Switzerland bans naturist walkers

Switzerland has introduced a country-wide ban on nude hiking, even in remote spots in the Swiss Alps.

The decision was made after the country’s highest court threw out an appeal by a man who was fined £69 in 2009 after walking in his birthday suit through a family picnic area in the mountainous region of Appenzell.

Local authorities will now have the right to issue fines to anyone walking in the buff after ruling that the ban does not significantly infringe on personal freedom.

Nude hiking has become an increasingly popular pastime in the Swiss Alps and naturist holidaymakers had come from all over Europe and beyond to take advantage of the remote trails and stunning scenery. The Appenzell region had become a particularly favourite spot and regularly appeared in the internet chatrooms of German nudist groups.

But the influx upset the local community, which is considered to be one of the most conservative in Switzerland. It was only in 1990 that it granted women the right to vote.