Swiss Ban Naked Hiking

Locals in a small Swiss canton blighted by naked hiking have tackled the problem head on by voting to prohibit the activity and fine anyone caught flouting the law.

Appenzell Innerrhoden's voters were apparently appalled by the growing number of walkers throwing both clothes and caution to the wind and getting jiggy with nature. So much so, that voters, using their traditional rights, decided to take strong action and, with a show of hands, banned the activity.


Anyone caught indulging will now be fined 200 Swiss francs, which is around £120, or enough to buy a nice pair of walking shorts and a technical tee shirt...

Reporting on the story, the BBC quotes locals as dubbing the practice 'disgraceful', but points out that no-one actually appears to have seen a naked hiker in the flesh, as it were. Predictably naked hikers themselves are appalled by the measures as are lawyers who view the action as 'akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut'.

"I estimate there are only around 20 to 25 naked hikers in the whole of Switzerland," says lawyer Daniel Kettiger according to the Beeb. "So really arresting them and fining them is a bit silly. And our courts do have better things to do."

It's even questionable whether the locals have the right to do what they've done, Federal law doesn't criminalise public nudity in Switzerland. Meanwhile the local tourist board is running a vigorous campaign to publicise the superb local walking in Appenzell Innerrhoden. What was it they say about all publicity being good publicity?

Full story at news.bbc.co.uk and elsewhere - Google News UK - more about Appenzellerland at www.appenzell.ch where rather disappointingly, the only nude walkers have four legs and cow bells around their necks... It does look nice though and you can always check out the web cams just in case.