Getting back to nature

As the session ends, the swimmers share the changing room. It has been a balmy 84oF in the pool but outside it's freezing. The clothes they discarded so happily an hour ago are now welcome protection. 'A lot of people think you have to be some sort of extrovert to do this,' says Geoff, as he opens the door to leave. 'But you don't. I'm quite shy, really.'

Saturday/Sunday: The Naturist Foundation, near Swanley, Kent
If you are itching to play chess, watch cricket or have a beer in your birthday suit, this is the place. The sign on the fence-post is easily overlooked. Even if you spot it, the name Brocken Hurst is meaningless unless you are one of the initiated who know that it is the Naturist Foundation's 50-acre site, near Swanley in Kent. Besides being in an out-of-the-way location, the site - bigger than Green Park - is set deep in the woods behind a security-coded gate. Tentatively, I press the buzzer. But then I think, how bad can it be? It's not as if they're going to greet me at the reception desk stark naked.

Christine, a voluptuous brunette who runs the NF, sits behind her desk, erm, stark naked. I fill out my forms. 'Naturists aren't into all that body-beautiful rubbish. We don't care how we look,' she says, as I wrestle to keep my eyes at eye level. Her husband John pops in and out, chatting and smoking a pipe.

As I prepare to disrobe, Christine tells me about the appeal of naturism: 'What attracted us was the combination of freedom, peace and relaxation; plus the secure, benign atmosphere in which children can play.'

There is a strange moment when you are in a place like Brocken Hurst. You are clothed, they are naked, and at some point you have to remove your clothes. Otherwise you feel extremely noticeable. Etiquette suggests you can whip 'em off wherever, whenever. I am halfway between reception and the canteen when I get it over with. The self-consciousness fades quickly.

John shows me the site, with its caravans and wood cabins among the bushes and trees. It is a lovely place, with secluded paths and large stretches of grass. We pass children playing tennis, teenagers kicking a football, and lots of retired people sipping drinks.

I ask him about the Carry On Camping attitude which many people still associate with naturism. 'People who imagine that nudity somehow implies sexual activity are quite mistaken,' says John. And the scene at Brocken Hurst certainly isn't sexy. Flat chests, paunches, burgeoning bosoms - we definitely look a lot better with our clothes on. Indeed, there is nothing more non-sexual and unerotic than wandering around in the nude. It just feels immensely relaxing.

Clearly the appeal of nakedness, as much as the pleasure of feeling fresh air on the skin, lies in the way it strips away barriers. We are joined by Colin, who first visited 20 years ago. He is now retired and lives on-site all year round. 'It's very levelling, being naked,' he says. 'How can you be pretentious when you're naked? How can you put on airs?' I try and fail as I lean over to begin a game of outdoor chess. My shyness evaporates. Strangely, it feels easier to introduce yourself to a group of strangers naked than it is with your clothes on.

My visit to Brocken Hurst opens my eyes. I realise it is possible to do just about anything nude that I'd do clothed. I realise, too, there are some things, clothed or unclothed, no one's ever going to get me to do, like watch cricket. I went out to Kent with so many preconceptions. But when I drive away through the main gate, it bangs shut behind me with a depressing finality. Back in the real world, you get a vague idea of how Adam and Eve felt when they were expelled from Paradise. Mind you, I've been asked back this Saturday - to compete in the darts tournament. Ouch.

Monday: Camden Town, London NW1
My last port of call is Camden Town, and a venue underneath a trendy restaurant. On a random search, away from the British Naturist Foundation website, I found a 'Naturism in the UK' site. On it is a notice about a Monday-night club where you can go and drink in the nude, be merry and chat to fellow naturists. 'These evenings are organised specifically for naturists,' it says. 'No public sexual activity is permissible.'

So far, everyone I have spoken to has been anxious that naturism shouldn't be seen as 'smutty'. So I'm surprised to be asked to come to Camden to be 'vetted' prior to my visit. The man on the end of the phone stresses how 'informal' and 'relaxed' the evening will be.

We arrange to meet on Wednesday, at the restaurant above the club (he owns both). We go downstairs to the venue, then Chris locks the door from the inside. We are alone. I ask him if he or his event is affiliated with the NF, but the answer is no. He asks me if I'm an undercover policewoman.

I wind up the meeting, saying my brother's waiting for me. I ask if he's happy for me to come on Monday. He tells me the event runs from 7pm until late, but might be at another venue. Oh, and would I mind if people were being physical with each other? I ask what he means. 'Well - having sex,' says Chris. 'You know we get about 85 per cent men, so we could do with some more women,' he adds. This seems to be a rather different world from 20 lengths in Watford and chess with your kit off in Kent.

I return on Monday night, photographer in tow. The restaurant is open, but the downstairs is shut. I wonder if he's got nervous and changed venues. I get one of the waitresses to phone his mobile. He says the event is off, but to stay at the bar and wait for him. Half an hour later, another message. 'He says have a bottle of wine on the house,' says a bar girl. We leave, rather relieved.

My 96 hours of naturism have passed. The Camden club is clearly a swingers' joint trying to give itself a veneer of respectability by using the naturist tag. My visits to Swanley and Watford had felt strangely normal. After a moment of acute self-consciousness, being naked feels comfortable, easy - even pleasant. Everyone should try it, just once. As Christine at Swanley put it: 'Naturism's actually pretty run-of-the-mill. We do ordinary things, just with no clothes on.'

British Naturism is at www.british-naturism.org.uk, or call 01604 620 361

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