European Odyssey 2001 contd

A period at home marking GCSE exams was followed by four weeks in Sweden. Sweden has an extensive system of Lakes and rivers, which are ideal for canoe-camping trips. I spent two weeks in the Dalsland area of Sweden close to the Norwegian border. This beautiful naked area of large lakes and connecting canals is popular with German, Dutch and Danish canoeists. Although there are few official naturist beaches in Sweden there are numerous small beaches and rocky bathing places where naturism seems to thrive. Naked camping is allowed in the woods along the lakes and on the many small islands dotted around the lakes and many idyllic spots can be found. With long sunny days punctuated by the occasional thunderstorm, air temperatures reached 30C and water temperatures approached 25C. It isn�t always like this in Sweden but you get good weather more often than not in mid summer. My remaining time in Sweden I spent in the area southwest of Stockholm. Here it is possible follow small rivers and lakes which are joined by tracks where it possible to wheel your canoe on a trolley. Because of these portages these routes are less popular than the Dalsland area and few canoeists are met on the water. With the heat wave continuing conditions for nude swimming were still perfect. At the end of this trip I spent a couple of days on an official costumes optional beach on a small island on one of these Lakes. Surprisingly this was much less used by naturists than the many unofficial sites I came across. After a few days back in England I headed off to the Pyrenees where I intended to spend about six weeks walking from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. There are three main walking routes along the Pyrenees: The GR10 which remains in France and the GR11 in Spain are on well marked and maintained footpaths which generally stay below the highest peaks. I had decided to attempt the High Level Route, which follows the main ridge of the Pyrenees where possible, and remains above 1500m over most of the route. The route scrambles up airy rocky ridges, crosses high-glaciated passes and traverses rocky pathless terrain. In these remote areas it is necessary to camp wild and often carry a very heavy pack. I spent a few days dropping supplies along the route before starting walking from Hendaye-Plage on the Atlantic Coast near the Spanish border. Through the Basque country the route mainly follows the border ridge and is a gentle introduction to the walk before reaching the alpine slopes of the High Pyrenees. Lakes and streams along the route provided some rather cold swimming. Tea breaks and camps often provided opportunities to top up on the tan gained earlier in the summer. Eventually Andorra is reached and the route again becomes somewhat gentler but the shorter days meant that I had to keep going and was not able to spend as much time lounging around in the sun. On the last day as I approached the Mediterranean Sea near Banyuls-sur-Mare the generally good weather I had enjoyed for most of the summer ended with storm force winds blowing me off my feet and making progress very difficult and dangerous when taking Family camera videos. I had hoped to spend a few days relaxing on Mediterranean beaches at the end of this trip but the deteriorating weather drove me home. What about next year? I am hoping to walk the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mexican Border to the Canadian border through California, Oregon and Washington. It should be a fantastic adventure and I�m sure it should provide more naturist wilderness experiences.