[Non-Fiction] Turning Fantasy into Reality: A naked summer with Ancient Brit

[Ancient Brit]

Chapter 8

It was a cloudless sky in the morning and.this time my attire for the 17-mile bike ride to El Real de la Jaral was T-shirt and ‘breach clout’ (2 bandanas joined to cover back and front, open at the side). This was a less revealing dress than the thong yesterday but left the genitals uncovered which was more comfortable cycling.
I stripped as usual before starting walking and headed up the track close behind another hiker, who only spoke Spanish. I caught up with him at a river ford where there were good views of a castle with nesting storks, and we passed each other a number of times during the morning. I also passed a couple of workman repairing the wall beside the track, but as with most of the ‘peasants’, they took little notice of the walkers however they were dressed.
I got into a conversation with a Dutch lady, but it didn’t get very far because her older companion, probably her husband, waved me away. (This was the first and only very mild objection to my nude hiking on this trip)
As I approached Ermita de San Isidoro I ran into at least 4 workmen operating big rollers and bulldozers, improving the dirt road, presumably for more development.
I had to put on shorts as I made my way along the N630 and under the A66 motorway before arriving at the hermitage which was rapidly deteriorating into a ruin.
It was shorts off again as I followed the trail which was squeezed between the N630 and A66 and often visible from both! In a couple of places the trail dropped down to go beside the crash barrier on the N630.
I remained naked as I returned to pick up my bike and drove to a picnic site at Montesterio, the end spot for my evening walk.

After a decent break, I dressed as in the morning for the ride back to where I had ended the morning walk after Ermita de San Isidoro. Again I stripped for the 4-mile walk back to my van, but this was a much more challenging section. After following the trail parallel to and about 20m from the N630, I had to cross the N630 and walk about 100m along the hard shoulder, during which time 2 motorbikes passed. Then there was a small path usually within 5m of the N630 and often right next to it where I was going to be seen by any vehicle coming down the road.
When the N630 disappeared under the A66 I dropped down to a small tarmac road and I walked along that as it first deteriorated and then turned into a gravel road by the time I reached my van. Only 2 cars passed as I was walking this road, but I was visible throughout from the A66 motorway which it was running alongside.

to be continued

[Ancient Brit]

Chapter 9

Another glorious day. As usual I started with a cycle ride and then stripped off at the beginning of the day’s hike. In fact I never saw another hiker or cyclist on this section of the Via de la Plata and only a few locals in cars and they all missed a close-up view.
Owing to problems with the guidebook, I ended up with an unanticipated 7 km walk along the road. I’d left my shorts with the bike so I’d only got my breach-cloth with me which I was carrying to provide some protection from the sun for my shoulders later in the day.
A Spaniard stopped and gave me a lift along the final section of road. We hadn’t a language in common, but he was obviously gay and offered to give me a blow-job. I gave him a good look but that was all!

After picking up the bike I decided to do a rehearsal for the 2-day naked drive that I was being ordered to make by Mistress at the end of the hike. I was already naked in the van when I arrived at the petrol station. The attendant arrived rapidly and I got out to remove the petrol cap. With other men turning up I’m afraid I wimped out and put my shorts on before going into the shop to pay.

In the evening I drove through Medina de la Torres where I filled up with water at the fountain in the church square. On a trip like this I don’t get much opportunity for a proper shower or bath so it was time for a towel bath and the fountain seemed the obvious place for this. There were about 20 people in the square. Some children were playing only about 10 yards from me and the adults were a little further away but I don’t think any saw me as I was hidden behind the fountain. Obviously any traffic or pedestrians in the street would have seen, but I don’t think there were any.

to be continued

[Ancient Brit]

Chapter 10

I was woken up at first light by tractor drivers going to work, so I managed an early start and it was still cool when I set off cycling so I was wearing 2 T-shirts plus shorts. After an hour it had warmed up and I removed the shorts, cycling in just a T-shirt for 35 minutes. I think I was legal since the only clothing you are required to wear is a helmet! It was only a minor road and I was only seen by 5 cars and two pedestrians.
A usual I stripped for the walk and was quickly passed by a worker on his little ATV and 2 ladies walking back into town got a good view, doing the common thing of pretending not to look, but the fact they had a good stare after I had passed suggested interest! Two more vehicles and a tractor driver who gave me a friendly wave completed the voyeurs for the first segment as I dressed to walk through the Cadzilla.
It was quiet after I left town, but eventually I was passed by one cyclist and had to walk past a goatherd who was driving his small flock up the track. On approaching him I was more concerned by his dogs than him, but he didn’t have any!
The Via de la Plata then went up an old road alongside the N630 for about 100m, during which time 7 cars and a couple of motorcycles passed. I took 4 photos while about another 10 vehicles passed.
Apart from the odd farm worker who probably was too busy to see me, it wasn’t until I was almost back to the van that a girl drove up the track and shortly returned with a couple of passengers who seemed to be straining to get a better view as they passed!

