United Kingdom

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Information on World Naked Bike Ride events in the United Kingdom...

Please donate to the WNBR UK Fund

The UK World Naked Bike Ride fund meets the cost of insuring rides
across the UK, and provides local organisers with money for
poster/flyer printing, advertising, ride equipment etc.
Please give generously.

Ride locations

See List of rides in United Kingdom or browse the United Kingdom category

Map of UK ride locations

• WNBR UK page
• Google Maps

Registering your interest

Whether you want to get actively involved in helping a ride be a success, or just wish to get the occasional email reminder about upcoming rides, please register your interest via the Sign Up box on the Worldwide site. We will usually acknowledge each registration, especially if you have a specific question or can offer to help. It is, however, not a requirement that riders register in this way.

Most rides also have a public Yahoo group to which you can subscribe and then discuss issues with others involved in that town or city. Sign up to Yahoo then, in Groups, search for WNBR and your town or city, and apply to become a member of the group if it exists. If it doesn't, then why not start one!

There are also Facebook Groups with a similar purpose as well as Facebook Events that focus on specific upcoming rides. Organisers may also use Twitter to communicate with followers.

2019 rides

June

• TBC: Hastings (Ride will be not going ahead unless a new local organiser can be found)
• Fri 7 June: Manchester
• Sat 8 June: Cardiff, London
• Sun 9 June: Brighton & Hove, Bristol
• Sat 15 June: Cambridge
• Sat 22 June: Chelmsford, York
• Sat 29 June: Exeter, Folkestone

July

• Sat 6 July: Edinburgh
• Sat 6 July: Ipswich
• Sat 13 July: Colchester
• Sat 20 July: Clacton

Other ride locations to be confirmed

Rides which may get support and a date in 2019:

• Newcastle Gateshead
• Scarborough
• Worthing

Possible future rides

Other towns that have in the past and/or may in the future have their own rides:

• Bath
• Belfast
• Chesterfield
• Glasgow
• Leeds
• Loughborough (Midlands)
• Norwich
• Nottingham
• Oxford
• Portsmouth
• Sheffield
• Southampton

These rides can be brought into being if organisers step forward and offer to work to make them happen.

All rides are organised by local riders.

Other upcoming events

The World Naked Bike Ride from time to time holds a stall at various events. Current events are listed below.

Press enquiries

Press work is usually handled by local ride coordinators or press officers. For UK-wide information, see the United Kingdom Media Information page.

Posters

For the 2009 rides, full colour A4 posters were printed for each ride. PDF versions of them can be downloaded for:

• Brighton
• Cardiff
• London
• Manchester
• Sheffield
• Southampton
• York

to be printed locally.

FAQs

The United Kingdom FAQ page answers questions especially relevant to UK riders and organisers.

Legality

UK laws relating to public nudity

The following links will be of interest to people organising rides in the UK:

• Up to date advice on going naked in public in the UK from British Naturism. Separate downloadable guides for different parts of the UK.
• Sexual Offences Act 2003, Section 66 - Exposure (c/o the Office of Public Sector Information)
• Wikipedia: Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Laws relevant to nudity in public places from the Naturist UK Fact File (NUFF)
• Vincent Bethell explains UK law including his not guilty verdicts plus letters from New Scotland Yard saying Breach Of Peace is not applicable to public nakedness view main site: Stop Racist Human Skin Phobia (SRHSP)

Police restrictions

From 2004 to 2012, there have been 59 UK Naked Bike Rides with a cumulative total of 13,000+ riders in 13 locations, and no arrests.

It is unlikely that police will object to nudity at future rides in England and Wales. Local police officially acknowledged the legality of full nudity at all rides from 2007 onward. They required people to wear clothes at three English rides (Brighton, Manchester and Bristol) in 2006, but have made no such restrictions at later events.

In contrast, Scottish police have never officially allowed full nudity at the Edinburgh rides No arrest have been made, so the legality of the Scottish police's position has never actually been tested in court. They have in late 2018 indicated that their approach to this has changed, and that nudity will be possible in future.

