What are your thoughts on going to naturist-only spaces such as landed clubs and swims, versus public (sometimes very public) places such as beaches, naked walks and naked bike rides?

I first took the plunge into naturism on Eastney beach, which has been solidly naturist for probably as long as anyone can remember, and I love Studland and other naturist beaches, but I always feel most relaxed and comfortable in landed clubs and naturist-only spas and swimming sessions.  In those places you're with like-minded people and there's no risk of coming into contact with people who think you're a weirdo, or are actually abusive.  At the other end of the spectrum, as much as I admire people who have the courage to go on naked bike rides, it’s not something I have any inclination to do, just because of the possibility of unpleasant reactions from non-naturists.

I’m aware that naturist venues behind closed doors are not necessarily a good advert for naturism - not so much because the general public might think there was something naughty going on (although there is probably a bit of that) but more because it must be more difficult to interest people into becoming naturists if they never see what naturism looks like.  Plus of course, why should we as naturists have to miss out on activities and places that other people enjoy, just because we’d like to enjoy them naked?

This is an interesting question John and I feel is one that has no easy answer. 

I do feel that naturism on beaches should be encouraged. Firstly it can be a great advert for naturism, and as you say encourages non-naturists to start to get an interest and to trust naturism. Without "public" naturism we have no way of encouraging people to trust us and trust naturism. I would not consider booking a holiday, becoming a club member, joining a national body or any other such step before first knowing what naturism is and learning to understand that it is not sexual. The human race has an automatic mistrust of things behind locked doors and for years have felt wary of groups like The Masons or more recently Scientology. It isn't that there is knowledge that such secret groups  is bad but the imagination runs wild and asks "Why are they hidden?" 

On the negative side though you may come across people misbehaving in the dunes which would not be tolerated in a club, or negative behaviour from a non-naturist- which to be fair is not something I have ever seen happen to anyone, but it could and probably does happen. 

Though another aspect is that a beach is free, it allows naturism to be easily available to all. Club membership, holidays, event bookings etc can be quite costly, many would say unfairly costly when compared to dressed equivalents. We would certainly be limiting who can enjoy naturism if it was limited to organised only. Particularly when you consider some policies on single men and the fact that for many there is nothing local. No one is going to tell a single man he cannot visit a beach, and for us as a family we are also seeing more and more venues and events rejecting us too.  

Public naturism can raise a great awareness, but it can also do harm, do some of those who enjoy public naturism appear more exhibitionist than we consider naturism? Bike rides can be great fun, and offer a positive example of social nudity, but they can appear to some to be a load of people stripping off for attention in a town centre, organised naturism is not exhibitionist. 

There is definitely something to be said about being around fellow naturists, that bond, connection and friendship, and as you say being around like minded people, but sometimes it can feel stifling and limited, sometimes the group can start to become too like minded and actually feel narrowminded and unwelcoming and bordering on unhealthy. Being in a resort like Montalivet with a genuine cross section of naturists there was delightful, but even then our teenage son got verbally attacked on a beach for wearing shorts. That is not something that should happen on  a public beach, where nudity cannot be enforced, and ironically didn't happen on the campsite that was about naturism. No teenagers used the campsite naked unless they were in the pool, and many adults also went around with some covering. 

I went to a naturist event a few years back and although the event was fun and there were some lovely people there, there was also a feeling of wanting people to be more that just connected by naturism. To me that should be enough, a broad range of people connected by a mutual love of naturism, but there was something more at play undermining the positivity of the event. That somehow only certain people with certain mindsets and certain characters were truly welcome and fitted in. There was a certain feeling of a silent chanting  of "one of us" in the air, an idea of cookie cutter naturists that was at times discomforting and stifling. Steve and I knew somehow that we could never feel part of that elitism and either had to feel lesser people because of it or just get on with naturism there but not feel as connected to many of the people as we would have liked. Such suffocating approach to who should be a naturist and who shouldn't can end up limiting the growth of naturism and its long term acceptability dramatically. We went to a different event the next year that was much more open in its approach to who could go and that feeling of not fitting in was not there because everyone was allowed to fit in and made equally welcome. A naturist organisation should be aimed at encouraging everyone to enjoy naturism and not encouraging clique elitism that rejects the majority of humanity.         

On another thought - How about couples and families that are not all naturist a club may refuse a partners entry, a public space cannot, maybe after time that partner will find their way into naturism through that public space. 

I think there is definitely a need for both, and it can be a lovely thing to be submerged in a naturist environment with other naturists, but it is also good to bring naturism into the public arena and invite the whole world to join in. 

I look forward to other thoughts and angles on this topic.  

Being disabled and my partner being elderly (and me) its tricky getting to naturist beaches. We do enjoy camping at club sites all over the country, beach wise I'm aware that public nudity is not illegal so we create our own "naturist beach". Some how you become invisible and ignored in the main. Had a problem on only one occasion, one irate fat bloke and a policeman...