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General
This (official ) nudist beach is located near Leysdown-on-Sea at the
eastern end of the Isle of Sheppey on the north Kent coast. The beach is
located half a mile south-east of the main beach at Leysdown near to the
place identified on maps as 'Shell Ness'
Access & Parking
The Isle of Sheppey is reached via the A249 road from the A2 or junction 5
of the M2 near Sittingbourne. Follow signposts for Sheerness. Once over
the Swale channel turn right on to the B2231 for to Leysdown-on-Sea.
Arriving at Leysdown, follow the road through the town and along the
beach, for about one mile. The road veers away from the beach a bit then
comes to a T-junction [of sorts] opposite the entrance to a caravan park.
You follow the road round to the left here and the road (track, actually)
steadily deteriorates from here on in. When you reach a gateway you can
either park or carry on along the track to a parking area which is
directly behind the naturist beach (just past some cottages). Park at Mile
End Wall where the road meets the seawall. Walk south eastwards past some
old wooden holiday chalets. The Shellness free beach starts one hundred
metres from the chalets.
Description
This beach is a mixture of sand, shingle, shells and, in places mud. A
recent visitor described it as 'small (fairly) clean sandy(ish) beach,
over some dunes'. The scenery is typical of the Thames estuary - there are
good views of Whitstable and of shipping in the Thames. At low tide the
sea can be a long way out. Beach walkers on their way to Shell Ness may
pass the beach but there are no reported problems. 'Free Sun' reported
that the beach was sometimes used by '750 bods' - more recent reports
suggest regular use by 20-30 naturists, with up to 100 at busy weekends.
Facilities
No facilities are available on the beach, the nearest are to be found in
Leysdown.
Water Quality
Water quality is affected by detritus from London and ship litter.
Leysdown meets the minimal EEC standard.
Trip Report August 2005
"Visited Leysdown at the weekend, my first visit to this place, and found it very friendly. There are some areas in the dunes that give shelter from the wind for sun worshipers. The beach has more shells than I have ever seen on a beach in my life. I camped out there overnight and there was no trouble, althought I would suggest you pitch your tent close to others if stopping. Talking to the people around, I did and found them very friendly... The sunrise in the morning was great, I sat there for over an hour just watching it come up. This is a very relaxed place, out of the way, not hard to get to but take plenty of water and some food... Great Fun"
Trip Report July 2005
"A warning to those visiting the beach on a wet day, or after a wet period of time: do not park on the muddy areaas you might on a dry day. Park back up in the small concrete parking area as the muddy area 'clay' and sticks to your tyres and shoes, making it a nightmare to remove your car when leaving. It also sticks in your wheelarches and is very hard to remove."
Trip Report December 2004
"My partner and I went to this beach earlier this year (2004), we didnt have a wind-break and certainly noticed the difference between those that did. My partner became extremely uncomfortable with all the unwarranted attention from the single males, one of whom strode directly "over" us in an attempt to get himself "noticed". Others just sat uncomfortably close ogling. While neither my partner or myself are prudes obviously, she and I eventually felt that we had endured enough and left, which was a shame because the weather was glorious on that day and we had been enjoying it."
Trip Report August 2004
"I live locally to the nudist beach at Leysdown and enjoy many happy days there socialising and getting the sun. I love the beach and have been using it for over 20 years. The 'regulars' are friendly and it has a nice atmosphere generally.
I must however warn everybody who uses the beach of a regular who has been recently caught covertly photographing couples and single men on the beach. This was brought to my attention by a new couple to the beach who saw the guy in question laying down on the beach using a camera inside his bag to take 'artistic' photos. The guy was confronted by a man who he had been photographing and the film removed from his camera and destroyed. Regulars beware! The man taking the photos...[is] known to all of the regulars at the beach.... constantly moving position on the beach. He lays with his bag (containing the camera) in front of him. He is not welcome.
