Yes, but we're not being tolerant of others, are we Brigitte, if we can't accept that they would prefer to remain clothed?  Or that we would attach a negative view to it which would lead us to not want to use the club?

We, who expect, nay, demand, that the whole world and its dog accepts us to go butt-naked on public beaches????  But you textiles in a club shouldn't  be there????'

It's not double-standards, it's mindlessness....

I agree with others that private clubs can dictate whatever rules they like, that there is a connection between those rules and their dwindling membership, and that in kow-towing to women members' preference for 'not too many (if any) single men' ( the reason given to me by one club),
I have yet to join, as a married couple, and probably never will, a landed club, if they contrive to deny single males membership.  I personally have no problem with single males, gay, overweight or absolutely bonkers, neither does my wife - what they are has nothing to do with naturism - and,
as we see it, those clubs are riddled, riddled with prejudice, we would rather
not rub shoulders with its members.

1 I wasn't talking about single males. I have no problem with them, minus the clothed type below.
2 Yep, clubs should absolutely be open to everybody, single, couple, family, straight, gay, on the same lines as the old Eureka, with minimal rules, (the only one in Eureka was 'thou shalt not annoy') but I wouldn't join a marrow growing club if I was more interested in radishes.
3 A naturist club doesn't mean being clothed when the sun's out. Textiles have a million places to go to to indulge their peculiar habits of being dressed at all times. I don't. If that makes me intolerant, frankly I don't give a toss. Some textiles do a good line in intolerance themselves. A naturist club is more than just an ordinary social club, or should be, it's about social nudity and the leveller, relaxer, and equaliser that it is. If there's somebody there in a designer bikini or a pair of those ridiculous shorts, the sense of equality is not there, and it might as well be turned into an ordinary social club with a pool attached.
4 What does public beaches mean? We are all public, most crown property is public, naturists are public, beaches, naturist or not are public, and nudity is legal in British law with certain provisos. And I am behind a windbreak out of view in the UK.
5 And I was actually fully dressed, and remained so all day.
6. But clearly I was totally wrong in the first place, to go onto a windswept corner of the coast with about 10 dog walkers and a few kids at any one time to grab a few hours of rare quiet and privacy with a non study book and a wine and expect the simple basic human right to do so undisturbed and unharassed. Instead I was, for absolutely no reason to the point that I had to move. Clearly wrong and stupid. If it hadn't been me, it'd have been someone else. Tell you what, why don't all we normal people just stay at home every day and leave 'public beaches' to the sad social and sexual inadequates so they can just annoy each other, and that would make life so much more simple and less annoying for us wouldn't it?

I know where Brigitte is coming from; at the club I stayed at last week they very kindly invited me to their evening get-together so I rocked up there butt-naked as I had been all day only to find about 30% clothed. And yes, it did make me feel uncomfortable

It does depend on circumstances and whether there is a hard or fast rule on dressing in the evening or not. But if it was a warm clubhouse I would be naked, for as long as I could be. At the bar, even better!

Lots & lots of very well made points.

I tend not to go to beaches anymore on my own due the very nature of the points made (ie. meerkats and perverts), and having read the feedback from you guys on the landed clubs i dont think I will be attempting to join one any time soon.

I have found a couple of nice camping sites that have happily accepted me as a lone traveller, one inparticluar very very basic camp site with no facilities in the South Lakes has been very welcoming and friendly towards me, needless to say I have spent my £30 for the yearly membership and will squeeze as many naked camping trips in as I can this year 🙂

Bring on the Summer 8) 8) 8)

Glad to hear that Camperman.

But I'm sure many clubs do accept visitors on a weekend and or other times if they are camping? As for Spielplatz, the colour of your money is good enough any time. So yes, there are clubs that I am sure is very difficult to join, especially for singles, but as many are open to visitors so I don't tar all clubs with that same brush.

Thanks Brigitte,

Maybe I have not tried hard enough to find suitable clubs for a camping weekender, but the whole R & R things does put me off and the the thought of some 'committee members' analysing my every move to see if I am suitable would not make me feel comfortable and relaxed at all.

I don't know if I have the wrong idea but this is certainly the impression I get from landed clubs

I was chatting to the treasurer of my camping club who said that they had only one incident in recent years regarding an undesirable on the site and was quite simply asked to leave the site immediately.  Common sense prevailed without any need for further regulation to be put in place, which is exactly what the treasurer said 'common sense'.