On my drive back to pick up the bike I passed through Medina de las Torres where I parked in the shade of a tree in the square opposite the railway station for my lunch break . It was siesta time so relatively quiet so I was able to take some naked photos in the deserted station and have a towel bath in the fountain in the square.

The final section of the day was predominantly on roads linking Zafra to Pueblo de Sancho Perez and I cycled rather than walked. It went through the freight section of Zafra Station. It looked a good opportunity to do my first naked cycle ride. I stripped off , took a few photos and remained naked on the 2km of dirt road to Puebla de Sancho Perez. I wasn’t actually naked as I did wear a cycle helmet as required by Spanish law!

to be continued

[Ancient Brit]

Hi

I'll remind readers that this story is really intended to be accompanied by the photos taken along the trail. I can't post here because they contain nudity, but if over 18s would like to pm me I will send them a link to a site where they can see photos with the text.

Chapter 11

It was an hour ride to Zafra along fairly busy roads before I stripped off for the start of the morning’s walk. The dirt road passed a lot of houses and 4 cars passed as well as 2 male herb-pickers who seemed intent on not noticing me.
It was then clothed through Los Santos before stripping at the dirt road on the outskirts of town, under the eye of an elderly gentleman who was taking a breather on his very slow walk.
It was then quiet apart until I reached a very poor section of track when I was surprised to meet an upcoming small motorbike and a car following each other. I didn’t understand a word the motorcyclist said, but he sounded friendly enough and I got a wave from the old farmer in the car. I quickly came across four workman having a conference in a gateway on the track. They didn’t say anything as I passed but when I looked back I appeared to see one of them taking a photo with his mobile phone.
It was then back to the van and a drive to pick up my bike.

I took advantage of the Siesta to do some dare photos on the outskirts of Zafra including crossing a pedestrian crossing.

In the afternoon I was going to explore the section of the Via de la Plata around Villafranca de los Barros. The first 3km into town was a good dirt road, so I set off on bike rather than on foot. This time I was completely naked apart from footwear and the obligatory cycling helmet! I was seen only by one lady driver and one lady pedestrian before dressing to pass through the town..

I passed the Town Hall and noticed Police cars and motorcycles parked outside and thought it time for another dare photo. I had a chat with a French cyclist who was also on his way to Santiago and when he left I set up my camera, stripped off and took one quick photo using the time delay on the camera then quickly dressed and scampered. I assume I wasn’t seen !

Chapter 12

It was a cloudy start to the day and still rather cool as I cycled for two hours to get back to Villafranca.
The dirt roads on today’s section through vinyards were reckoned to be reasonably good standard and it was relatively flat so I decided to cycle it. It would also give me a chance of a long naked bike-ride. It was still a little chilly for riding naked, but my rules didn’t give me any option!
The roads were well used by farmers and I reckon I met about 20 vehicles during the two hour ride as well as plenty of workers in the vinyards. As well as overtaking about 10 hikers.
The most evident reaction was a pair of workers doing repairs on the top of a water tank beside the road which was reminiscent of the friendly calls made by building workers when a pretty young lady goes by!

The afternoon was spent on the bike sorting out the route out of Torremegia which was messy and badly signed. I passed the Municipal Cemetery and decided to investigate. The Cemetery was a fantastic place in a walled enclosure and the gates were open from about 10am-6pm. I wondered around and then stripped off for a few photos. After returning to the van I drove back to the cemetery to refill my water bottles and stripped again to have a towel bath as there was a water tap just inside the gate. This was a little more daring as I was naked for some time and I don’t think any visitors would have been too impressed if the found me naked in a cemetery.

It was just warm enough to walk the final quiet 4 miles down to Merida in the evening.