Relaxing in the nude as nature intended is a wondeful way to spend a day and we do not need the likes of [him] taking photos of us. We wish to relax and not have to worry about people... spying on us. Please be aware that this guy is a one-off, most of the regulars are friendly and the beach is a safe place to go. Just ask... any of the other regular faces who will be happy to sit and talk to anybody about the beach and its regulars."
Trip Report August 2004
"Shellness beach [a.k.a Leysdown - ed.] was the first naturist beach I went to 8 years ago and I now visit there every year for two weeks.The regulars are very friendly and always say hello.This year I will be down there for 1 week and hope the weather is kind.
Its true about the road up to the beach, but OK if you know how to handle it. I only have a peugeot 306 and never had any problems with the underside of my vehicle. Just take it slow. .Additional toilets (even a portaloo0 would be a great incentive, especially for women."
Trip Report June 2004
"I visit Leysdown Beach on a regular basis and have to say that this year (2004) the road leading to the beach has improved, however, the parking facilities have worsened. A local Farmer has dumped soil along the car park and it has reduced the parking spaces by half. There is still enough space to park, but you may have a little longer walk. The beach itself is cleaner than it has been for quite some time. The rubbish bins are emptied reguarly and the whole place has a more tidy feel. The regulars are a nice bunch. Ken, Tom, Lee, Derek (and their partners) and others all look out for each other and the feeling is of a safe comfortable place. There are of course some men wandering around, but all in all a pleasant place."
Update: August 2004
"The earth that had been put beside the road has nown been moved further in, making parking a lot better - it may even get better if it is flatterned out more. The beach is now very clean."
Trip Report May 2004
"Myself and my partner visited this beach for the first time May 2004. In fact it was our first time at a naturist beach. Feeling very nervous and unsure what to expect we were surprised to see that using a wind break gave you privacy and most people did this . On the whole the people there respected your privacy to a point. However, the single men that walk about looking, made me feel uncomfortable. This I got used to as the day went on and I could see they meant no harm.
The real worry for me was when my partner said he thought a man laying directly behind us up on a sand dune, around 10metres behind [us], was taking photos covertly. When I looked up I could see he had something covered with his clothing and he was using one hand to focus a lense. My partner confronted this man who denied having a camara. Eventually he admitted he had one and we asked him to move on. He did and went off to lay opposite another couple and proceeded to do the same to them. We have reported him to the police."
Trip Report September 2003
[I] visited for 1st time 16/9/03, fine weather and around 40 people, a few couples and a couple of single women and lots of single men. Very relaxing day with friendly regulars, recommended. The sand dunes also give some privacy.
Trip Report August 2003
"Not hard to find, but hard on the suspension of your car to get to the closest parking - a 4 wheel drive is recommended. The beach was reasonably quiet in the mid aftenoon with a fair mix of couples, familes and single men. Everyone seemed to respect each other's space and the beach exuded a club like feeling of friendship with a few regulars who appear to keep an eye on things. Well worth a visit."
Trip Report August 2002
"I spend a wonderful long weekend at Leysdown's naturist beach which
in hot weather is a wonderful scenic place.
However,for any potential visitors please note that (a)The rough dirt track road leading to the beach is LETHAL for a car's underneath exhaust. It will get damaged. Better to walk the small distance or do what I did, bought a cheap micro scooter and pedalled the small length.(b)There are I am afraid several nuisances of people on the beach.More a case of am irritant than a danger.There is one chap who is on a wheelchair who just wheels around looking at the naturists and he is fulled clothed.Disabled people deserve sympthay but this is taking it to the limits.There are a few old men there but they are the usuals there, harmless but like to look. I have been a visitor to this beach for over 12 years and it is a great friendly place. All the cheerful regulars are there.
If you go there just say "hello" to your fellow naturists.Some may be shy and don't wish to impede, just speak! Overall, a wonderful place in the hot sunshine and very friendly regulars."
Trip Report July 2002
"Spent a very pleasent day at the beach, along with about 20-30
others made up of couples and singles. Walked about for most of the day
talking to friends made over the years. In general a very pleasant day.
