Thanks for the story Rob. There was a brilliant Documentary made by the BBC called Let's Go Naked - The BBC website details it:

John Pitman reports on the increasing popularity of naturist holidays and the changing attitudes towards them.

He traces the growth of the naturist movement, from its small-time beginnings in a park in north Germany, to the multi-million-pound business it is today - especially for France and Yugoslavia. (1979)

I remember watching it as a child - am not sure it would have been in 1979 - so maybe a repeat. But much of it was based around a trip to Cap D'Agde and it is tragic to consider what a place it was at the time for naturists and what it was allowed to become in recent decades. A tragic loss - but with the right attitude it could put things right again. The way I look at Cap is that there are so many other places why bother going and having to try and avoid certain areas, people and behaviour. In a simple scenario as a non-smoker- if two neighbouring restaurants offered the same food and one allowed smoking and the other didn't then I would opt for the non-smoking. 

I watched the film again about 3 years ago and what was very interesting was that the average person looked so much healthier.

I also noted that everyone had body hair, the only piercings were in ears and I didn't see any tattoos. I am not suggesting that people make the wrong choices now, people should do what they like, but just recognising that our our trends and attitudes towards our bodies have changed. For right or for wrong it was a different time and that is quite fascinating - and something better recorded when people are naked than when dressed. I believe H&E that has been capturing the average naked body for about 90 years is a fascinating record of the human attitude towards the body, and body attitudes, fashions and trends. Something that porn or artistic nude photos don't really capture and clothed images lose 90% of the body in textiles. I love it when members share their old nude photos in the Albums area because it is truly fascinating to see changes in fashions and trends but also the aging process - another thing wonderfully and better captured by naturism. 

Two friends of mind (who must be about as far from being the type that would swing as you can imagine - their idea of trying something new in the bedroom would be to rearrange the furniture - actually that would be unthinkable - rearranging some of the ornaments on the furniture), well they once told us about how they got invited by parents at the son's school to a party only to discover it changed direction once the couples children were sent to bed. The story was hilarious, but knowing them as I do, so much more so for imagining them in that situation. They escaped at some point and when recounting the horror to a friend who lived locally to the couple were told that this couple was well known in the village for swinging parties. It really is something that seems fine to me if there are no victims involved - but it shouldn't be something that people are invited to without explanation - and there is something a little odd about a party turning to hard drugs and sex when the couples 8 and 10 year old children are tucked away sleeping in a their neighbouring bedrooms. What if they wanted a drink, had a nightmare or simply could hear what was going on in the next door bedrooms or downstairs? My worry is that there are victims. Maybe these children are being damaged, maybe some partners are forced into it by a more domineering partner, maybe swinging isn't about having harmless fun but acting out from some sexual hang-ups built into the persons passed - which may be actually doing more harm than good. 

When I was a manager of a shop on Oxford Street one of the employees I inherited was a woman around nineteen/twenty who was quite a small creature. One day she turned up with a black eye and I feared that her boyfriend had hit her. So we sat in the staff room and had a quiet chat and it turned out it had happened in a "dungeon" type club in London that she frequented where men would do what ever they wished to her. I got on really well with her and she would quite often after that tell me some of the bizarre and hilarious and frightening things that happened to her. I used to suggest that she shouldn't be doing this stuff but at the end of the day it was none of my business and it never effected her work at my store. What concerned me was that she had started being sexually abused by an uncle as a child and lost her virginity to him at twelve. Although in some ways she seemed in control of what she was doing was it not the abuse and loss of innocence at a young age that had sent her down that path? I figured it must have been. She had been mistreated as a child and was now allowing all sorts of mistreatment from older men to be inflicted on her. The stories are not suitable for quoting in this Forum - but some of them were bewildering and you would wonder Why would someone want to do that to another human being?

I think there is an attitude among those that misbehave on beaches that they are doing no harm. What has it got to do with us what goes on between consenting adults in the dunes or on the beach? If these people were in private and secluded land then maybe there is no harm. But they are not. 

They are on beaches that are frequented by people that don't have a want to share in their "adventures" individuals, couples and families. Even hidden away in the dunes they cannot guarantee privacy - as a child I would get lost in dunes running around exploring or playing "war" - I can only imagine how upsetting it must be for a child to run around the corner and be confronted by such behaviour. And you do not make any noise running on sand - so it is easy to be "surprised." So there are some victims straight away - innocent people happily enjoying an innocent day. 

But there is a bigger set of victims - this behaviour is effecting the way naturism is accepted by others. We will never find naturism can become truly (and I hate the term) normalised when people are aware of such things. Crazily if a beach loses its naturist status it probably wouldn't effect the abusive minority. They are being secretive anyway. So the victims are naturists. I have to wonder why not just do what they do on non-naturist beaches/dunes. The authorities won't stop a beach being used by clothed people if swingers misbehave. So why can't they distance themselves from naturism altogether and give us a break? 