Chapter 13

It was clear and bright the next morning and turned out more a typical spring day rather than the really hot sunny weather of last week. I started off cycling into Merida and on for about 10km the other side, doing a few naked dares in the process. Merida is renowned as a Roman City, founded by Emperor Trajan and with many Roman remains, but with most of the population living in ugly flats. As I was almost back to the van the chain on my bike broke and I then discovered it was fete (May 1st) and no shops were open so I will have to wait to get repairs. My attempts to repair chain without any of the right tools or knowledge were futile.

I decided to walk the next section, there and back, in the afternoon, which was warm with a cool breeze and not oppressively hot. I set off naked as usual and was passed by a couple of cyclists giving me a friendly greeting. I put clothes on briefly going through a small village. In the next segment there was a motorway to cross and I didn’t bother to put shorts on for the tarmac sections of quiet access road. I dressed for another larger village and then 1km of tarmac road which took me to the end of the section at the N630. I stripped here and walked back along the tarmac and into the village naked to do the street dare. I did wimp out and slip shorts on part way through when people came out of a house just ahead, but went naked again from the middle of the village. I then walked naked on the tarmac access road to the village and back to the next village. At the start of the village it was still a gravel road, so according to my rules I remained naked as I walked between a girl who was sitting smoking on a roadside cross and boyfriend getting something from the car across the dirt road. The girl certainly got a very good view! It was still dirt road up to the church where three young boys were more interested in getting a game of football started than looking at me. The square was fairly busy and I put my shorts on before removing again as I walked from the centre of the village. I didn’t see anyone else before getting back to the car.

[Ancient Brit]

Four more chapters. PM me if you want link to photos that go with the story

ancient brit

Chapter 14

I drove into Merida to see if I could find an open bike shop, but as expected it wasn’t open on a Sunday. I decided to try walking the next section of trail and then hitching back to the car. This was likely to be problematical as there would be very little traffic and hitching doesn’t seem normal practise in Spain.
I was getting organised for my walk when I group of cyclists came by. I stopped them and asked about bicycle repair shops (not easy without a common language, and one of them was carrying a chain repair kit (mountain bikes are more likely to break chains?) and he ended up repairing the chain on my bike.

I then drove to Alcuescar and, rather late in the morning, cycled back to Aljucen. As usual I stripped off as soon as I had secured the bike and was immediately passed by a car and two motorcycles. I was only a short distance up the track before I had to walk past four ladies picnicking in the shade of a tree and a cyclist and the two motorcycles returning as well as two more motorcycles came passed. Much further on I passed a couple of fairly elderly walkers taking a break; the surprise being that they were dressed in bright fluorescent clothing. I then passed a young couple of cyclists who were taking a break and I got a friendly greeting as we crossed three more times as the girl was struggling on the hills on the mountain bike. The final encounter was as I approached Alcuescar and three ladies were taking an afternoon stroll. I saw them at a distance, but they were so engrossed in their chatter that I was within a few yards before they noticed me and there was an interesting look of surprise on their faces! Not bad for a section of trail which the guidebook had described as “For the next 15km you will not pass a single building and are unlikely to meet anyone.”!!

When I’d filled up naked at a petrol station earlier on my trip I hadn’t got any photos. Today the smaller petrol stations were closed (Sunday) and I took advantage to get a photo appearing to fill the van while naked .

I then drove and spent the night by the Roman bridge over Rio Salor, ready for the next day.

Chapter 15

A strong northerly wind came up overnight. This meant the long cycle ride to Alcuescar was easy but chilly enough for me to be well wrapped up. It was only just manageable to walk naked all day, despite the clear skies because of the cooling effect of the wind.
I hadn’t gone 100m before a road maintenance van drove out past me and a couple of surprised workmen stopped clearing the vegetation to take a look. Fairly early I also passed two more workmen and was passed by a pair of cyclist with the usual friendly greeting. After this I didn’t actually see anyone on the trail for the rest of the day!

However for about 4km the trail followed parallel to the N630, initially about 20m away with some bushes for cover, but then less than 5m from the N630 with no cover of any sort! The N630 isn’t particularly busy, but today there seemed a huge number of motorcyclists heading north and I certainly got some honking of horns and some waves from some of them. The nervous moment was when I didn’t see a police car (Guardia Civile) came up behind, but it carried on up the road without any obvious reduction in speed.

The next day was even windier and colder and no day to be walking naked! First I explored the section through Caceres on bike before walking the Valdesalor to Caceres section. I did wear T-shirt and track top, but sticking to the nudity principles, I didn’t wear any trousers, shorts or pants. For some reason I find this more daunting than going completely naked! (Some naturist clubs used to have rules such as “No tops without bottoms”, but this is illogical since it makes sense when it is a little chilly, or when sun keeps coming and going behind cloud, or even to protect shoulders from sunburn! The generally accepted wear for men of shorts and no top is much more illogical!)

