So I have been “lurking” on here for a few years on and off. That makes it sound sordid but I can assure you that is not the case, it’s just that I’ve never really engaged in forum discussions of any sort on any board. I barely have time to maintain my Facebook account let alone partake in online discussions. In particular with this board I have failed to engage at all as I have failed to partake in any naturist activities of any sort. Ever (Or almost ever, but I’ll get to that shortly). My failure to engage has not prevented me from identifying with and essentially being a naturist It’s just that I have never really plucked up the courage to do it with other people and it is only rarely that I even potter about the house naked. Indeed this tends to only happen when I’m home alone (very rare) and I have something to be getting on with (housework, coursework, DIY etc), as sitting about watching TV nude has always felt disingenuous to me. I do however turn to forums for specialist advice and to become educated in a given subject from time to time hence joining Naturist-Corner a few years ago. I have been following certain threads and, coupled with various magazine purchases and listening to the Bare Oaks podcast regularly, I’d say that I’m pretty well informed of the culture (locally/nationally and globally), despite not partaking in it.

Along with my:

1. family situation (married/2 kids under 6),

2. professional situation (my job does not involve much travel) and

3. social situation (what little spare time I have left after points 1 & 2, I spend studying at Uni),

unfortunately my geographic situation is also prohibitive with regards opportunities to engage with the community (I live inland at least an hour away from any clubs, landed or not, or any beaches). All of this combined with the fact that I do not enjoy swimming means that taking part in formal naturist activities is not a high priority for me.  As described in my introduction post I had a bad experience attempting to go nude on a beach in Croatia on my honeymoon 10 years ago when the only other guy on the beach decided to masturbate in plain sight whilst looking at me. Needless to say this put me off for a while and may have permanently put my wife off ever joining me. 🙁

However; I feel compelled to come out from the shadows to share a recent, more positive, experience. I know that you will “get it” in a way that my nearest and dearest don’t. It is also an opportunity to report on a club that has had little (if any) representation on here.

An opportunity arose a couple of weeks back for me to try social nudity in a safe environment when my wife went away for a few nights (and took the kids with her). I decided to pluck up the courage and attend the Bracknell Sauna Club. From a personal perspective this was the perfect place for me to give it a go as I needed an activity that I enjoy where the nudity would be almost incidental. I am still not convinced that, for me, shedding my clothes is likely to enhance an activity such as climbing Blackpool tower (though I’m perfectly happy for those who enjoy that of course) but the naturalness of this rather pedestrian experience was all I hoped it would be. I didn’t come away feeling exhilarated or intensely liberated or overly excited with an overwhelming desire to be naked all the time. But I did feel very relaxed and de-stressed (as I would normally from any sort of spa session) and it was evident to me that this is indeed (as I strongly suspected prior to attending) clearly the correct way to do a Jacuzzi/Steam Room and Sauna. I plan on writing a full report and posting it on here at some point. Aside from that however, It did also relax a part of me that has been restless for a while. Being comfortable in front of others whilst naked is something I have clearly needed to achieve for a long time and I correctly anticipated that I would get over any nerves I might have pretty quickly. What I was less prepared for was the pleasant nature of seeing others in the buff. All too often we hear or read the sniggers and titters about naturists that usually culminate in making fun of their "wobbly bits". “.Yuck”. “Put it/them away”. “I don’t want to see saggy tits and wrinkly willies”. All refrains that we have heard before so I guess I was expecting to feel mildly repulsed by the sight of such things too (being acutely aware that I’ve had 35 years of social conditioning to this affect). I was not of course. In fact it was nice. Shock horror, I enjoyed seeing breasts and penises. It was nice because it was genuinely innocent. No exhibitionism but no bashfulness either. You all know this of course but I guess I didn’t know why I would want to see these ”wobbly bits” either and  I had given much more thought to my desire to feel free of clothes for a while and comfortable with other people seeing my penis than I had given to the notion of seeing beauty where I have previously been told there is none. Of course I know of at least one reason why I might want to see the naked body of a woman who I would find attractive when fully clothed and I suffered from the usual nerves and concerns of a guy wondering how I would react and take control of the situation if I had faced such a scenario. Again, this was something I didn’t need to worry about of course, and although I have been told and have read and heard many many times before that simple nude beauty can more easily be separated from carnal beauty than one would imagine (even for easily excitable persons like me) I still doubted it. Now I see that it is more likely I would have felt far less in control had I been clothed in such company. I still dont know how comfortable I will be in the company of naked girls my own age or younger, but it is much clearer to me now that a physical reaction is unlikely.

I am certainly pleased to have finally taken the plunge and this time I can say I havent been put off and will return to it at the next opportunity:-)

I should add that I may not reply to comments on this post(if anyone decides to do so), not because I am ignoring you but because of the reasons given above i.e. I dont tend to engage in posts on forums really.