I like the ability to just head off for the weekend and chillax with a good book a beer and a bit of Radio 2, I don't think I will get that at a full on old school committee led landed club.

Again I could have this all wrong 🙂

Valley, Wrekin, Croft and Spielplatz to name just four off the top of my head are open to visitors. Croft anyway, is a commercial club with no fearsome committee.

Most clubs have their websites which should make clear their set up and whether they welcome ad hoc visitors, admittedly a lot don't but a lot do.

Totally agree with you Brigitte. After all what's the point of being at a naturist club and remaining clothed? There should really be a limit on how long people should be allowed to do that, after which, if they've decided they're comfortable with being naturists they need to disrobe, and if not, leave.

After all you wouldn't turn up at a tennis club, and expect to play cricket, would you.

I am in fact a member of a club (not connected with naturism) that is starting to drift away from its stated aims, and I'm not very happy.

I can't help thinking that grower has made a good point. Surely you should dress the way you feel most comfortable and accept the way others choose to dress themselves (no clothes or otherwise).
At the end of the day, if it's hot and you are clothes free, does it really matter if others want to wear coats?

Antony

I can't help thinking that grower has made a good point. Surely you should dress the way you feel most comfortable and accept the way others choose to dress themselves (no clothes or otherwise).
At the end of the day, if it's hot and you are clothes free, does it really matter if others want to wear coats?

Antony

I couldn't go to one of their textile clubs and just strip off though could I? Or could I? Would they be that 'tolerant?' I doubt it, tolerance rarely extends both ways, and not in that way I'm sure.

What a great forum this is turning out to be.

Naturist clubs are not for everyone, as they cannot be all things to all men / women, but should be the sum total of what the membership wants. The gender mix will always be contentious whilst so many more men than women seem to want to enjoy going naked in company, rather than in their gardens and homes. Naturist clubs exist to provide a safe environment for everyone to enjoy the joy of “shedding the threads” which pretty obvious. If a club wants to be clothes optional, that’s fine, but if that means a high percentage of people taking the clothed option, it would for me at any rate lose appeal. 
 
Finally, there are few things I like more than to be with Mrs.B, plus others on a warm sunny day passing the time of day with other (nude) members of the club at the poolside. The outside world does not simply exist during those magic hours. 

All clubs have rules, some maybe strict but the gates to the clubs are two way portals and change does occur in line with the members wishes. Slow it might be, but changes happen, and it's all down to the members, old and new. 

I couldn't go to one of their textile clubs and just strip off though could I? Or could I? Would they be that 'tolerant?' I doubt it, tolerance rarely extends both ways, and not in that way I'm sure.

You are exactly right Brigitte it doesn't go both ways. They are plenty of places for textiles, and relatively few for Naturists. If you want to keep your clothes on then go to a textile club. 

John

We are of the mind if it's warm then clothes off no question we go to naturist places so we can do this so it makes sense to me if you are at a naturist venue then if its warm enough ...
I think it would be odd on a warm day to see people dressed
we have been to Clover Spa a couple of times on the motorbike we only need to pack tooth brushes as bike gear off when we arrive and  on when we leave - very relaxing
not been to many clubs - we have booked now for Croft - Blackthorns and Apollo to camp weekends does anyone know if there is any clothes on in the evening / club house type of rules ? I really did not think to ask

thanks
Simon

I will never be welcome at any club and it is my firm belief that these clubs will close down over the next few decades.

Sadly I suspect that you are right although perhaps not for this reason alone.  I'd attribute a number of reasons adding to the general rot (amongst others):

Lack of clothed (or fully clothing optional) days / visits for potential naturists for try-outs
Poor or severely lacking websites and terrible marketing
Ageing member bases and as a result less and less to attract younger members *
Lack of real "clothing-optional" venues and events where other halves can be broken in gently to the lifestyle

* We're all living longer on average.. someone that might have been considered old in their 60's a few decades ago will likely now consider themselves to be a sprightly young at heart and quite rightly so.  People in their 40s probably don't want to go to classic dinner dances, take up knitting and feel as if they are getting on for retirement.  Sadly I don't really see "young at hearts" being catered for in BN at all really.

That's all aside from British prudish society considering we're all weirdos or deviants just because we don't like wearing clothes.