Conference moira::naturism

429.0. "site report: Houstrup Strand in Denmark" by MOIRA::FAIMAN (light upon the figured leaf) Fri Jan 21 1994 09:07

Posted by the moderator for a correspondent who prefers to remain anonymous.

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We were staying in Bork Havn (Denmark) for one week, in July 1993. On one
particularly fine morning, we decided to spend the day at the beach. Houstrup
Strand seemed to be the closest beach (that is, easy to reach with the card).

I should add that the INF World Guide (1990-1991 issue) says the following about
nudity on the Danish beaches:

"Nude bathing is permitted on the beaches of Denmark's entire 4700 miles [7474
 km] of coastline, provided due consideration is paid to other users of the
 beach. [...] Nude bathing is especially popular at the beaches listed below.
 [The list included Houstrup Strand.]"

We did not know what to expect wrt nudity at the beach. Our previous naturist
experience was on "all-nude" beaches, not on "clothing-optional" beaches.

Now, we drove along the coastal road, turned West in L�nne, West again at the
Houstrup Caf� and ended at a nice big parking lot (free).

We saw a sign saying "Fribadestrand/Freibadstrand 500 m" pointing to the left
(to the South) and did not understand this (those words are Danish and German
and mean literally "free bathing beach"). We also saw a wide path, protected
with straw, leading straight across the dunes.

The beach is a sandy beach with a lot of pebbles - there are fewer pebbles when
you stay close to the (foot of the) dunes. The wind was blowing from the NW. We
walked South, along the foot of the dunes, until we found a free spot, a couple
of hundred meters from the path (the wide path across the dunes). There we
decided to do as many of the Danes seems to do, that is to find a spot in the
dunes, sheltered from the wind. We installed ourselves on a South-facing slope,
with a (limited) view (to the West) over the beach and the sea.

I noticed that there were some nude people on the beach, in front of us, and
further South.

The children started playing - playing in the dunes can be great fun (age 7 and
9) - and my wife started tanning. I started reading a book, wearing boxer
shorts and a T-shirt (sitting, and hence more exposed to the wind than my
wife).

Around lunch time, we decided to have lunch at the hot-dog stand on the parking
lot - first my son and myself and then my wife and my daughter, so that we could
keep our nice little spot "occupied". An alternative would have been to give up
that spot and to drive back to the Houstrup Caf� for lunch. (The guys who ran
the hot-dog stand did not speak any other language than Danish, but I do speak
some Danish, too, and buying hot-dogs and soft drinks is not difficult in any
language. They were not well organised, either, and they were clearly
overwhelmed - this was the first sunny day of that summer.)

During lunch, I noticed that there were other paths leading across the dunes,
South of the wide path that we had followed. In fact, these paths started behind
the hot-dog stand (and ran in a SW direction), and it is quite likely that the
"Fribadestrand" sign pointed to one of them.

After lunch, when the air was warmer (the wind was still strong), I found a
nice seat with a better, wider view over the sea (more exposed to the NW wind,
too). I noticed that the vestimentary situation on the beach had simplified a
bit: in front of our spot, and to the North, there were no nude people - nudity
started approx. 100 m South of our spot (note: "monokini" does not count as
"nude"). Moreover, there seemed to be some boundary, consisting of a straight
path from the dunes to the sea, where (most of) the pebbles had been removed
from the sand. With hindsight, I assume that "fribadestrand" is a code-phrase
for "clothing-optional beach" or "nude beach", and that it starts 500 m South
of the wide path through the dunes, probably at the end of one of the other
paths through the dunes.

When I had digested my lunch, I went for a swim. I walked along the foot of the
dunes, along the pebble-less "boundary" path to the sea (it was not 100%
pebble-less), put my T-shirt, my shorts and my towel in a neat pile and enjoyed
the water. (Being in the water means not being exposed to the wind.)
Afterwards, I basked in the sun, in the protection of our nice spot in the
dunes - in the dunes, you can wear as little as you want.

A note about the dunes: It seems to be O.K. to walk in the dunes - I suppose
that with the limited number of sunny days, the strain put on the eco-system of
the dunes is small enough.

A note about the weather: This summer was regarded as disastrous in the Danish
media. There was almost daily lamenting, either in the TV news, or in the
newspapers. This particular day was the only day that we ever spent at a beach
- and still, the wind is a recurring theme in my narrative. Yet, the fortnight
that we spent in Denmark seems to have been the best period of the Danish
summer of 1993.