Conference moira::naturism

173.0. "nr. London" by CLIFFY::JBM () Wed Jun 07 1989 04:17

    I'm amazed - how come I didn't twig this one before? 50 Naturist
    Acres within Greater London.
    
    Last weekend we went down for an Open Day to the Naturist Association
    headquarters (nr. Orpington Kent)
    
    NA is a registered charity whose  purpose is the promotion of naturism.
    Apparently v. active in promoting free beaches. As a charity it can't
    associate itself with the activities of non-charitable institutions
    like BN clubs *but* what it can do is allow its land to be used by
    these clubs. So apparently it grants permission to 5 nominal clubs
    around the London area ( based on areas (S.W. , N.E. ... )) to use
    the grounds.
    
    The grounds (about 10/15 miles from the city centre) ,as I said, run to
    50 acres and are based on woodland with clearings here and there for
    sun lawns and camping. There's a heated outdoor pool ( that phrase
    , like Michael Caine's famous example of "military intelligence"
    is of course a contradiction in terms ; but on the day we went the
    pool was certainly no colder than , say , the North Atlantic in
    December ) , kids playground , kids 'camps' in the woods , restaurant,
    licensed bar , sports courts ... and according to the noticeboards
    a full program of events every weekend and some during the week.
    
    Family Membership is about �75 a year and you pay extra to camp
    there *but* you can book a camping spot for a whole 6 month season
    (�50 for a large frame tent (leave it up if you like) or �150 for
    a caravan with power point etc. - unrestricted access)
    
    I think visitors to London can arrange camping by the night or week
    ; I dont think there are any real rules - it all seems a bit ad-hoc.
    
    mail me for more info if you want - jim
    
    

    I'd be interested in some more info but I dont know how to mail
    you.  Can you put it in here?
    
    Thanks
    

< Note 173.0 by CLIFFY::JBM >

We camped here last summer, for one week, and found the site very attractive
and, being so large compared to other UK sites not at all claustrophobic.  We 
did however find the situation very rule bound, compared to other UK sites 
such as Bournemouth.
    
The pool is great on a very hot summers day, but tends to be empty of people 
when the weather is at all overcast.

The location, in North Kent, is very convenient for many places of historical 
or more general interest if the weather is poor, or if you need a day away 
from the sun to allow the skin to recover.  

We enjoyed our stay, and may well return another year.  We would recommend it 
to anyone who is not going to be too bothered about the rules.

Ian.

    > .1 What specific info are you after
    
    > .2 Can you give some more details
    
    Did you join one of the clubs? or are you a member of another club?
    
    If not did you have to show a INF card ???
    
    What's the weekly charge
    
    What rules did you find off-putting
    
    jim

    I'd be interested in exactly where this is, do I need membership
    and if so how do I get it and generally what did you think of it.