Youll never know unless you give it a go.
Not knowing certainly applied to us until quite recently. Last May to be precise. Wed often thought how nice it must be to have the nerve to go naked on the beach. If wed had a suitably secluded garden no doubt wed have tried it long ago. But our garden is overlooked by several neighbouring houses, just like the majority are these days. We knew that naturists beaches existed and talked about visiting one. We also knew of a sun club not very far from us but couldnt imagine ever having the courage to visit. Gerry, my wife, was adamant that social nudity was not for her. Maybe wed try the beach on a quiet day, midweek seemed the safest option, but sun clubs? No way.
One Wednesday during a week off work towards the end of May, the weather was fine, warm and sunny and so we decided to visit the naturists beach some thirty miles from where we live. Wed just have a look and decided that, if not too crowded, we might try a bit of sunbathing but only if we could find a suitably discrete spot and could hide behind our windbreak.
As we set off I remember saying that I was determined to give it a go. Gerry, not altogether unexpectedly, was not so sure and at this point refused to commit herself. She seemed less happy to appear naked on a public beach and I now know this is a quite common problem between couples. One partner is often more prepared to try naturism than the other, and its usually the man. This leads to some couples never giving it a try and some going it alone without their partner, wife or girlfriend. This is such a shame since its so much more fun sharing the experience, believe me.
Within an hour of arriving at the beach we were both relaxing with the sun casting its warm rays over a couple of square feet or so of previously uncharted flesh. How lovely it felt. How natural to feel the sun and the breeze on the body like this. True, the breeze off the
We neednt have worried. By the end of the afternoon, a couple of dozen walkers had passed by. They seemed no more interested in us than we were of them. Most didnt even look our way. I remember commenting to Gerry that, as we were on an official naturists beach, we were on home territory, not them. A point I felt worth bearing in mind. We also got talking to a couple of naturists who passed by on their way across the beach to the sea for a swim. Although having a few mild twinges of embarrassment for the first few seconds, this very quickly passed. I remember thinking how normal the short conversation had been; mainly about the weather, the time of high tide and how far we had come and the fact that the couple were on holiday and what a lovely beach it was. Just the sort of casual conversation you would have expected had we been on a textile beach.
After watching this couple enjoy a dip in the sea we decided to give it a try. By now, however, a dozen or so couples and singles had set up camp on the beach between us and the water and we realised wed have to pass between them. Still with a sudden rush of bravado, up we got and hand in hand set off across the beach. Our first excursion nakedly in the upright position. I remember feeling just a little nervous about walking past other people but gritted my teeth. Then it happened. Gerrys nerve failed her and, clutching my arm, she stopped and told me she wanted to go back. When I realised she meant it I was, I now confess, only too pleased to hurry back with her to the shelter of our windbreak. The dip in the sea would have to wait for another day. Wed done enough conquering for now. We look back to this episode with a good deal of amusement.
Since this first tentative experience of naturism, we have visited the same beach at Holkham on a dozen or so occasions during the summer. We are now totally at ease and would feel really out of place were we to keep our clothes on there. We enjoy seeing and meeting other naturists and, strangely perhaps, the busier the beach is, the more we like it. It is always with a feeling of regret that the time to dress and leave arrives. We even admit to having recently christened another non-naturist beach in the area but in a discrete manner and not when busy with holidaymakers. Its funny how doing something slightly daring like this can feel so good.
Long after we had become acquainted with and felt part of the naturism scene on the beach, we had still not considered the merits of belonging to a sun club. We were to discover that there are two excellent clubs in our area. Gerry was still of the opinion that she wouldnt feel comfortable in the social confines of a club environment and that it wasnt for her. I was somewhat disappointed at this reluctance because shed agreed that it would be nice to meet some new friends through naturism, a shared interest. I was sure her reluctance was just another hurdle we could overcome together and eventually persuaded her to let me set up a visit to each of the clubs for an initial conducted tour as prospective members. Id mentioned this to fellow InTheBuff member, Pat, who many of you know. Pat was full of encouragement and this helped Gerry overcome a lot of her initial reluctance. In truth I also was unsure whether we were suited to club life but I was careful to hide this from Gerry at this stage. I also found Pats advice very reassuring. If Gerry still felt unhappy about taking it any further following the first of these visits then, fair enough, so be it. Wed confine our naturism to the beach and indoors at home.
I remember well that short ride in the car for our first visit. Gerry was actually trembling with apprehension. Weve laughed about it since but at the time I really thought I was going to have to turn the car around and head back home. But we didnt and, boy, how glad we are now that we didnt and that her nerve just about held out long enough for us to meet our host for that first visit. Jenny very quickly made us feel very welcome. We were clothed and so was she, so that was one worry out of the way. Obviously most if not all clubs understand such misgivings and do not insist on you disrobing when being shown round. Jenny spent some time showing us the clubs excellent facilities. Somehow I think we both knew straightaway that there was not going to be a problem. Whilst there, we got talking to several club members who happened to there at the time. One couple were in the middle of a shower when Jenny showed us the shower room. They were not the least bit embarrassed by two textiles (three if you count Jenny) suddenly joining them. It was all very jovial. Towards the end of our tour I was beginning to feel a bit out of place but only because we had remained clothed.
We were to receive an equally warm welcome at the other club a few days later and following the visit there we knew we had quite a difficult choice to make. If we could have afforded to we would gladly have joined both clubs there and then but sense prevailed and we decided that the only way to choose was to spend a full day at each, as naturists, and then make up our minds. In the event, this only made the choice even more difficult as we had a lovely day at each and found everyone so friendly. In the end we chose the one nearest to home, just seven miles away. And so we joined Merryhill and havent looked back since. Our only regret now is that summer has drawn to a close, but we hope to get along to the club for some of their social events in the excellent clubhouse. There is also an indoor pool that can be used at certain times each weekend. The outdoor pool is understandably closed during the winter months.
So all you wannabe naturists, female or male, dont let anything put you off. Give it a go and Im sure, like us, you wont look back. If by any chance you try it and still feel its not for you, then fair enough, at least you can make an informed decision. If you dont give it a try youll never know what youre missing. Theres a lot more than just an all-over tan to be gained. Please dont worry about how you look to others. Naturists come in all shapes and sizes. Dont be put off by the photographs you tend to see more commonly in the various brochures and publications. Those perfectly toned bodies are very much in the minority from our experience. Once you shed your clothes it will feel so natural and the odd extra pound or wrinkle will not matter a jot. Nobody will judge you by appearance but simply as a fellow human being. Somehow, without our clothes we are all more equal than you might believe. You will soon realise that naturism is all about friendship and a strong feeling of fellowship between like-minded people from all backgrounds.
Bob and Gerry.