Stephen Peter Gough (born 13 May 1959), popularly known as the "Naked Rambler", is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

pro-nudity activist and former

Royal Marine The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

. In 2003 and 2004, he walked the length of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

naked, but was arrested when he did it again in 2005 and 2006. Since then, he has spent most of the intervening years in prison, having been repeatedly rearrested for contempt of court for

public nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...

and imprisoned. He has been convicted of public order offences at least 40 times. Gough brought a lawsuit in the European Court for Human Rights, arguing that laws requiring him to wear clothing violated his rights to privacy and free expression. His claim was rejected in 2014.

Early life

Stephen Peter Gough was born on 13 May 1959 in Southampton, Hampshire, to Nora Evelyn Gough (née Cooper, 1926 - 2017) and carpenter Kenneth Gough (1924 - 1999). He has six siblings.

Naked rambling and activism

Gough, an ex-lorry driver and former

, is from

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census. The town ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, and is known for walking the length of Great Britain from

Land's End to John o' Groats Land's End to John o' Groats is the traversal of the length of the island of Great Britain between two List of extreme points of the United Kingdom#Extreme points within the UK, extremities, in the southwest and northeast. The traditional di ...

over 2003 and 2004 wearing only boots, socks, a rucksack and a hat. He was arrested and imprisoned on numerous occasions during the course of his ramble. In 2000, Gough moved to Vancouver, Canada, for a year with his then-partner Alison Ward and their two children. One day, he went for a walk when he had an epiphany. In an interview, Gough explained his sentiments: "I realised I was good. Being British, buried in our upbringing is that we're not good or have to watch ourselves – maybe it comes from religion, or school. I realised that at a fundamental level I'm good, we're all good, and you can trust that one part of yourself." He concluded that if he was good, then his body was good. This self-realisation led to him frequently appearing naked in public. Ward explained: " oughhas talked since about having an epiphany, but it’s not something I understand. He went to Canada one man and turned into someone else." Upon his return to Hampshire, Gough had an intense appreciation of what nakedness could offer. He said he questioned "things we're taught to believe are right". He visited an Eastleigh police station and asked if it was illegal to walk naked in the street. Gough claimed that the police "couldn't come up with an answer". In January 2003, Gough embarked on his first naked walk in England. He headed from his mother's Hampshire home to Eastleigh town centre. His second

Land's End Land's End ( or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...

John o' Groats John o' Groats () is a village 2.5 mi (4 km) north-east of Canisbay, in the historic county of Caithness, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's north-eastern tip and is popular with tourists. The northernmost point of mainland Scotland is ...

ramble was in 2005 and 2006 and accompanied by his girlfriend Melanie Roberts (born 1971 or 1972). It was the subject of

Richard Macer Richard Macer (born May 1967) is a British documentary maker who has made over fifty films whose subjects include singer/songwriter Shaun Ryder, model Katie Price, Jordan, dyslexia, morris dancing, British Vogue magazine, department stores, and ...

's BBC1 documentary, ''One Life: The Naked Rambler'' (2005). He was arrested twice in England, but was almost immediately released. Upon entering Scotland, he was arrested several times, including an arrest for

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...

after he appeared naked before a judge. His website claimed that ordering him to wear clothes for his court appearance "breached Article 6 of the

European Convention on Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is a Supranational law, supranational convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Draf ...

" – Right to a Fair Trial. He claimed that Articles 3 and 5 to 11 had been repeatedly breached by the authorities since he and Melanie had arrived in Scotland. He served a three-month sentence in

Saughton Prison HMP Edinburgh is located in the west of Edinburgh on the main A71, in an area now known as Stenhouse, and, although never named as such, has commonly been known as Saughton Prison from the old name for the general area. The prison is situat ...

. The walk was resumed on 12 February 2006, and was completed shortly after on Monday 20 February the same year. ''The Guardian'' newspaper congratulated the couple on completing their journey, stating that they were practising

gymnosophy Gymnosophy (from Greek γυμνός ''gymnós'' "naked" and σοφία ''sophía'' "wisdom") was a movement practiced in Europe and the US from the end of the 19th century to the mid 20th century. The practice involved nudity, asceticism, and me ...

in the tradition of people such as

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

. Gough was involved with the

advocacy group The Freedom to be Yourself. Gough was arrested again on 19 May 2006 at

Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is an international airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located west of the city centre, just off the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 and M9 motorway (Scotland), M9 motorways. It is owned and oper ...

after removing his clothes during a flight from Southampton to Edinburgh and refusing to get dressed. On 25 August 2006, he was given a seven-month jail sentence. On 9 April 2007, Gough was cleared of charges related to his refusal to dress upon being released into Saughton Prison car park in Edinburgh. The ruling judge, Isobel Poole, found that there was no evidence of "actual alarm or disturbance", adding "I can understand this conduct could be considered unpleasant to passers-by had there been any but there is a lack of evidence to that effect." In November 2007, Gough lost his appeal against contempt of court convictions for refusing to wear clothes during his 2005 trial and had another 3 months added to his sentence. In January 2008, after spending most of the previous 20 months in jail (being rearrested for nudity each time he was released and each time he appeared in court), Gough was released and told that if he went for three months without appearing naked in public he would not be returned to jail for outstanding convictions; two hours later he left the court naked and was immediately re-arrested and subsequently returned to jail. Gough served his time in

Barlinnie Prison HM Prison Barlinnie is the largest prison in Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Prison Service and is located in the residential suburb of Riddrie, in the northeast of Glasgow, Scotland. It is informally known locally as The Big Hoose ...

and was released on 14 October 2008, when he was again immediately arrested for leaving the prison naked. On 14 November, he was cleared of that offence on the grounds of insufficient evidence, but appeared in the dock naked and was rearrested in the foyer of

Glasgow Sheriff Court Glasgow Sheriff Court is a sheriff court in the Gorbals ( Laurieston) area of Glasgow, within the sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. Reputedly the busiest court in Europe, it is a Category B listed building. History Until the mid-1980s, he ...

