Lands End to John O'Groats ... naked!
Thursday, 16 Jun 2005 13:36
Lands End: the starting point for the naked ramble
A group of ramblers are setting off on a walk across Britain today with a difference ... they won't be wearing any clothes.
Naked rambler Stephen Gough accompanied by his naked girlfriend and an anonymous librarian are stripping off for the walk from Land's End to John O'Groats.
Gough attempted to make the same trip two years ago, but was arrested 14 times and even spent five months in jail in Inverness, Scotland.
But undeterred by his previous troubles, the 46-year-old former Royal Marine is setting off for the 874-mile journey once again.
His girlfriend, hairdresser Melanie Roberts, 33, is braving the British climate and potential imprisonment, to join her boyfriend on their Cornwall to Scotland ramble.
"Why do it with no clothes on? To celebrate the fact that I'm a human being and that there is nothing shameful in being a human being," Mr Gough told the Reuters news agency.
He added: "There are no laws in this country saying you can't walk naked.
"All it says is that if you are naked and you have an intent to harm, that's a crime. I have no intent to harm. I'm just going to walk from Land's End to John O'Groats."