This was another section close to the N630 for 6km, varying between about 5m and 100m and at times I was clearly visible from the road, and I also had to cross the road twice. In fact a police car sped by when I was only about 5m from the road. There was also a short section of minor road during which 3 cars passed me.
In late afternoon I cycled both ways on another track about 10-50m from the fairly busy CC38 during which I passed about 10 walkers. wearing same clothing as in the morning walk.

Chapter 16

The wind had dropped to a light breeze by the morning and it was an ideal day for walking with temperatures reaching about 80F and enough breeze to feel comfortable.

I was cycling into Casar de Caceres at about 9am when I spotted a small Square (actually a triangle) with about half a dozen simple fitness machines for public use. I couldn’t resist the temptation to get some naked dare photos despite there being occasional cars passing on the roads on all three sides of the Square as well as houses overlooking on all sides and one young man sitting in a car. I set up the camera, then stripped off and took several photos using the time delay on the camera. I have no idea if I was seen!

It was a high-level section today, the first half being along an excellent dirt road. In this time 6 cars passed me and I got friendly hoots or waves from four of them. It wasn’t until the track deteriorated that I was seen by the first hikers, a couple of ladies taking a break who greeted me, and I was also passed by a young couple on bikes who greeted me as well. The most daring part was the final 200m along the hard shoulder of the N630.
In the evening I walked the section of rough track into Canaveral, seeing no-one in two and half hours.

The next day was Election day. Unfortunately I couldn’t vote because I was already on the Via de la Plata when the postal vote forms came out.

It was a 2 hour cycle ride to start the day including the ascent of the Puerto de Castanos.
I set off naked from Ermita san Cristobel, but left my hat behind with my bike and when I got back there were two gentleman opening up the chapel. I didn’t understand a word of what one of them shouted, I wasn’t even sure whether it was friendly or hostile tone.
Then it was three hours before I next saw anyone, a couple of hikers having a break, and three cyclists also came past. All gave me a friendly greeting.

Chapter 17

It was cold and cloudy in the morning and the weather was very unpromising, so I put a lot more clothes in my pack. It was another 2 hour cycle ride before I set off and I just about managed it naked in as the sun was trying to break through. Again I was passed by a tractor driver in the first mile and began to wonder whether I’d see anyone else all day (apart from at the road crossings) In fact as I was approaching the Roman ruins at Caparra I walked straight passed a young lady who seemed more interested in her mobile phone conversation than she was with me!
After about 5 hours naked walking, I was hit by a thunderstorm and it was waterproofs on for an hour, then I went bottomless for the last half hour to the van.

No chance of naked hiking the next day! It was cold and total overcast and I started off doing some exploration on the bike before setting off to do the main part of the mornings walk. I set off well wrapped up with trousers as well, but I did manage about 30 minutes of bottomless walking before lunch. I then dodged the heavy showers to do some more exploration on the bike and to walk a mile section of renovated Roman road leading to Puerto de Bajar. In the evening I just stayed in the van as the weather deteriorated further and I had waterproofs on all the following day.

The next day started with a 100 minute cycle ride on a cold sunny morning. It never really warmed up, but although the clouds built up and wind increased, I was able to walk naked for 5 hours before putting on shirt and sweatshirt on the summit of 1140m Pico de la Dueno. Then 20 min of bottomless walking and it started to rain just as I got back to the van.
I had passed 2 hikers early. We had no common language but they did manage to ask if I was cold! I was also passed by a pair of motorcyclists, twice and walked 1.5 km naked along the tarmac road into small village of Fuenterroble de Salvatierra during which time there were no cars! I later passed a group of 5 archeologists digging up the Calzada Romana and passed by 4 cyclists. All very friendly!

This was my last naked hiking for 5 days as it gradually got colder and colder until there was fresh snow in the mountains.

[Ancient Brit]

Chapter 18

At last it dawned clear and sunny. However it was deceptive as the wind had gone round to the north and it wasn’t until mid afternoon that it started to warm up and it wasn‘t until late afternoon that I managed 2½ hours of naked walking during which I was just seen by one tractor driver who was ploughing!

