There was a point, when my partner Dave and I were about 20 minutes away from Cwm Weeg Gardens near Newtown, Wales, when the rain was bucketing down and the car thermometer read 12 degrees, and we wondered whether we were losing our minds. Walk around naked in this?! But we persevered – and are we glad we did.
By the time we made it to the car park and enjoyed a warm drink and some cake with our companions, the sun was coming out. Although many of the 37 walkers started out clothed or partially clothed, it didn’t take long for most of us to strip off.
Cwm Weeg means “place in a wooded valley,” owner Wolfgang told me. And that’s exactly where we were, high up on a hill with paths that snake through a densely wooded valley. There’s a late Medieval farmhouse in three acres of landscaped gardens set in 20 acres of woodland, with wildflowers everywhere.
Wolfgang and his partner Kingsley have lived there for 38 years, and they’ve built several other buildings on the site, and a terrace where walkers can have a chat and refreshments. The gardens are dotted with sculptures and other interesting features – including a secret grotto.
One particularly unusual building is a tower – still very much under construction – which will be Wolfgang’s and Kingsley’s grave. It will be covered by a crypt and, above that, a library, because, Wolfgang said, he loves books.
I asked him why he had agreed to host a BN Naked Heart Walk and he said, “We’re very open and accept everybody.” When they lived in Germany, they enjoyed nude bathing and were part of the Naturism scene. But things have changed since then, he noted. Young people aren’t as interested in the lifestyle, and, since the covid lockdowns, there’s been a complete reversal in attitudes in Germany, with Brits becoming more tolerant of people they don’t agree with than Germans.
The NHW also attracted a couple of newbies. Ian has been a BN member for several years but is new to public Naturism, he told me. When the Cwm Weeg NHW popped up in his area, he decided to give it a try. “I loved it,” he said – and is now planning more naked public events.
Naturism is completely new to Ian’s partner, Kath, but she came along because she wanted to see what appeals to him. She didn’t undress, preferring to dip her toe in “little by little” when they go abroad to a warmer place.
All in all, a smashing outing, and even the weather cooperated. To top it off, this Naked Heart Walk raised £465 for the British Heart Foundation, along with £360 for the gardens!
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