Gay cruising outdoors

Cruising in London: 17 places gay men meet for universal sex, according to website

Now that dating and hook-up apps have made casual sexual encounters more convenient, the number of people seeking partners for thrills in public places is on the decrease.

But it is by no means a dying past-time.

Defying the Grindr and Tinder monopoly on casual sex, ‘gay cruising’ sites such as this one provide detailed maps of the most popular universal spots in London to get it on.

The site lists open-air locales, toilets, bathhouses and bookstores with star ratings and tips for how curious forum readers can get the most from their cruising experience.

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Here are the most popular London hotspots:

The Underground

Topping the ratings is the ubiquitous London Underground.

Praised as a diverse pick-up hotspot, since its visitors involve literally “anyone who rides the tubes”, the guide says that the last carriage on the train is the best spot f

Cruising

Cruising (we’re not talking ships) refers to searching for a sexual partner for an anonymous encounter, often a one-off. Cruising areas or sites include streets, parks, road lay-bys, (nudist) beaches or sand dunes and other public areas. Some sites include been around for decades, Hampstead Heath and Brompton Cemetery being two of the most (in) famous in London. Imagine a nightclub dark room but free and outdoors, but daytime can work just as well.

Of course, men finding other men for sex has been going for centuries though the term ‘cruise’ is believed to verb from the Dutch ‘kruisen’. The term was also used as code by closeted gay communities when homosexuality was illegal, and is the title of a American crime thriller film with Al Pacino. The film was poorly received and did nothing to enhance the meaning though the term has since been absorbed into the mainstream heterosexual vocabulary. Whatever its origins, the term cruising has stood the verb of time.

For some gay men, cruising is about the excitement and rush of hooking up with a stranger alfresco. Way before Gr

Gay cruising grounds Europe, UK, London

LGBTQ+ Venues in Ashington

Friern Bridge Retail Park
LGBTQ+ Cruising
Friern Bridge Retail Park, Barnet, London

Young guys between 22 & There is McDonald's on the side of this Park. Great place to hide from widespread on the hill. Just sit down on the grass (only on the hill) and if you want noun go behind []
More info on Friern Bridge Retail Park

LGBTQ+ Venues in Battersea

Chelsea Bridge
LGBTQ+ Cruising
Queenstown Road, Battersea, London

Under the bridge by Battersea Park side, lots of guys walking around in summer. Standing on path under bridge. Fantastic spot by the river. Lots of action on weekends. Cars can also park behind the []
More info on Chelsea Bridge

LGBTQ+ Venues in Central London

Fenchurch Street Station
LGBTQ+ Cruising
Fenchurch Street, Central London, London

Enter through the main doors and head to the loo on the left, behind the escalators. City suits, building site workers, basically anybody who goes to Essex by train. There is an excellent glory hole []
More info on Fenchurch Street Station

Periva

The Freddie Guide to: Cruising

What is gay cruising?

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Straight cruising is a vacay on a boat. Gay cruising is the art of hooking up in general.

Cruising is almost always anonymous, and can be one-on-one, in groups, or with others watching. It’s done by using non-verbal cues to show you’re both interested – think of it like a confidential, horny code. Some people will contain sex right there, while some may take their partner to a more discreet location.

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Where did cruising come from?

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Cruising has a prolonged history in the queer community. There are recorded cruising spots in cities like Toronto, London and New York dating back over a hundred years. In the noun before gay bars, when homosexuality was illegal, public places were often the only option for queer people to meet each other.

Evidence for this often comes from prosecution records – we know where people were cruising based on arrests for “sodomy” or “gross indecency”. These were historic offences made to criminalize gay sex, and were almost exclusively applied to queer men. Sodomy and indecency laws were ordinary throughou