The next morning there was ice on my windscreen, but not a cloud in the sky and the wind had dropped. By the time I’d done a 2-hour cycle ride it was warm enough to hike naked. Despite being a Sunday there were very few people about and I was probably only seen by 3 car drivers, one tractor driver and 3 cyclists. It was only on the approach to Bercianos where I had to walk past 2 ladies and a gentleman on a bike that I was really exposed. Not many people in 6 hours of walking.

The next day it was a little warmer and I made an earlier start to the naked walking. I didn’t see a single “pilgrim” all day. Early on I had to pass a lady on a bike and I was passed by a jogger, who managed to protect me from his aggressive little dog. Another local on a bike and one van driver made up the rest on the trail. I did do some walking along quiet tarmac road and a few drivers must have got a good view and on into the little village of Villar de Farfon where I continued through the square and out of the village. I am not aware of anyone seeing me!

to be continued

ancient brit

[daremaster118]

the best thing about this story is the argument i made half way through it

[Ancient Brit]

Chapters 19-21 below complete the first stage of my summer of naked adventures.

The next stage of my summer trip was to drive to Foix in France where I was to visit Mistress. This journey will be described in Chapter 22, but as a taster the orders I was given by Mistress were that I was to remain naked throughout for my drive from Santiago to Foix, a distance of about 800 miles!! No clothing, except shoes and socks to be worn at any time!!

Ancient Brit

Chapter 19

Today was a hot day and after a 2-hour cycle ride I managed 35km of nude hiking. There were very few people around and I met no pilgrims on trail. With the scarcity of people I was getting more daring on the places I was hiking naked.

Early on the via de la Plata followed dirt roads alongside the motorway and later on I walked three 3 km along minor tarmac roads during which time there were only 3 cars and I managed to walk naked through two small villages of Valdemerilla and Remesal.

For the next couple of days I continued walking naked along minor tarmac roads and through little villages. By now I’d got confident in walking naked and the occasional meeting with walkers and others didn’t cause me any concern

The final short walk of the day ended at a river where there were I had seen 4 couples arrive on ATVs and gather around a swimming hole. Rather than approach them naked I decided to put on my shorts. This wasn’t because of a sudden onset of modesty as I had every intention of taking a swim and I intended to strip in front of them, which I did. They were a very friendly group and no problems with my nudity.

Having finished the walking for the day I entered the small town of Laza On the main road they had built a granite monument and beside it were three fitness machines. These were only yards from the road and visible to a couple of men sitting on a bench about 50m away but I couldn’t resist the temptation to take naked photos using all three pieces of apparatus as well as posing beside the monument.

Chapter 20

The next day started with a nude walk through the small village of Tamicelas where I was seen by a couple working in the fields and another couple of people in the village. I didn’t see anyone for the next 4 hours and then only a few cars passed as I walked along minor roads to Boveda.

The following morning there was just a short walk. My nudity seemed to be a reason for hilarity rather than offence as a couple in van were laughing as they drove past and a couple of teenage girls were giggling as I walked past. I then cycled through the city of Ourense. With temperatures around 35°C I decided I needed to cool off. There was a big fountain on a large roundabout on one of the dual carriageways on the town bypass and this seemed a good opportunity to have a bath! I must have been visible to lots of cars and a few walkers.

In the afternoon I had a bath in a laveredo in a plaza outside the church in Soutelo. Laveredos are the water troughs and fountains where the ladies would have done the laundry before the houses had running water. I don’t think I was seen but I was only about 20m from the crowded bar across the road!

It was still extremely hot in the evening and I again walked naked, but this was much more exposed than my walking over the past week. The walking was, mainly on tarmac or dirt roads going past lots of houses with many people in gardens enjoying evening sun. Finished with about 3km along tarmac roads, all busier than normal. While I was passing a family gathering in a garden, two teenage boys spotted me and got there bikes out and rode past me and back to get a better view! At another point I passed a parked car which I thought was unoccupied until I was right up to it and saw 2 ladies. Later they drove past and when I was stopped at a junction to check my map they stopped to give me directions! No mention of the fact that I was naked at the time!

Chapter 21

I was now on the final approach to Santiago de Compostella. The penultimate day was cloudy and humid but still warm enough to walk naked. Much of the distance was along quiet tarmac roads and through small hamlets including Sobreiro and Viduedo. I was probably seen by traffic police as I walked alongside N525. One was certainly having a good look at me but don’t know if they could see lower half of body. Later it was thundery and I walked with waterproof top and nothing else. A good combination until heavy thunderstorm in late afternoon, but at least near the end of the storm I managed to find a shelter and I’d got dry clothing to put on.

