Thought I would offer my five cents comparison of the two. I'm not there every other day, so my sample sizes are small. Still, Port Burwell gets rave reviews from anyone I've taken there for the first time, so I thought it was worth a thread.
| Attribute | Hanlan's | Port Burwell |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | If you live in or near the city, the beach is reasonably easy to get to, via public transit and the island ferry (or water taxi). The ferry is under $10, which isn't too bad, and the ferries run frequently during the busy months. If you need to drive, parking is, as always, a small fortune on top of that. | On the shore of Lake Erie south of Tillsonburg, this is a 2-hour plus drive from the city. The good news is that it's the 401 much of the way, with bout 35-40 minutes on country roads south to the lake. Parking is at the Provincial Park ($18.75 / car). You will want to arrive early, especially on weekends and holidays, so that you can park in lot P5 or P4. The nude beach itself is not on park property but to the immediate west of the park boundary. It is privately owned, and the owner tolerates it being used as a nude beach. It is about a 15-minute walk from P5 to the boundary. |
| Water Quality | The water tends to be a bit cooler, and has more algae. it is also more susceptible to poor quality / no swimming conditions since it is so close to the city. | Lake Erie waters tend to be warmer. There are often gentle waves, depending on the strength and direction of the winds. The water rarely accumulates any algae. You may see the rare fish wash up on shore. |
| Sand Quality | Fine sand without a lot of stones or other detritus. | There is a fair amount of driftwood on the beach, which people have employed to make various shelters, lean-tos, etc., but that has been mostly cleared away from the shore back to the bush area. There are patches of gravel and small stones which you come across while walking the length of the beach, but for the most part, the sand is of decent quality. |
| Space | This is a very small beach, which has also suffered from recent erosion. I understand that the city is or will be making the entire beach clothing optional, rather than just the south 'half'. Still, at busy times, it doesn't take many bodies to pack the beach. | I would guess that the private beach stretches for at least one kilometre (past the park boundary). Even during busy times, your nearest neighbour is probably at least 10 feet away from you. |
| Privacy | When it is busy, your nearest neighbour could be as close as a passenger on a bus. The shoreline is also typically clogged with boats filled with gawkers and wannabe DJs, who are busy competing with the wannabe DJs on the beach trying to broadcast their music to the entire beach. If you are into 'extra-curricular activities' as part of your beach day, it might be possible to duck into the bushes, but there doesn't appear to be much space to do that. | The predominant sounds you hear are the waves lapping against the shore, the breeze in the trees behind you, and the occasional bird (the gulls and geese tend to hang out down east at the park). Rarely will any occupant play their music any louder than they need to hear it, and the rare boat or Sea-Doo moored off shore is only there because its occupants are using the beach. If you are into 'extra-curricular activities as part of your beach day, note that the property owner frowns upon overt sex displays. There are lots of bushes to duck into for a quickie if need be. Also, as previously mentioned, much driftwood has been built into small shelters, tepees, forts, etc. which offer privacy from general beachgoers. |
| Amenities | There is a snack bar and washrooms on the island which aren't too far from the beach. There used to be an umbrella and beach chair rental place on the beach - I don't know if they are still operating or not. | There are washrooms at the parking areas, but that's it. If you want snacks, you can get something at the gate house (park entrance), or pack your own food and beverages. Also remember to bring whatever chairs, umbrellas, beach stuff you want. There are no garbage pails on the beach (only in the parking areas), and there is no litter on the beach because everyone is mindful to take out what they bring in. Despite the lack of on-premise food, Simply Scoops in town is a 3-minute drive from the park entrance. |
| Status | The beach is officially clothing-optional. It seems there are lots of textiles in the C-O section - perhaps they are not yet comfortable shedding all of their clothes, or perhaps they are gawkers looking for a cheap thrill. There are some 'militant nudists' who try to 'encourage' textiles to strip down, but the fact is, it's a C-O beach, so people have the right to be clothed if they so wish. | Since the property is privately owned, there is no official designation for the beach. That said, almost every occupant is nude. Those who want to wear bathing suits at the beach typically stay within the park's beach area (which is also vast). |
| Demographics | At the times I have been there, I have seen a wide range of ages, with perhaps a lean toward the under 40 crowd. | The demographics here tend to skew towards a more mature crowd, so 40+, as these people tend to be more traditional nudists (as evidenced by the leathery bronze skin borne by the obvious regular attendees). That said, I have seen young families and people in their 20s, but their numbers are fewer. |
