Wales, Scotland & Ireland

WALES:   Monmouthshire, Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Gwynedd SCOTLAND:   East Lothian, Fife, Highland, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:   Leinster, Munster, Connaught

WALES     [ ↑ ] Of the seven nude beach listings for Wales, the first five are along the southern coast of the country, which is formed by the Bristol Channel. The last two beaches are located in the northwest, and one of those two is Morfa Dyffryn Beach, which is by far the most popular nude beach in Wales and one of the best in the U.K. In comparison, the other six beaches are lightly attended.
	Monmouthshire      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NATURIST RETREATS      Western Sunfolk    51.7465N, 2.7428W            Trellech
	Vale of Glamorgan      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Wick Beach   51.4333N, 3.5883W  This beach near the villages of Wick and Monknash is accessed by a long but pleasant walk through pastureland, and it is a safe haven for naturists due to its isolation. The beach is often deserted on weekdays, but sunny summers weekends can draw a few dozen bare bathers.
	Bridgend      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Kenfig Burrows Beach   51.5236N, 3.7568W  This beach near Bridgend and Porthcawl is backed by a nature reserve that consists of a large field of sand dunes. A few nudists gather on a remote end of the beach.
	Swansea      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Whitford Sands   51.6329N, 4.2537W  This beach near the picturesque village of Llanmadoc is one of two large beaches at the end of the Gower Peninsula, which is the land mass that extends westward from Swansea. The other beach (Rhossili Beach) is developed to handle large crowds, while equally beautiful Whitford Sands, which requires more effort to reach, is mostly deserted. A few nudists gather along one end of the beach.
	Carmarthenshire      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Cefn Sidan Beach   51.6880N, 4.3380W  This vast beach near Pembrey used to be one of the most popular nude beaches in Wales, second only to Morfa Dyffryn Beach (listed farther down), albeit a distant second. Unfortunately, authorities have been less tolerated over the past decade or so. A few discreet nudists can still be found on remote parts of the beach, but not nearly as many as in previous years.       Marros Beach   51.7375N, 4.6078W  This very remote beach near Pendine is accessed through a tiny, off-the-beaten path hamlet, and it is accessed by a very long but very beautiful hike through pastoral countryside. The beach is very lightly attended, making it suitable for discreet nudity.
	Pembrokeshire      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NATURIST RETREATS      Tything Barn    51.7103N, 4.8462W            West Williamson, Kilgetty
	Gwynedd      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Morfa Dyffryn Beach   52.7974N, 4.1403W  By leaps and bounds, this is the most popular nude beach in Wales, and it is among the most loved beaches in the United Kingdom. Morfa Dyffryn is located in the north of Wales, and the beach and the surrounding villages are within the 800+ square-mile area that is designated as Snowdia National Park, a mountainous region that is among the scenic highlights of Wales. Part of the beach has been officially designated for nude use since 2000, but the naturist tradition goes back much farther, and a sign at the start of the nude area announces that naturist status of the beach in English and Welsh.       Malltraeth Bay Beach   53.1527N, 4.4133W  This beach is located on the Isle of Anglesey, which forms the northwest corner of Wales. Anglesey is barely disconnected from the mainland and can't be discerned as an island on most maps. Malltraeth Bay Beach is an expansive beach that is adjacent to another large beach called Llanddwyn Bay Beach, through which it is accessed. The crowds stay at easily accesible Llanddwyn, while farther removed Malltraeth is lightly visited and suitable for discreet nude use.
SCOTLAND     [ ↑ ] There are five nude beach listings for Scotland, but all of them are rather minor compared to the much better attended beaches of southern England. The first two beaches below (Aberlady Bay and Kinshaldy) are on Scotland's eastern coast, in the vicinity of Edinburgh and Dundee. The third beach (Crakaig) is also on the eastern coast but much farther north in the vast Highlands. The fourth beach (Ardeer) is along Scotland's western coast, southwest of Glasgow. The last beach (Cleat's Shore) is on an island off the western coast that is not bridged to the mainland.