It was wet all the final day and I just cycled to the Cathedral in Santiago. This is where it is believed (by the gullible??) that the bones of St. James (Iago=James) are buried and thousands of pilgrims arrive here every day . Santiago has been the objective for pilgrims for 1000 years. The main pilgrim route is the Camino de Santiago which takes walkers from the Pyrenees to Santiago, but the route I walked, the Via de la Plata, is a better route for the naked pilgrim as it is less crowded and doesn’t follow the main roads as closely as the Camino de Santiago.

The next stage of my summer trip was to drive to Foix in France where I was to visit Mistress. This journey will be described in Chapter 22, but as a taster the orders I was given by Mistress were that I was to remain naked throughout for my drive from Santiago to Foix, a distance of about 800 miles!! No clothing, except shoes and socks to be worn at any time!!

[Ancient Brit]

This is a summary of the naked hike, described in detail in previous chapters ( written for a naturist magazine.)

Turning Fantasy into Reality: Hike naked along Via de La Plata with Ancient Brit

It’s 19th April and I’m about to set out on the trip of a lifetime. In the next few months I’m expecting to be Naked in Public to a degree I’d never contemplated before. I’m about to try and convert Fantasy into Reality by hiking naked along the Via de la Plata, an old pilgrim route, from Seville in the south of Spain to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain where the remains of Saint James are alleged to have been interred..

I’d frequently walked naked before, but mainly in wilderness areas where I saw very few people and then I usually covered up when approaching others. There was always been the possibility of surprise encounters, but generally interaction with the public had been limited. This time I intended hike naked and remain naked, subject to weather conditions, whenever I was off paved roads.

The official purpose of the trip was to check out the Cicerone Press guidebook for the route. Rather than back-packing, I was taking my small motor home and a bicycle. Each day I was going to cycle to the beginning of a section and then walk back to the starting point with a small day pack. To reduce the walking on tarmac and through towns, where possible, I was going to cycle these sections rather than walk them.

I took the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao and after a long drive arrived on the outskirts of Seville. It was getting late but I just had time to cycle first section of the route out of the city so I would be able to start the walking in the morning.

After cycling to my start point, I secured the bike and immediately stripped off and set off on a broad track through undulating farmland. It wasn’t long before a couple and then a young man greeted me as they cycled past. When I arrived at a muddy ford over a minor river, three walkers and two cyclists had just finished crossing and were cleaning up. I was quite pleased to have an early encounter to test my resolve to remain naked and act as if it was perfectly natural (It is, isn‘t it!!). One of the cyclists took a couple of pictures of me before asking if I minded! Once they discovered I spoke English we had a friendly chat. They were actually two groups of Germans.

The Via de la Plata mainly follows farm tracks so most days I was probably seen more by workers in old vans and on motorbikes or tractors than by walkers and cyclists.

I dressed to walk through the town centre Guillena before reaching the bank of the Rio Rivera de Huelva where, sticking to my principles, I stripped again and followed the riverbank passing a large group of men and boys picnicking beside the river. I certainly got laughter from the boys! Finally the rough track took me past some bungalows and paralleled the main road as I returned to my van.

I was pleased that I’d managed complete my first day of naked hiking with only friendly interactions, despite making no efforts to cover up.

The walk continued much the same way for a couple of weeks while the good weather lasted. The landscape was not particularly exciting and I was not very interested in the religious buildings on the route, but the route was following the course of the old Roman road and Roman remains, often well preserved, were of great interest to me.

The reaction of those I met while hiking naked was interesting. The majority greeted me normally, as passing strangers would do, while a small minority ignored me as if I didn’t exist. This is no different than the reaction I would have got while walking clothed! A small number, mainly teenage girls, would start giggling: Conversations were limited more by my inability to speak any Spanish than the fact that I was naked. I only had one (mild) adverse reaction on the whole of the hike and that was from an elderly Dutch gentleman; I was having a friendly chat with his wife and he waved me away. (I don’t think he spoke English)

I won’t try and give a day by day report of the walk, but just give a feel for the hike with a few quotes from my diary.

“The trail passed through the farmyard with the farmer’s wife out in the yard as well as a couple of men in a car and a little further along an old farmer. This is the sort of situation in the past where I would dressed before passing through, but now I remained naked as I had committed myself to staying naked whenever I was off tarmac roads. The occupants of the farmyard had a good look, but appeared more curious than concerned.”

