Summer Ends Today. Naturism Doesn’t.

There is something rather arbitrary happening at midnight tonight.

According to the Met Office, today — Monday 31 August — is the final day of meteorological summer. At midnight, somebody somewhere metaphorically turns the seasonal page and 1 September becomes autumn.

Apparently nature hasn’t been copied into the email.

The trees won’t suddenly turn orange at 00:01. Nobody will issue the squirrels with scarves.

And, thankfully, there is no regulation requiring naturists to put their clothes back on until next June.

Yet I think we sometimes behave as though there is.

For many people, naturism still seems to have an unofficial season.

Summer arrives, temperatures rise, beaches become inviting, tents emerge from garages and suddenly being naked outdoors seems perfectly sensible.

Then September appears on the calendar and naturism quietly gets packed away beside the camping chairs.

I think we’re missing something.

Today isn’t actually the end of summer

There are two perfectly respectable answers to the question: when does autumn begin?

Meteorologists use fixed three-month seasons because they make weather statistics easier to compare. Meteorological autumn therefore runs from 1 September to 30 November.

Astronomically, however, summer continues until the autumn equinox, which normally falls around 22 or 23 September.

So if anybody tells you tomorrow that summer is over, you are entirely entitled to become unnecessarily pedantic about it.

I certainly intend to.

More importantly, the changing calendar doesn’t mean that outdoor life stops.

Today’s forecast rather proves the point.

The Met Office forecast for Wales this morning is decidedly Welsh: showers, with some potentially heavy or thundery downpours, followed by showers easing this afternoon as brighter spells develop. Temperatures could reach around 21°C.

In other words: take a coat, sunglasses, waterproofs and possibly an ark.

Then expect sunshine.

We’ve had some wonderful days this summer, but waiting for perfect weather in Wales is an excellent way of spending your entire life indoors.

Maybe September is actually rather wonderful

I love summer naturism.

Long evenings. Camping. Sitting outside talking far later than intended. The particular optimism involved in believing that because it is sunny at 4pm it will definitely remain sunny all evening.

But autumn brings something different.

Woodland changes colour.

Beaches become quieter.

Walking becomes more comfortable.

Evenings encourage us indoors together rather than sending everybody off in different directions.

And that last point matters.

Naturism isn’t dependent upon sunshine because naturism isn’t simply outdoor nudity.

It is how we live.

That means a community built around acceptance, kindness, respect and belonging doesn’t suddenly become irrelevant because somebody has turned the heating on.

If anything, autumn gives us an opportunity to rediscover another side of naturism.

We need reasons to keep getting outside

There is some useful evidence behind this too.

A Public Health Wales survey on health and wellbeing⁠ found that 74% of respondents said access to nature and outdoor spaces had a positive effect on their health. Physical activity was also identified as having a positive effect by 63%.

Meanwhile, the latest National Survey for Wales active-travel statistics⁠ show that 52% of people in Wales walked for transport at least once a week, while 62% did so at least monthly.

There is an interesting gap elsewhere in those figures.

Only 35% of people said they participated in sport or physical activity three or more times each week, yet another 35% said they would actually like to do more.

That suggests there are plenty of people who want to be more active but haven’t quite found the motivation, opportunity or environment that works for them.

Community can help with that.

A walk becomes easier to commit to when friends are waiting.

A swim becomes more enjoyable when it is social.

Going somewhere new feels less intimidating when you’re going together.

And suddenly “exercise” stops sounding like something unpleasant prescribed to us and starts becoming a day out.

That is exactly the sort of wellbeing I want Naturism Wales to encourage.

Not everybody needs to climb Yr Wyddfa.

Sometimes wellbeing is a gentle woodland walk followed by tea and cake.

I am particularly supportive of any health programme containing cake.

Naturism shouldn’t hibernate

The interesting challenge for us, then, isn’t how we keep recreating summer throughout autumn and winter.

We can’t.

Nor should we.

It is about allowing naturism to change with the seasons.

Summer might mean camping, gardens and long evenings outside.

Autumn can mean walking, cycling, woodland, swimming, sauna, indoor social gatherings and exploring Wales when some of our most beautiful places are considerably quieter.

Winter brings another rhythm again.

Then spring arrives and suddenly somebody says, “It’s quite warm in the sun actually,” and every naturist in Wales begins behaving as though 12°C is Mediterranean.

There is something rather lovely about that cycle.

Naturism reconnects us with our bodies, but I think it can also reconnect us with seasonality.

Modern life is remarkably good at insulating us from nature.

We illuminate darkness, heat cold rooms, cool hot ones and can buy strawberries in December.

None of those things are necessarily bad.

But occasionally noticing that the air has changed, the evenings are shortening and the leaves are beginning to turn reminds us that we’re part of something much bigger than our diaries.

One season closes. Another adventure starts.

So I’m not particularly sad that meteorological summer ends tonight.

We’ve made memories.

We’ve camped.

We’ve laughed.

We’ve probably spent several hours collectively staring at weather apps attempting to persuade ourselves that the enormous blue rain cloud definitely wasn’t heading towards us.

And now we get another Wales.

The autumn one.

Quiet beaches. Misty mornings. Woodland colours. Cooler walks. Earlier evenings. Indoor gatherings. Hot drinks afterwards.

Same people.

Same community.

Same philosophy.

Different season.

Because naturism was never supposed to be something we squeeze between June and August.

Naturism is how we live — and life doesn’t stop when summer does.

So as we head into September, what’s one thing you’d love us to do together this autumn?

Further reading

Met Office — Autumn and the changing seasons⁠

Met Office — How pressure drives the UK's journey from summer to autumn⁠

Welsh Government — Active travel statistics for Wales⁠

Public Health Wales — Nature, activity and wellbeing survey findings⁠