Plaža Jadra

Croatia has a long tradition of naturist beaches as well as resorts along its extensive coastline.

Some suggest that it has its origins in the skinny dip taken by King Edward VIII and his future wife Wallis Simpson in 1936 on the island of Rab.

Others have suggested that when Hitler banned Frei Körper Kultur sites in Germany, they all moved south to Dalmatia. It has also been suggested that Yugoslavia’s socialist government saw the development of naturist tourism along its coast as a welcome opportunity to show Cold War soft power and to distinguish its form of socialism from that of the Soviet bloc. So popular was this form of tourism that one naturist resort could, at its peak, accommodate up to 10,000 guests at a time.

On a recent trip, I found out (thanks to Google maps) that we were near Plaža Jadra, an official FKK beach on the island of Pag and thought I would have a look. Luckily, I didn’t have to share it with 10,000 others. It was relatively empty. It was also absolutely stunning.

Pag is the fifth largest of Croatia’s islands. It also looks like Mars – at least it looks like what I imagine Mars would look like. There are few trees. The Bura – the strong wind that comes from the Velebit Mountains across the Velebit Channel - brings with it salt spray and soil erosion and leaves only mainly low-lying herbs and grasses. This is all perfect for Pag's sheep whose milk gives us the island’s iconic cheese - Paški sir. For many centuries Pag was held by the Venetian Empire and legend has it that they contributed significantly to Pag’s deforestation.

 Plaža Jadra was not hard to find, given that someone had painted FKK very prominently on the rocks. It was a small rocky cove that looked out over the coast. Even in the very last days of summer, the water was warm and clear.

I would absolutely recommend a visit to Plaža Jadra, though a note of caution: it is not a sandy beach and the rocks are spiky in parts. Beach shoes, unlike swimwear, are required.