I'd thought at first our weekend had become a complete bust. We'd hoped to get away for a few days, camping on Shell Island and a few afternoons on our favourite nudist beach. It had been a long winter and cool spring, now in late May it was finally time to get naked.
The unscheduled appearance of Susan's mother, Ann looked like the end of that idea. Ann had had a bust up with Susan's dad over something or other, the facts were in short supply. Mom wanted to stay for a few days and that was that. In her late fifties Ann was by no means hard to look at, a decent figure was topped by an ever smiling face.
Susan and I tried to mask out disappointment but not hard enough it seemed as about half way through the evening mom asks if we'd had something planned. I started to tell her that we hadn't but Susan beat me and told her what we'd had arranged. Ann asked where we'd been headed, when she heard she shyly said that when she had been younger they always said there was a nudist beach there somewhere. Susan and I exchanged smiles before saying that we'd heard that as well!
Ann then surprised us by saying that it had been ages since she'd been camping and why didn't we all three go. Although we had been going basically to get in some nude sunbathing, shell island is still a really great place to camp so early the next day we loaded up the tent and stuff and made the two hour trip across north Wales. The drive through the welsh mountains is always a delight. Even better is to travel through dull and damp weather to finally emerge dazed and blinking into bright clear sunshine at the coast. We booked in at the small office at shell island at half ten. Although the site is large, easily a hundred acres it always seems the best pitches are always taken. Today though we were in luck, the sheltered and secluded little hollow right on the beach was free.
Erecting the tent and getting sorted took barely half an hour, by which time the sun was shinning like a good un. Susan and I had already resigned ourselves to not doing what we had hoped, but life never runs as you expect it to. When you book in to the site you're given a list of do's and don't. As we were waiting for the kettle to boil Ann read though it occasionally telling us about one thing or another.
Ann got both our attentions as she began to read the section I'd forgotten about.
'The practice of naturism is forbidden on shell island. Anyone wishing to sunbath nude should use the allocated beach which can be found roughly one mile to the south of the site.
'It's true then' Ann exclaimed. 'There really is a nudist beach here!'
Susan, always long suffering where her mother is concerned replied that yes there was and added that it was a great place to sunbath. Ann's face lit up at this news,
'You mean you've been there?'
I wondered what Susan would say to this, as she is usually evasive about that sort of thing around her parents.
'Yes.' She said, 'We go there all the time.'
At this point the kettle announced it was ready. As I did the honours I just knew what Ann was about to say, but it still came as a bit of a surprise.
'Your father always says it's disgusting to sit around naked.'
I waited for Susan to reply, when she remained silent I felt it incumbent upon me to ask the obvious question. 'And what's your view on the subject?'
Ann looked at me as I handed her a cup of coffee, 'I'm not sure. What are they like, is it only fat old men and skinny young couples?'
I spent the next few minutes explaining the facts about nudist beaches. Yes there are a few 'fat old men' and even a few 'skinny young couples' but the majority are the same as you'd find on any beach. I could see that Ann was sceptical before she said that they'd be no women as old as she was. Susan jumped in here and told her that she'd put money on there being at least ten woman there right now older than she is.
To me that sounded like a challenge and sure enough Ann rose to it.
'Do you fancy a walk that way then, just to see what it's like I mean?'
We quickly filled a back pack with a few essentials and were soon working our way through the dunes which lead to the beach. From there it only took us fifteen minutes to reach the marker for the nude area. As we stopped to let Ann read the notice Susan who was behind her mother pushed off her shorts and removed her top. I shrugged and even though I was beside Ann, did the same.
I knew Ann was watching but what the heck the sign did say clothing was optional! I wonder what Ann would do but she declined to make any comment or remove any clothes, I knew she probably would as soon as we settled and found my self eager for it to happen.
We walked in silence for the next hundred yards or so until we'd past our first couple who both said hello. We stopped in front of them to pass a few words before continuing.
'There you go mom, she was five years older than you.'
We then passed several single men, soliciting no comments either way. After we had past three more couples we came to a gap and decided to settle into it. I quickly spread out some rugs and we were soon relaxing under the strong sun. Susan and I slapped cream on ourselves and each other while Ann was like a small kid in a sweet shop looking all around her.