For UK rides where full nudity wasn't permitted, police requirements of body coverage seemed to be similar. The groin area needed to be covered, as did female nipples. However, buttocks could be shown by either men or women.

Media coverage

This section needs updating. There have been much TV, Radio, print and online coverage of the WNBR in the UK, but most of this info is stored with the local ride's webpages.

General

• ITV Local YourNews: World naked bike ride

2012

• CarRentals.co.uk, 12 Jun 2012: "Cyclists Join World Naked Bike Ride"
• Road.cc, 11 Jun 2012: "Stiff upper lips as riders stage World Naked Bike Ride events in UK cities despite the weather"
• The Ecologist, 27 Apr 2012: "World Naked Bike Ride: the environmental protest with a difference"

2009

• The Guardian, The Guide, 13-19 Jun 2009: "World Naked Bike Ride"
• The Guardian Ethical Living Blog, 12 Jun 2009: "Riders get naked for a weekend of anti-car cycling demonstrations"
• Road.cc, 12 Jun 2009: "Naked bike rides today get your kit off and get on your bike!"

2007

• Morning Star, 10 Jun 2007: "Streaking cyclists highlight car addiction"

2006

• Don't Panic Media, Transport issue, Apr/May 2006: "World Naked Bike Ride 2006"
• Bike For All News, 4 May 2006: "Get set for bare butt biking on June 10th"
• BBC Learning English Weekender programme, ? Jun 2006: "Naked Bike Ride"

2004

• Bike Biz News, 12 Jun 2004: "Bike Week kicks off with glorious weather and media exposure"

History

Summary of the History

2015 - ??? 2014 - ??? 2013 - ??? 2012 - 1,737 riders in 9 rides (all were part of Samsung Bike Week)
2011 - 1,898 riders in 10 rides (all were part of Team Green Britain Bike Week)
2010 - 2,500 riders in 9 rides (all were part of Team Green Britain Bike Week)
2009 - 2,330 riders in 8 rides
2008 - 1,842 riders in 8 rides
2007 - 1,437 riders in 5 rides (all were part of Bike Week)
2006 - 1,067 riders in 5 rides (all were part of Bike Week except Bristol)
2005 - 270 riders in 2 rides (both were part of Bike Week)
2004 - 130 riders in 3 rides in the UK during the first year of the WNBR

2015

• Portsmouth: Sat 23 May
• Canterbury: Sat 30 May
• Hastings: Sun 31 May
• Southampton: Fri 5 June
• Cardiff: Sun 7 June
• Manchester: Fri 12 June
• London: Sat 13 June
• Edinburgh: Sat 13 June
• Brighton: Sun 14 June
• Cambridge: Sat 20 June
• York: Sun 21 June
• Bristol: Sat 27 June
• Chelmsford: Sat 27 June
• Exeter: Sat 4 July
• Folkestone: Sat 4 July
• Colchester: Sat 11 July
• Clacton: Sat 18 July

2012

• Portsmouth: Sat 26 May, 2pm (77 riders)
• Manchester: Fri 1 June, 7pm (150 riders)
• York: Sat 2 June, 4pm (79 riders)
• Southampton: Fri 8 June, 6pm (106 riders)
• Cardiff: Sat 9 June, 3pm (150 riders)
• Exeter: Sat 9 June, 11am (rider number TBA)
• London: Sat 9 June, 3pm (800 riders)
• Brighton & Hove: Sun 10 June, 12pm (300 riders in very cold wet conditions)
• Bristol: Sun 10 June, 11am (75 riders)
• Nottingham: Sat 16 June, 4pm (postponed due to extreme weather forcasted - new date TBA)
• Glasgow: Sat 14 July (event cancelled for 2012 - needed to apply for permission more than two months early)

