need to be fit?

[Byron]

The real thing was the Welch Regiment, built 1927 and cut up 1963:
http://www.britishsteam.com/lms/4-6-0/image/46139.jpg
Funnily enough this is on an old postcard on Ebay at the moment,
showing at £3.99 and the seller is in Kent (KenjiBoh territory)

[Byron]

Speedo acceptability survey : http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel...-1226683056790

[Byron]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...2_2098287i.jpg
In contrast, cold celebration of New Years Day 2012 at Dunkerque (northern France). By the look of it the speedo contribution here is by members of the local water polo club.

[Byron]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tOQ0grIWVp...0/DSC00245.JPG
Dammit - just missed the sailing of my ferry and he's not seeing me !

Never mind , now got there - a bit slower but not too far behind schedule:
http://england2france.com/wp-content...g-ashore_1.jpg

[Torchwatch]

Byron; is that the beach just north of the industrial area of Calais, it is very quiet and beautiful there, wear whatever you like and you won't be disturbed?

[Byron]

Yes, I think so - the dunes go on for miles like that and I usually need a point of reference such as the Town Hall (which isn't in the pic and I think one would just keep going along there to Cap Gris Nez).
It has a great feeling of space - couldn't have a starker contrast to the claustrophobic Dover-Folkestone coastline I always feel.

[louis]

Most interresting article indeed nand by a aussie paper to.
No 1 for France.

[Byron]

Yes, interesting results although I am not surprised at France*
If I was required to make an on the spot guess I would put Oz where is Italy and Germany where is Sweden in the top five.
Although 21 countries were involved the Poms aren't mentioned so I do not know how they voted (and the FlipFlop Report doesn't show on the Expedia website).
The only caveat I would make is that this Aussie travel company probably doesn't have a great Russian/Chinese/East European clientele and their views may have changed the distribution in the speedo league table.

*I hark back to the days when what the boys wore on the beaches was probably smaller that Brigitte Bardot's bikini bottom in St. Tropez.
A photographer called Ferrero of Nice was busy at the time, which would have been more than forty years ago, and his copyright logo will still crop up occasionally on pics in vintage websites.

[knikon]

I still dont get why so many choose to wear boardies. I just read a survey that stated how boardshorts are a hazard and males are more likely to drown when wearing them than not... Rare study and hard to find. If I can fish it out of my bookmarks Ill post it here.

[Byron]

What you refer to is vaguely familiar - I do not recall exactly who said it but check the RNLI to see any advice they may have published on open water safety.