The Via de la Plata was paralleling the N630, a former trunk road but now mainly carrying local traffic as it had been superseded by the A66. At times the trail was very close to both these roads. A couple of quotes from my diaries give a feeling for these sections:

“After following the trail parallel to and about 20m from the N630, I had to cross the N630 and walk about 100m along the hard shoulder, during which time 2 motorbikes passed. Then there was a small path usually within 5m of the N630 and often right next to it where I was going to be seen by any vehicle coming down the road. When the N630 disappeared under the A66 I dropped down to a small tarmac road and I walked along that as it first deteriorated and then turned into a gravel road by the time I reached my car. Only 2 cars passed as I was walking this road, but I was visible throughout from the A66 motorway which it was running alongside.”

“For about 4km the trail followed parallel to the N630, initially about 20m away with some bushes for cover, but then less than 5m from the N630 with no cover of any sort! The N630 is usually quiet but today there seemed a huge number of motorcyclists heading north and I certainly got some honking of horns and some waves from some of them. There was one nervous moment when a police car (Guardia Civile) came up behind, but it carried on without any obvious reduction in speed.”

“The final short walk of the day ended at a swimming hole in the river. Four couples had just arrived by ATV but they were a very friendly group and no problems with my nudity. It was very hot and I took my much needed swim.”

I did cycle rather than hike a few sections of the trail. With a trail bike rather than a road bike it would actually be possible to cycle most of the Via de la Plata. I was able to cycle naked on a few sections which was exhilarating and was more comfortable than cycling in shorts.

After two weeks of glorious weather, it got really cold, with periods of rain and even snow in the mountains, so naked hiking was out of the question. During this time I cycled as much as possible, often on tracks which were rather too muddy for the road bike I was using.

As I got further north there was a change in the nature of the walking. Apart from getting hillier, the walking was increasingly along minor roads and through little villages or hamlets. I increasingly walked naked along minor tarmac roads as well as through some of the seemingly deserted hamlets.

“With the scarcity of people I was getting more daring on the places I was hiking naked, I walked for 3km along minor tarmac roads and naked through the small villages of Valdemerilla and Remesal. For the next couple of days I continued walking naked along minor tarmac roads and through little villages.”

“It was still extremely hot in the evening and I again walked naked, but this was much more exposed than my walking over the past week. The walking was, mainly on tarmac or dirt roads going past lots of houses with many people in gardens enjoying evening sun. While I was passing a family gathering in a garden, two teenage boys spotted me and got there bikes out and rode past me and back to get a better view! At another point I passed a parked car which I thought was unoccupied until I was right up to it and saw 2 ladies. Later they drove past and when I was stopped at a junction to check my map they stopped to give me directions! No mention of the fact that I was naked at the time!”

As bad weather returned I cycled the final sections to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostella to join the vast hoard of pilgrims who had followed the northern route from the Pyrenees.

This was a fantastic experience and one that I hope to repeat in the future. It takes nerve, but the reception I got from people I met was very positive and added to my enjoyment of the journey.

Ancient Brit

[Ancient Brit]

Hi
My summer fantasy continued with a 800-mile drive, totally naked as described in Chapter 22.
ancient brit

Chapter 22
800-mile Naked Drive from Santiago, Spain to Foix, France, May 2010I had just completed my naked hike from Seville to Santiago along the Via de la Plata and I was about to drive the 800 miles to Foix in France. The only snag, my orders from Mistress:

"You was to remain NAKED throughout the drive from Santiago to Foix, including at service stations, and take photos as proof"

I’d taken the precaution of starting with a full tank of fuel but I was still expecting to need a couple of stops at service stations during this journey. Being in a small motor home catering would be no problem as I had enough food in the van.

How was I going to be able to resist the temptation to dress when the going got hard in a vehicle full of clothes. The first thing I did was put all my clothing, waterproofs, towels etc (everything except one pair of socks) into the top cupboard of the van and lock it. I then sealed the key in a plastic bag and photographed the arrangement. As well as meaning it might take a couple of minutes to get at the clothes if I panicked, it also meant that the only way to get at the key was to destroy the bag and that would be obvious to Mistress. I almost had a problem before I even started as a police car appeared in the area I was parked, while making these arrangements, but after nosing around it drove off. It had been raining most of the final day and it was chilly and cloudy as I took my first photos outside the van before setting off. It might have been the middle of summer, but I was going to need the heater going on the van to keep warn enough while driving naked.
Except in towns, for a man, driving naked isn’t particularly daring as anyone looking into the van will just think that you’ve got your shirt off. There were no difficulties on the first evening/afternoon. My two breaks were taken in large, fairly empty lorry parks beside bar/restaurants and I was only exposed when I got out of the van to take the required photos. The overnight stop was in a picnic area and again there were no difficult moments.