	East Lothian      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Aberlady Bay   56.0307N, 2.8679W  On the North Sea coast of Scotland, Aberlady Bay is on the south side of the Firth of Forth. Although just half an hour by car from Edinburgh, this spacious beach is lightly attended due to the long walk required to reach it. Authorities turn a blind eye to nude sunbathing in the dunes. Nudity on the open beach is possible with discretion.
	Fife      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Kinshaldy Beach   56.3897N, 2.8106W  Near Dundee, Kinshaldy Beach is about 4 miles long and has vast, empty expanses. Nudists congregate toward the southern end of the beach, well beyond the parking lot.
	Highland      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Crakaig Beach   58.0640N, 3.7694W  About 60 miles north of Inverness, this beach on the eastern coast of the vast Scottish Highlands abuts a primitive seaside caravan park. In 2004, the caravan park owner began allowing nude use of a more secluded part of the adjacent beach. However, substantial nudist crowds never materialized, so you are likely to find this beach empty most of the time.
	North Ayrshire      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Ardeer Beach   55.6178N, 4.7229W  On the west coast of Scotland and about 30 miles from Glasgow, one end of vast Ardeer beach is well established as a nudist venue, but crowds are always sparse.       Cleat's Shore   55.4393N, 5.2497W  Cleat's Shore is located at the far southern end of the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, the body of water between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Although widely reported to be an officially designated nude beach, that claim seems dubious. Whatever the case, the beach is well suited to nudity since it is most likely to be empty.
	West Dunbartonshire      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NATURIST RETREATS      The Scottish Outdoor Club    56.0509N, 4.6012W            Loch Lomond (Alexandria)
THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND     [ ↑ ] As mentioned in the introductory section, nudity is technically illegal at all beaches in Ireland, although authorities are not overly concerned with discreet nudity in remote locations. In the grand scheme of European nude beaches, those of Ireland are minor. Even the best established nude beach in the country (Brittas Bay) rarely has more than a few dozen nude sunbathers. The four listings for Leinster are along Ireland's eastern coast, and the first three of those are within an hour's drive of Dublin. The listings for the provinces of Munster and Connaught are along Ireland's more rugged and thinly populated western coast.
	Leinster      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Corballis Beach   53.4572N, 6.1302W  Located in the northern suburb of Donabate about 23 kilometers from Dublin, this long beach that ends at the mouth of an estuary draws a scattering of nude bathers to its far southern end. Attendance is mostly by gay men.       Vico Road Sea Bathing   53.2688N, 6.0979W  Located in the southern suburb of Dalkey about 16 kilometers from Dublin, this location is a swimming place but not really a beach. Steps and ladders lead down the the craggy rocks directly to the sea. Nude swimming is known to occur, at least by male visitors, but the accepted protocol seems to be that nudity is more acceptable during morning hours. Later in the day, nudity patterns are less unpredictable, so would-be skinnydippers should try to gauge the sensibilities of others to avoid causing offense.       Brittas Bay South   52.8481N, 6.0859W  About 70 kilometers south of Dublin in the vicinity of Arklow, Brittas Bay is a popular textile beach. Beyond a headland at one end, there is a completely separate beach that does not seem to have a separate name that draws far fewer visitors, and nudists gather at one end. WIth up to a few dozen bare bathers on peak days, this is the most popular and best established nude beach in all of Ireland.       Curracloe Beach   52.3689N, 6.3647W  About 130 kilometers south of Dublin near the town of Wexford, Curracloe Beach is an expansive beach on the north side of Wexford Harbour. Much of the beach is deserted or nearly so, making it suitable for discreet nude use.
	Munster      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Inch Strand   52.1246N, 9.9667W  Located on the picturesque Dingle Peninsula in the southwest of Ireland, Inch Strand is a very long beach, populated mainly at its single point of entry. Its farther reaches draws a few bare bathers.
	Connaught      MAP     [ ↑ ]
		NUDE BEACHES       Trawalua Beach   54.4438N, 8.4666W  Located in the far north of Ireland's western coast, near the border with Northern Ireland, this remote and beautiful beach is lightly attended overall and draws a scattering on nudists at one end.