2011

• Manchester: Fri 3 June, 6pm (150 riders)
• York: Sat 4 June, 4pm (66 riders)
• Portsmouth: Fri 10 June, 11:30am (28 riders)
• Southampton: Fri 10 June, 6pm (143 riders)
• Exeter: Sat 11 June, 10am (41 riders)
• Edinburgh: Sat 11 June, 3pm (10 riders in very cold wet conditions) Police prevented full nudity, as in 2004.
• London: Sat 11 June, 3pm (1000 riders)
• Cardiff: Sat 11 June, 3pm (60+ riders)
• Brighton & Hove: Sun 12 June, 12pm (300 riders in very cold wet conditions)
• Bristol: Sun 19 June, 11am (100? riders)

2010

• Southampton: Fri 11 June, 6pm (130 riders)
• Manchester: Fri 11 June, 6pm (100 riders)
• Edinburgh: Sat 12 June, 3pm (20 riders) Police prevented full nudity, as in 2004.
• London: Sat 12 June, 12pm (18 riders on the Sipson to Hyde Park 15 mile feeder ride)
• London: Sat 12 June, 3pm (1000 riders on the London main ride)
• Cardiff: Sat 12 June, 3pm (50 riders)
• Bristol: Sun 13 June, 11am (200 riders)
• Brighton & Hove: Sun 13 June, 12pm (850 riders)
• Sheffield: Sat 19 June, 10am (35 riders)
• York: Sat 19 June, 4pm (100 riders)

2009

• York: Fri 12 June, 5pm (100 riders)
• Southampton: Fri 12 June, 6pm (150 riders)
• Manchester: Fri 12 June, 6pm (100 riders)
• Sheffield: Sat 13 June, 10am (18 riders)
• London: Sat 13 June, 3pm (1,200 riders - largest daytime naked ride in history)
• Cardiff: Sat 13 June, 3pm (62 riders)
• Edinburgh: Sat 13 June, 3pm (2 riders - spontaneous/self-organised ride)
• Brighton & Hove: Sun 14 June, 1.30pm (700 riders)

2008

• Southampton: Fri 6 June, 6pm (156 riders)
• Brighton & Hove: Sat 7 June, 11am (400 riders, 8-mile route)
• York: Sat 7 June, 4pm (90 riders)
• Sheffield: Sun 8 June, 2pm (29 riders)
• Manchester: Fri 13 June, 6pm (90 riders)
• London: Sat 14 June, 3pm (1,000 riders, 6-mile route)
• Cardiff: Sat 14 June, 3.30pm (37 riders)
• Edinburgh: Sun 29 June, 3pm (30-40 riders) Police prevented full nudity, as in 2004.

2007

• York: Fri 8 June, 5pm (65 riders, 5-mile route)
• Southampton: Fri 8 June, 6pm (102 riders)
• Manchester: Fri 8 June, 6pm (50 riders)
• Brighton: Sat 9 June, 10am (220 riders, 7-mile route)
• London: Sat 9 June, 3pm (1,000 riders, 6-mile route)

2006

• York: Fri 9 June, 5pm (60 riders, 5-mile route)
• Manchester: Fri 9 June, 5pm (30 riders). Police prevented full nudity.
• Brighton: Sat 10 June, 10am (160 riders, 6-mile route). Police prevented full nudity.
• London: Sat 10 June, 3pm (800 riders, 6-mile route)
• Bristol: Sat 14 October (17 riders on a spontaneous route for 1 hour). Police prevented full nudity.

2005

• London: Sat 10 June, 3pm (250 riders, 6-mile route) The first ride for which police consented to nudity in advance.
• Bath: Sun 11 June (20 riders at the Wacky Races event for The Wheel Thing)

2004

• Edinburgh: Sat 12 June, afternoon (70 riders on a spontaneous route). Police prevented full nudity.
• Sussex: Sat 12 June – two brave riders made the smallest UK WNBR to date
• London: Sat 12 June, 8pm (58 riders on a negotiated spontaneous 2.5 mile route through Hyde Park)

Links

Websites

• WNBR UK

Discussion groups

• WNBR UK Yahoo! group

Email contacts

• nakedbikeride@yahoo.co.uk