It isn't simply the reputation of one beach but every naturist beach  that is effected, and every naturist. Maybe directly leading to people thinking they have a right to protest about families in naturism. After all it isn't much of a jump in the imagination to consider that what happens in dunes, must also happen in private venues and clubs and events run by naturists.

Some clubs and venues do exist that are happy to use the name naturist or nudist and not draw a line. I feel that they have to. They need to be totally clear - "this is not naturism or nudism" and they should use a completely different term - swinging, libertine or whatever. I don't care that they exist but I do care that their existence effects naturism. That makes me angry. We should not be victims because some people like to sexually share. I wonder how many individuals, couples and families are put off the idea of naturism because of hearing about such behaviour. 

I sometimes wonder if the best way of dealing with bad behaviour is in old Universal horror films from the 30's. I imagine a mob of naked beach users with pitch forks and flaming torches chasing semi-dressed men off the beaches and back to the castle dungeons where they belong.  

I cannot deny, the picture it conjures, of a host of naked people waving farming tools makes me smile. I admit, I do tend to look at this a little different from other people, I have seen behind the closed doors in the things people have shared in sessions with me.

 

In regard to the abused girl, I could give a very long and sound reasoning as to why her behaviour does not in anyway surprise me, damage has been done, of that there is no doubts. In regard to swinging activity, or libertine as it is now referred to, I agree with your point, there is a very distinct difference between that and naturism.

 

It is a sexual activity, no different from any form of sexual activity, and I feel, should for that reason be separated from naturism. Can libertines be naturists? Yes, just like BDSM or fetish practitioners can, but it is not naturisum if it is combined together. I do feel Cap should limit the exposure of it, we have a copy of the BBC documentary, and Educating Julie, which also features Cap back in the 70’s, and you are right, it does feel sad to see how it has morphed more towards a libertine side.

 

We have no issue with it, we just don’t want to be a part of it, if Cap cleaned up its act, we would consider it, but as parents, that is not something we feel we want our children to be exposed to, currently, they are not old enough to understand that, and we ensure our children get the right amount of exposure to things as and when we feel they can deal with it.

 

It is sad that in today’s world of media driven drivel, Porn and Naturism have been linked together, which to a degree has encouraged the rise of libertine activity. Again, we are open minded, and we have no objection to those who engage in it, I have heard true accounts of what it feels like, and so understand why it has appeal to some, but still feel, it is sexual activity and therefore has no place in naturism. The libertines should be open and honest about the activity, and state clearly, that what they practice is not naturist, it is yet another of many of the different ways of being sexual, nothing more.

 

It is ironic really, most ways of conducting sexual practices involve nudity, and yet it is only the libertine behaviour that gets linked to naturists, I have often pondered as to why, when there are thousands of differing ways to have sexual relations?

So true - of course "libertines" can be naturists - they just need to physically and emotionally distance the two things. Swing in a swinging situation and be naturists in naturist situations and don't try to swing in naturist situations. AS Steve mentioned smoking above. A smoker can smoke in a pub garden but I a school playground they know not to - they are still smokers, they are still in the open air but they know the difference between the two situations. 

Many naturist clubs used to be meat -free. I assume that some members used to eat meat at home, or in restaurants but at the clubs they behaved suitably for the club. So why can't some people who like to sexually share not do so in naturist situations? Maybe they simply don't care enough for naturism - or don't consider themselves naturists at all but know that if they get caught it is easier in a situation where you are supposed to be naked than in a situation where you aren't. 

The thing that annoys me with Cap is that it attempts to promote itself as still suitable for naturism. It should be one or the other, it shouldn't try and be both - that is cowardly and insulting. Like a vegetarian restaurant that serves meat if requested. Take a stand and stick by it. They shouldn't continue to try and have naturist tourism when they have decided to cash in on swinging. 

I've encountered 'strange' behaviour by men on beaches on a couple of occasions. One was in Mexico where I was enjoying reading my book nude on a beach near Tulum. This clothed man walked past a few times trying to look inconspicuous, before sitting down slightly behind and off to the side. It was obvious he was sitting pleasuring himself without trying to hide it, I took out my mobile phone and started filming him, I thought Speedy Gonzalez was fast, but you should have seen this bloke move ????????
The other occasion was on a UK beach which was very deserted, 3 clothed young men walking along the beach, noticing I was naked sat down close to me, they were loud and talking filth before they started playing with each other. On this occasion I just got up and walked a good 800m further along the beach. 

It isn't something anyone should have to put up with. I can understand that you took the sensible approach of not confronting three men when you are by yourself - you never know what may happen - if someone is doing something already antisocial how do you know how else they may behave. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valour. In an ideal world we wouldn't have to deal with it at all. 

It sounds to me like they were purposely trying to evoke a response.  

I think there are some who believe that if there are no children around (or possibly no women) then they are doing no harm - but I have no want to see anyone misbehaving on a beach - it should not matter what age or gender we are - we should all have the right to witness appropriate behaviour.