. On 18 December, he was convicted of a

breach of the peace Breach of the peace or disturbing the peace is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct. Public order England, Wales and Norther ...

and sentenced to a further 12 months. In July 2009, Gough, once again standing in the dock naked, was jailed at

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

for a further 12 months for breach of the peace. Sheriff MacFarlane was told that the bill for dealing with Gough had cost the public an estimated several hundred thousand pounds. The court heard how Gough had finished a previous jail term at Perth Prison and was released to enjoy freedom for the first time in several months. His freedom lasted less than 30 seconds after he walked naked from the prison door to Edinburgh Road. Gough was also sentenced to four months for refusing to dress before the trial. While in jail in Perth, on 6 July 2009, Stephen Gough received a visit from two members of the French ''

Association pour la promotion du naturisme en liberté Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

'' (Association for the Promotion of Naturism in Liberty), which is tracking his activities. On 8 February 2010, Gough was convicted of breach of the peace and contempt of court, charges relating to walking naked in Perth and appearing naked in court. He was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment, his longest sentence to date. On 25 November 2010, he was found guilty of conducting himself in a disorderly manner, standing naked at the gates of Perth Prison, refusing to wear any clothing or otherwise cover his genitals and committing a breach of the peace. He was assessed by Dr Gary Macpherson, a Scottish consultant forensic clinical psychologist. Dr Macpherson found no evidence of any mental disorder. He was sentenced to 15 months and 26 days. He is understood to have spent his time in prison in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...

. He was released on 20 July 2011, but immediately rearrested after leaving the prison naked, and received another 657-day sentence. When his sentence concluded on 17 July 2012, Gough left the prison naked again, but this time the police allowed him to go on his way. Three days later, on 20 July, he was rearrested by

Fife Police Fife Constabulary was the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council area of Fife. The area policed by Fife Constabulary had a resident population of just over 350,000, almost a third of whom lived in one of the three princip ...

for a breach of the peace in Townhill. On 13 September 2012, he was sentenced to five months in prison. He had refused to allow social workers to assess his mental health after he broke down in court during an appearance on 23 August. Released in early October 2012, he walked from Saughton to

Edale Edale is a village and civil parish in the Peak District, Derbyshire, England, whose population was 353 at the 2011 Census. Edale, with an area of , is in the Borough of High Peak. Edale is best known to walkers as the start, or southern end ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

during October, continuing across the English border down the

Pennine Way The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kir ...

to Edale by 31 October, with two arrests en route in

Hebden Bridge Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Calderdale district of West Yorkshire, England. It is in the Upper Calder Valley, west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden W ...

and Halifax. Released on bail, he continued to walk south and was due back in Court on 5 February 2013 to face public order charges. He was arrested in Carterton,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, on suspicion of outraging public decency on 4 December and was then refused bail and spent Christmas 2012 in jail after his application for bail was refused. In 2012, Gough won the

Nicolás Salmerón Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

Human Rights Award from the Spanish human rights group, Fundación Internacional de Derechos Humanos. On 19 June 2013, Gough was imprisoned for 11 months for breaching an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) on 28 February minutes after it was granted, having recently returned home. Gough was not allowed to appear in court as he refused to wear clothes. In January 2014, he was again jailed for breaching his ASBO; this time, he was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment. On his release from

Winchester Prison HM Prison Winchester is a Category B men's prison, located in Winchester, Hampshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History There has probably been a prison in Winchester, mainly known as Winchester gaol, sin ...

, he walked out wearing only footwear (once again breaching the ASBO). In October 2014, he was sentenced to a further two and a half years in prison. Gough challenged U.K. laws on public nudity in the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

, claiming that such laws violated his right to privacy and free expression. On 28 October 2014, the Court ruled that European laws protecting privacy and freedom of expression did not protect Gough's naked rambling. On 14 August 2015, Gough was released from Winchester prison. At around 6:30am, he got into a car inside the prison grounds and was transported from Winchester to Sussex. On his release from prison, ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' described him as a previous "prisoner of conscience". In April 2016, Gough asserted that he had cut back on his public nudity because he was responsible for caring for his then 89-year-old mother Nora, who had dementia. Nora died on 14 January 2017, aged 90.

''Who Bares Wins''

A comedic theatrical production invoking Gough's initial naked ramble of 2003–2004 titled ''Who Bares Wins'' was produced by Scottish theatre company Right Lines Productions in 2004. The play, written by Euan Martin and Dave Smith and directed by Mark Saunders, followed the Rambler on his journey through the Scottish countryside and his numerous stints in Scottish prisons. Set against the backdrop of a remote community eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Rambler for its own reasons, ''Who Bares Wins'' explores society's wide range of attitudes to nudity. The play, starring Ron Emslie and

Alyth McCormack Alyth Catriona McCormack (born 1970), also known mononymously as Alyth on some of her releases, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She was brought up on the Isle of Lewis in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. In 2020 she has collaborated with the A ...

, toured Scotland and was seen by Gough himself, without clothes on, at The Universal Hall,

Findhorn Findhorn ( or ''Inbhir Èireann'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located on the eastern shore of Findhorn Bay and immediately south of the Moray Firth. Findhorn is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Kinloss, Scotland, Kinloss, and abou ...

, in 2004.

Personal life

Gough had a partner, Alison Ward. Gough and Ward separated in the 2000s. By November 2005, Gough had a new partner, Melanie Roberts.

References

External links