One word of caution though, a gentleman who turned up in a BMW and wearing
trousers, a shirt and tie was a persistant nuisance for some of the day, "stalking"
couples and generally making people feel nervous. Other than this one
individual a very pleasant day spent talking to nice people, in a nice
place in the nice weather."
Trip Report June 2002
"I made my first visit to this beach on the last day of the recent
warm spell. Despite having some concerns about being able to find it from
the directions it was easy to find. I just kept on the road through
Leysdown until I reached it. There was a proper direction sign about a
mile or so before the beach, as reassurance. The track was very poor at
first - great care needed, but seemed to get better.
The beach itself was small, but clean and tidy (well done whoever kept it that way). Clear signs and boundaries are a help in letting both naturists and non-naturists know what to expect and where. I suspect with the claimed 750 there it would be very crowded, but it could certainly soak up a couple of hundred without problems. The main problem was from the masses of small beetles that settled everywhere (and I mean everywhere!) unless you went on to the sand/shell part of the beach.
I shall certainly be back at any opportunity."
Trip Report 25/03/02:
" Took advantage of the warm(ish) spring sunshine to visit Leysdown
for the first time this year. The track leading to the beach has had fresh
rubble tipped into the bigger holes, but the track itself is still quite
bumpy. Once at the beach the first thing I noticed is that the parking
area at the rear of the beach has been reduced considerably in width by
tipped spoil, either intentionally or by rogue 'dumpers'. This will make a
difference come the summer proper, as it has reduced the area available
for cars. The Council has erected new signs showing where the naturist
beach is, both on the approach and actually on the beach itself. Due to
wind and wave action, some of the dunes have been reduced in depth this
year.
On my visit there were a few others taking advantage of the very early
sun, both couples and singles. During a visit in 2001, the Police were
very much in evidence (no pun intended) at Leysdown, with beach users
being questioned following a serious complaint of inappropriate behaviour
by some couples on the Beach. I am told that Kent Police will be carrying
out increased patrols of the beach in 2002, to ensure that those who wish
to use the beach may do so in peace. Genuine users have nothing to fear I
am told. I shall be visiting this beach throughout the Summer months, as
it is generally a nice beach with a good crowd of regulars and visitors."
Trip Report May 2001
"We have been going there 16 years. It's our local beach but there
are several undesirables (one older man in particular) who get
there..think they own the place and can do what they like. This is most
unfortunate as most people are great and we have made many good friends
there over the years. The regulars call it 'The Committee Room' "
Trip Report July 2001
"The 'track' that runs from the white metalled road to the naturist
beach has had some improvements made to it. As a result of a lot of
subsidence during the winter 00/01, an effort has been made to fill in
some of the larger potholes. Still a bit rough, but not as back breaking
as it was. There is no longer a bar gate at the entrance to the track. As
there are no facilities at the beach itself, should you miss the toilets
in Leysdown itself, there are some at the cafe near the main promenade.
But this does not usually open until about 11:00am. The beach and dunes
are still kept clean by a band of regular male visitors, and the whole
area can offer some protection from winds coming from most areas. As you
may have gathered, this is our favorite naturist beach."
Trip Report 18th June 2000
"I thought I had taken a wrong turn somewhere down the line as the
directions say "at a T-junction opposite....turn left". You
actually just follow the road round to the left passing a dead-end sign.
The road or track mentioned is more suited to off-road vehicles with
enormous potholes left, right and centre.
Driving down the track I was stopped by a vehicle coming the other way who
wanted to warn me about the beach further down saying "you don't want
to go down there mate - its full of bloody weirdos doing all sorts!".
I thought I had made a grave mistake. However, I was pleasantly suprised
on my arrival. There were between 80-100 people, single men, single women,
couples and families.
After making your way through long grass and shrubs you come accross the
beach and for the first metre or so this is almost entirely sand. Further
down is more mixed sand and shingle."
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