In my personal opinion it simply comes down to wanting to be at peace with others.  So weather or not it is against the law, if my actions are upsetting someone or causing distress then I would rather avoid doing it. 

Public nudism might be legal but it doesn't mean it doesn't make some people feel uncomfortable or even afraid in remote places.  Hence my desire to create environments where naturism is expected but not obligatory.  It's all about setting expectations and allowing textiles to avoid seeing something that might upset them.  Prudes they may be but they still have human rights.

I think that the Naturist Society (us) should start with the small things that could easily be changed without upseting too many. For instance , backgarden nudity where you can not be seen from a public road should be allowed with the onus of screening your nudity from neigbours being put on to the viewer. Why should we always have to hide away when we are in our natural state? If other people see nudity as unnatural, then they are surely the ones with the problem and not the naked person.
And as for Pascal, didn't he sit on the fence with his "Pascals Gamble". I don't think he would have been a good advocate for anything contentious.

Pete

With the uk in the eec and most other european countries far more tolerant of naturism why oh why arnt the eec legislators making it easier for us to be naked in public places without fear of arrest or persicution.
Since the legislation allowing homosexuals to be in the armed forces which had been unthinkable in the uk before. it hasnt created  huge problems and is now as axceptable as in civilian life.
we are too prudish in the uk and if naturism is to survive it needs the help of more open minded regime, to give us equal right to our european counterparts

My view is that the majority of the population simply don't care if you  sun bathe, swim or even walk about naked as long as you act with sensibly.  Yes there is a small minority who object strongly.  There have been petitions raised requesting more facilities, or relaxing of rules, but the reaction from central and European government is always to leave it to local government.  It only takes 1 or 2 local objectors to scupper the whole idea and just one badly behaved nude person to ferment opposition.

The current situation is that you probably can with discretion go nude in a great many places.  If more people did so over time the practise could become more accepted. 

With the uk in the eec and most other european countries far more tolerant of naturism why oh why arnt the eec legislators making it easier for us to be naked in public places without fear of arrest or persicution.
Since the legislation allowing homosexuals to be in the armed forces which had been unthinkable in the uk before. it hasnt created  huge problems and is now as axceptable as in civilian life.
we are too prudish in the uk and if naturism is to survive it needs the help of more open minded regime, to give us equal right to our european counterparts

The UK (possibly excepting Scotland) has laws on public nudity which are far more relaxed than almost anywhere else in the world.
Unfortunately many people in authority take a contrary attitude and try to protect people from things from which they don't want or need to be protected.

Regarding a situation where a lone man is walking naked in the woods I wonder if the reaction of other people would different if it was a group of naked men or men and women, obviously out for a pleasant walk in the woods. There seems to be an almost predictable reaction that confronted with a naked man is a potentially dangerous situation, hence the negative reactions. There is a big difference between a naturist going for a stroll and a flasher who wears a rain coat, however this, to us, common sense distinction does not seem to figure in the majority of the public viewpoint. I think the "safety in numbers" principle may also explain the mass skinny dipping and the WNBR events, where people who are not normally naturists take part.

There is a big difference between a naturist going for a stroll and a flasher who wears a rain coat, however this, to us, common sense distinction does not seem to figure in the majority of the public viewpoint.

Why do you think that?

My own experience as a regular free range naturist is that the vast majority of people don't care, a few simply change direction to avoid me if they see me before I can take action to avoid being seen. Only once have I ever had a hostile reaction and that came from a woman on a horse who was far more interested in getting me off private land than in how I was dressed. (When I pointed out that we were on a legal public footpath and she was on horseback, she left with a parting comment along the lines of "at least I have my clothes on". I was tempted to say that her horse was wandering around naked and with an erection, but figured that she probably did not have properly configured giggle glands for that remark.)

Have fun,

Ian.

Dishonest believer: honest agnostic. Which is better to fake a belief or to be truthful in unbelief? God values truth so an honest disbelief is better (?)

For me, an atheist would have an honest disbelief (or an honest belief in an opposing view) but an agnostic would be uncertain and look to evidence or experience to prove or disprove a belief. The truth therefore lies in the acknowledgement of uncertainty rather than a conviction of disbelief.

I agree with Ric's comment that nudism is about comfort and not ideology. I enjoy the sense of freedom but being nude doesn't make me pure or give me the moral high ground. Equally, considering the 'textile form' to be prevalent does not make a naturist perverse or of low moral standing. However, I think 'native English speakers' tend to be more reserved (but not morally outraged) than their European counterparts, which has implications for the acceptance of nudity in public areas across the EEC

Only once have I ever had a hostile reaction and that came from a woman on a horse Have fun,

we have walked naked on dartmoor for many years now, and the only time we get any sort of complaint is exactly the same. horseriders! maybe its because they have to wear clothes or get saddle sores!
a few times we have accidently walked into other hikers but very rarely do we get any complaints. maybe its because we are a couple?