The water tank on my van had developed a leak so I had to fill up my water bottles at regular intervals. I took my first break of the day at a picnic area with an old fountain beside and clearly visible from the main road at a pass. First I threw away my garbage bags into the litter bins and then got all my water containers out and filled them at the fountain. There was a notice saying ‘agua non potable’, but I’d guess the water quality was better than the water at home! It was still rather cool and at my next stop in a large parking area beside the main road I only left the van long enough for the required photo.

The journey so far had been very uneventful, but by now I was running short on diesel. I came across a quiet petrol station set a bit back from the road, but this was Spain and it is attendant service not self service. I pulled up to the pumps and waited for the attendant, young man, to walk from the shop to the pumps. I then opened the van door, got out, unlocked the petrol filler cap on the van and asked him to fill the tank. I tried to act in exactly the same way as I would have if I had been normally dressed instead of completely naked. While waiting for the attendant I’d set up my camera in the van on a mini-tripod and I took a photograph while he was filling the tank. By now another car had pulled into the petrol station and I’m afraid I took the easy option of paying cash for the petrol, rather than going into the shop and paying by credit card.

In the evening I had to drive through the middle of Pamplona. This was the only big city I had to drive through on my naked drive. I was stopping in heavy traffic, road junctions and traffic lights. I would have been very visible to any pedestrians looking into the van and being in a right hand drive car in Spain I would right next to the pavement. Again I set the camera up to take photos as I drove through. After leaving Pamplona I took the pilgrim road to Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees and crossed the border into France. Fortunately border crossings inside the EU aren’t usually manned so I was able to drive through without stopping. I spent the night in a lay-by on the outside of a village which was used as a recycling centre, so there were plenty of other users.

The third day of drive was following the roads along the northern edge of the Pyrenees mountains. Apart from when I had bought the petrol it hadn’t been that daunting a journey. Now it was time to be more daring. I’d been eating in my van using food that I’d got stored in the van.

In France it is normal to buy bread twice a day as their it is only really palatable when it is fresh. I hadn’t any bread for breakfast and thought I should buy some. All the little villages have their own boulangerie (bakers) and I kept my eye open for a quiet one. I parked in front of a shop and boulangerie on the edge of one village. I decided to wait until there was no-one in the boulangerie and then go in and buy some bread, but there was a steady stream of customers and after about 15 minutes I gave up.
I drove on and was unhappy that I had wimped out. I’d hoped to find a boulangerie that was isolated, but it didn’t look as if I would so eventually I steeled myself to stop at the next village to buy some bread. This was another small village with the boulangerie in a small general store in the small village square. I managed to park about 10m from the store which appeared to be empty. I was naked as a walked from the van to the store and entered the store. There appeared to no-one in the store, not even the shop-keeper. I expected the bell ringing as I opened the door would attract attention, but I was in the shop for a couple of minutes before a lady came out of a door leading from the back of the shop where she had been chatting with a couple of men and another lady. I was clearly visible to the people through the door as she took what seemed like a long time to serve me and sort out the change. Before leaving the shop I took a couple of (not very good) photos using the time delay on my camera. Several people will have seen me as I walked back to the van and made a quick getaway.

At lunchtime I decided it was time to test my courage further. I drove into a McDrive (MacDonald’s drive through restaurant). This was actually the first time that I’d used a Drive through restaurant! After spending some time checking the procedures and deciding what to order I drove up to the ordering booth. Because I was in a right-hand drive vehicle I had to move into the passenger seat before opening the window and giving my order to the girl in the booth. Since the kiosks were fairly high up she would have been able to see I was totally naked. She left the booth for a short time, which was a little worrying, but she returned to take my payment. During this time she must have had a chat with the other assistants because the young man in the delivery booth was replaced by another young lady before I went to collect my order! Obviously she wanted a good look and she certainly got it! (unfortunately the photos didn’t work out)

The remainder of the journey to Mistress in Foix was uneventful. I had expected to need some more diesel, but I’d been driving fairly slowly and getting very good petrol consumption.

ancient brit