Wales Is Easier to Explore Than We Think

There is a peculiar thing about living somewhere beautiful.

Eventually, we stop noticing it.

People will travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to experience the mountains, coastline and countryside we have on our doorstep, while those of us who live here can quite easily spend Sunday afternoon wondering what to watch on television.

This week brought me a useful reminder of just how much of Wales is there to explore.

The Wales Coast Path is 870 miles long, stretching continuously around our coastline from the border near Chester in the north to Chepstow in the south. Visit Wales points out that along the way it passes more award-winning beaches than any comparable stretch in Britain.

But here’s the statistic that really caught my attention.

Approximately one fifth of the entire land area of Wales is officially classed as access land, where the public has a right of access on foot.

One fifth.

Sometimes we talk about getting outdoors as though we need to organise an expedition.

Perhaps we just need to open the front door.

Naturism doesn’t need an itinerary

There is a tendency within naturism to think that something needs to be an official “naturist event” before we can enjoy the philosophy behind it.

I don’t think it does.

Naturism is how we live.

That connection with our bodies, nature and the world around us doesn’t suddenly disappear because we’re wearing walking boots and a coat on a chilly Welsh morning.

A walk can still be part of it.

So can sitting beside the sea.

Watching a sunset.

Finding a beach you’ve never visited.

Taking a flask somewhere ridiculously beautiful and doing absolutely nothing productive for an hour.

There is considerable freedom in realising that an enjoyable day doesn’t always need tickets, equipment or an elaborate plan.

Sometimes Wales has already provided the entertainment.

Access also comes with responsibility

There is a timely reminder of that today.

A section of the Wales Coast Path at the Faenol Estate near Bangor is beginning a temporary diversion this week while essential tree harvesting and replanting takes place. The alternative route is expected to remain in place for around six weeks. The work forms part of a wider project intended to improve access, biodiversity, community involvement and heritage conservation on the estate.

That might sound like an inconvenience.

I see something rather different.

The landscapes we enjoy aren’t theme parks frozen permanently for our benefit. They’re living places that need management, conservation and occasionally a bit of patience from those of us using them.

And that’s a philosophy naturists should understand particularly well.

Freedom and responsibility work beautifully together.

Enjoy the countryside, but respect it.

Enjoy access, but follow temporary diversions.

Enjoy being somewhere remote, but don’t assume remoteness removes our responsibility towards other people.

Take photographs.

Take memories.

Take the rubbish home.

The best bit costs nothing

At a time when almost everything seems to cost more, I think there’s something quite cheering about this.

You don’t need to book a weekend away to have an adventure.

The official Wales Coast Path diversion information⁠ is worth checking before longer walks, while Natural Resources Wales explains access land and the rights attached to it⁠. Visit Wales also has some excellent suggestions for accessible sections of the Wales Coast Path⁠, because enjoying our landscape shouldn’t depend upon everybody having identical mobility.

Autumn is arriving properly now.

The colours are changing. Beaches are becoming quieter. The air has that unmistakable September edge to it.

Instead of treating that as the end of our outdoor season, perhaps we should see it as the beginning of a different one.

Put some boots on.

Take somebody with you.

Pick somewhere you’ve never explored.

And see what happens.

After all, with 870 miles of coastline and around a fifth of Wales designated as access land, I suspect most of us have barely scratched the surface of our own country.

So here’s today’s challenge: if we gave you a completely free day tomorrow and told you to explore somewhere in Wales you’ve never been before, where would you go?