September Is the Month I’d Choose for a Naturist Escape

There is something slightly ridiculous about the way we treat the end of August as though somebody has flicked a switch marked SUMMER OFF.

The schools go back. The evenings begin drawing in. Here in Wales, you suddenly find yourself wondering whether putting the heating on for ten minutes really counts as putting the heating on.

And meanwhile, several hours south of us, the Mediterranean is still warm.

Which has got me thinking: perhaps we’ve been booking our naturist holidays at the wrong time.

I love travelling in summer, obviously. But if you gave me the choice between a packed resort in the middle of August and slipping away in September, I think September wins far more often than people realise.

The clever month

September sits in a lovely little gap.

The huge summer rush begins to disappear, but much of southern Europe hasn’t suddenly become autumnal just because we have.

In fact, the sea has spent the entire summer absorbing heat. That means September can offer something rather wonderful: warm water without quite so much of the July and August madness.

For a naturist traveller, I think that matters even more.

The holidays I remember most fondly aren’t necessarily the ones where I’ve found the hottest patch of sand. They’re the ones where I’ve been able to settle into a place.

Walk.

Swim.

Explore.

Eat somewhere local.

Spend an afternoon doing absolutely nothing without feeling as though I’m competing with half of Europe for the privilege.

That is much closer to my idea of freedom.

And then I looked at the flights…

This is where things became dangerous.

Because I started looking at what was actually available from Liverpool.

As I write this on 9 September, Jet2 is advertising one-way fares from Liverpool including Fuerteventura from £43 today, Gran Canaria from £43 tomorrow and Lanzarote from £43 tomorrow.

Those are headline one-way fares and availability can disappear quickly, so this is absolutely not me promising that you’ll still find one after you’ve made a cup of tea.

But £43 to Gran Canaria?

That is the sort of information that makes a woman start mentally packing a van she isn’t even taking.

Ryanair is currently advertising Manchester–Lanzarote fares during September from £14.99 one way, with a £14.99 fare shown for 29 September when I checked.

Again, that’s a snapshot rather than a promise.

But it demonstrates why September deserves a proper look rather than being dismissed as “after the holidays”.

Where would I actually go?

If I wanted warmth and easy naturist possibilities without turning the journey into an expedition, I’d be looking particularly hard at the Canary Islands and southern Spain.

Gran Canaria is an obvious contender. Its established naturist beach culture and year-round climate make it one of those places where travelling outside the traditional British summer makes enormous sense.

Fuerteventura appeals to a different part of me.

More space. More wildness. Huge landscapes and beaches where walking becomes part of the holiday rather than simply the route between the hotel and the sunbed.

And then there’s Vera Playa in Andalucía.

Vera interests me because naturism isn’t confined to the idea of visiting a designated beach for a few hours. Around El Playazo there is a long-established naturist area where accommodation and everyday holiday life sit alongside the beach.

That’s an important distinction.

I’m increasingly interested in destinations where naturism feels like how you live while you’re there, rather than something you’ve travelled somewhere specifically to “do”.

For somebody trying their first overseas naturist trip, I suspect that can also make the experience feel far less intimidating.

The solo-woman calculation

Of course, cheap flights aren’t enough to make somewhere a bargain.

This is where my sensible head eventually catches up with my wandering one.

When I travel alone, I want to know what happens after the aircraft lands.

How am I getting to where I’m staying?

Can I walk safely between the accommodation, beach and places I might want to eat?

If I arrive late, is the transfer straightforward?

Does that suspiciously cheap apartment actually sit anywhere near the naturist area it claims to be near?

That last one is worth checking particularly carefully around destinations such as Vera Playa. A property advertised as being in “Vera” or even “Vera Playa” isn’t automatically inside the naturist area.

Zoom in on the map.

Read recent reviews.

Check distances rather than trusting descriptions such as “close to the beach”.

And if you’re travelling alone, imagine making that journey after dark with your bag in one hand and your phone telling you it has 7% battery remaining.

Suddenly the apartment that’s £18 cheaper doesn’t look quite such a triumph.

Cheap and good value aren’t the same thing

This is probably my biggest travel lesson.

A £20 flight that requires an expensive airport hotel, awkward transfer and three days of annual leave can be worse value than a £60 flight at a civilised time.

Likewise, I’d happily pay a little more for accommodation that lets me walk to the places I actually want to be.

The bargain isn’t the smallest number on the booking screen.

The bargain is the holiday you get for the money you spend.

That’s why September fascinates me.

You’re potentially buying something more valuable than sunshine: fewer crowds, greater choice, easier exploring and a little more space to actually experience your destination.

I haven’t finished with summer yet

Perhaps that’s the real appeal.

September doesn’t have to mean shutting the van door, finding the jumpers and waiting for next year.

There are still adventures available.

Some might involve a flight south.

Some might involve throwing walking boots into the van and disappearing somewhere closer to home when the forecast gives us a decent couple of days.

And some might simply involve recognising that travel becomes much more interesting once we stop letting the school calendar tell grown adults when summer begins and ends.

So no, I’m not packing away summer yet.

Actually, after looking at those flights, I may have accidentally started planning another one.

And that’s entirely different.

If you could sneak away for one last naturist escape this September, where would you go?