drove up to just below the St Anton Hermitage (1 on the map) and did the triangular walk clockwise. It offered views over the sea and over the mountains, heavily terraced for agriculture some time ago. The views are stunning and we walked naked for over 4 hours . We each wore a hat, walking shoes and a backpack for water. We did have some flimsy wraps in case we met anyone. But they were only used to shade the sun off our shoulders. We were alone for the entire time. This was being naked in nature and in history.
In the evening we went to the "German bar", and easy walk from the guesthouse. As always we wore our minikilts which hide very little. I guess we distracted the waitress as she bent down to put our drinks on t6he low table.
Monday was very windy but still hot and sunny. We worked our way up the coast. The next beach is Playa del Torrent del Pi (N 40 deg 53.99' E 000 deg 49.52'). It is next to a housing estate, parking on the edge of the estate and taking steps down to the beach. We found it disappointing, with many textiles and just one nude couple. It is set in a cove offering shelter from the wind but little or no sand and no facilities (pic 1). (BTW the pic shows the flimsy wrap I wore to get from car to beach).
So we moved on to the next one - Torn beach. I have already described it and it is rightly one of only four of the Federacion Espanola Naturismo must see beaches. Did I say that the car park is across the rail track from the beach. While waiting to cross the track we got an opportunity to take a photo with a passing express train (pic 2). I've been on that train on other holidays and, if you blink, you miss seeing the beach (and nude campsite) even though they front a long length of the track. So all those passengers probably didn't notice my standing there. The driver did.
This beach is normally very crowded, especially in July. But the wind whipped up the sand. Anyone wanting to exfoliate would just have to stand there and be sandblasted. Needless to say nobody did want to exfoliate and the beach was empty. It gave a rare opportunity to take photos up and down the entire beach (pics 3 and 4). One beach bar was closed for food and the other only offered their winter menu. We had lunch and then sunbathed in a sheltered place under the trees on the edge of the beach (pic 5).
When we returned home to the guest house we were joined by three guys from New Zeeland, working their way up Spain from Granada to near Barcelona. They had drunk all the beer!!! So we went out for fresh supplies. Nevertheless the evening was spent in the German bar again in our mini kilts.
On Tuesday we did another long hike in the Sarra d'Irta, this time with two of the New Zealanders and starting at the Russian beach. It took us gently uphill until we reached the fourth side of the square on a ridge overlooking the sea and the Russian beach. It passed two particularly interesting features. The first is a circular stone building, domed and built without any timber in the roof or cement in the walls. The majority of Sarra d'Irta is deserted, comprising mountain ridges and narrow valleys. None of it is flat and the steep slopes have been heavily terraced by farmers who have moved on But there is a fairly flat area high in one valley and it houses the second feature - a vast estate of olive groves overlooked by a splendid mansion.
It was our last full day in Peniscola. The three New Zealanders joined us for our last night in the German bar.
Wednesday was the day we moved from Peniscola to Sitges. We were determined to take in a beach on the way. Bypassing Torn beach we called into Playa de La Savinosa, another of Federacion Espanola Naturismo's must see beaches. It lies just a little to the north east of Tarragona (at N 41 deg 7.378' E 001 deg 17.109'). A railway separates the beach from the town. You have to park on the lanward side of the railway and walk through an arch under the tracks. It is a fairly long beach, sandy and sloping gently into the sea. It is backed by a prom and the railway embankment with craggy cliffs to each side. There is a beach bar at the right hand end of the prom and the nudist part of the beach starts at the bar. So nudists have about 1/3 of the beach with a clear defining line between textile and nudist. We had lunch in the bar before joining the many other nudists for an afternoon's sunbathing.
We then moved on to Sitges, checked into our apartment and explored the town on foot clad in a short mini-kilt with a split down each side. We found Els Belmins nudist beach towards the north eastern end of to town's waterfront, next to the marina. As usual we had a drink at the bar, standing naked and only noticing a sign calling for swimwear at the last minute. By this time the sun was starting to go down but We had a little time to catch its fading rays. I'll describe the beach later as we went back there the following day.
There was time for a little shopping and then into town for our evening meal
Thursday was our last day. We went up the coast from Sitges, following the twisty coastal road. Just past the cement works is the entrance to Cala Morisca (or more accurately it's car park) (Coordinates N 41 deg 14.565' E oo1 deg 52.125'). They charge for parking here but it is worth every penny. This was the third of Federaccion Espanola Naturismo's four must see beaches in Catalonia. From the car park we went under the ever-present coastal rail tracks and down steps to the beach. As usual we had drinks and a meal at the beach bar and then lay sunbathing on the soft sand under the cliff (1st photo).
We then drove back to Sitges and Els Balmins nude beach. This time it was very crowded, completely with nudes. After the inevitable drink at the bar we found a space to sunbathe for the rest of the afternoon. Sitges has many beaches, mostly textile. This nudist beach is unusual in being in the town. Parking was difficult but we found a space in a residential street near the beach. BTW we were mostly naked, occasionally using a flimsy, see-through wrap when cover was required.
I had decided to take a souvenir home in the form of a tiny tattoo. In the evening I wore a tight see-through tube around my hips and a cloth wrapped over one shoulder in the form of a toga. The tube provided an apology of (near transparent) cover if the toga came of - as it did at least twice. We found a tattoo studio and I presented my art work. We waited in the shop window whilst the tattooist prepared the tattoo transfer. I was without the toga. A passing man looked in and, on seeing my nipple piercings, came in for a closer look. He'd thought I was an advertising dummy. Yes they were real. He also examined my PA and scrotum piercing, just as real. The tattoo took about 40 painful minutes.
We then went onto a roadside bar for drinks and a shared pizza. A small group sat across the narrow street. I hadn't realised that I had everything on display until my friend took a photo. The bar closed so we moved on to a restaurant. There we met some Dutch tourists. The lady took the last of these photos.
We flew home the next morning. Our apartment was in a normal (textile) hotel but we took the opportunity to go naked on the balcony and in the hallway. Wicked!