2008 - development

2008 was a year of developing naturism. It saw our first naturist social events and our becoming more widely known as naturists.

The first event was a boat trip on the Norfolk Broads. We warmed up with a day on Corton nude beach then joined the party of about forty for a couple of hours in the evening. The boat operated as it would for any other party, no screens no curtains. We started in the light, turned at sunset and returned after dark. A few eyebrows were raised on the banks and on passing boats, we had a couple of ribald comments, we saw a few camera flashes; it was all good fun. There was a bar on board and we had a buffet supper.

Then there was the Tan Hill Inn event, organised by a group of BN members interested in real ale. Tan Hill Inn is the highest pub in England up in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales, miles from anywhere. Forty-odd naturists descended on it one weekend in August. We were segregated from the pub's "normal" customers, but only by a warning notice and by a door that was frequently opened. We got agreeably merry on the ale and then went into the barn at the back for a dinner and dance. I was hoping to try some nude walking but the weather was so awful that we gave up walking even in full wet-weather gear. Nevertheless, an excellent occasion.

We went again to Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury on one of their clothes-optional days. Although it was not cold, this year there was no chance of sunburn. As we now recognised some of the other visitors this was more of a social event, which was good when we were driven inside by the rain. I was willing to test the waterproof nature of skin but others were not!

I also went to the British Naturism AGM in Kettering, to see for myself whether the management is as dysfunctional as it is painted by some. It was a better AGM than some recent ones, and enough people turned up to form a quorum, which was not guaranteed. The division of views and aims between club naturists and the much more numerous but less powerful individual members was quite clear, as it was between the reformers and conservatives who are almost the same groups. The AGM notice said that nudity was encouraged at the AGM, and the room was screened off for the purpose, but only about a dozen of us out of sixty-odd did strip off.

There is now nobody, friends, family or work, from whom it is secret that we are naturists. Some may yet not realise, but that's not the same. The sticker in the back of my car has done a lot of the work, provoking questions sometimes. The odd nude beach picture in with the holiday snaps has helped. You can tell when you have passed the first stage when the questions start to be about the practicalities, the where, how and when, rather than saucy innuendo. I don't think either of us has noticed any adverse reaction yet. There have also been the opportunities to emphasise that naturism is not about orgies, not even about sex.

It has been interesting to meet and talk to other naturists, and to understand the wide range of views and activities. Those who have been to naturist resorts all over the world; those who normally visit clubs; those who are willing to be in group photographs; those who feel the need not to go public; those who are militant; those who are happy with what they have. I don't normally get on well in social situations, but it has always been easier at naturist events. It's unfortunate that there are relatively few events available for us non-club people and that most require a lot of travelling; often they have a problem attracting enough people despite quite a large pool of naturists dedicated enough to join BN and get notice of them.

BN has started an internet forum, which has changed the face of the organisation for many of us. Whereas communication was incredibly slow, mainly via the quarterly magazine which with a 2-month publication process was always half-a-year out of date, now ideas can be spread immediately. This has come as a bit of a shock to the old school, many of whom are quite proud to say that they don't have a computer. This forum is addictive though it often strays far from naturism.

We didn't get to try a nudist resort, we need to do more research to find one that doesn't sound like a nude Butlins, but we did spend a week in the south of France, near the naturist village of Leucate and the beach there. We rented a cottage in small town, an excellent choice as it turned out as it was not overlooked at all and it had a sunken sun-deck set into the roof. From here you could look out over the rooftops of the town to the mountains in the distance, and not be seen from anywhere. And it caught the sun nearly all day. It was even possible, one warm night, to creep up in the dark and enjoy a natural shower. We spent a couple of days at Leucate, one sunny day getting tanned, and one less sunny day when the beach was nearly deserted (this was spring and out of season) walking and even jogging. Jogging presents the choice of running on the wet sand which rubs the feet like sandpaper or the dry sand into which the feet sink and makes every pace twice as hard. The unofficial beach at Bocal del Tech was very quiet but we were less lucky with the weather when we went there. The lower mountains afforded some opportunities for nude walking and pretty backgrounds for photographs. I tried my kilt out on the French one day.

I've got more organised to be naked at home. I've let the shrubs grow up more in the garden, so that in the summer I can use about half of it being overlooked only obliquely from next-door's upper windows; I managed sunbathing days every month from January to October, and even one in December. In total I got naked in the sun on 71 days this year, not bad with full-time work. It's possible to use some spots with miminal extra screening, which means that they can be used more often, to take advantage of even quite short spells of sunshine. I have a favourite spot just outside the back door which is perfect for drying off in the early morning sun after a hot bath.

Inside the house I know the sightlines and have modified them where necessary so that the whole house is safe without curtains or nets; I don't bother any more. I've given up having emergency clothing always near at hand, though I keep one of my tunics near the front door. They're meant for use in the house, though on one occasion, wearing nothing else, I had to follow the Tesco delivery woman out to her van to sort out a mix-up.

(Some of the images are links.)

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