We had a message from a member of ANW with a Poll idea. I am not sure how to create a Poll about the subject yet, but replied that I could start it off as a Forum topic, and this got the thumbs up.

The basic premiss is the social implications of practising naturism when nearly everyone you know doesn't.

How many of the members of ANW, and naturist in general, have from time to time felt periods of self isolation: at home, at the beach, on a hike...

For some the only solution is spending time naked means spending time alone. It is basically a trade off. The negativity of clothing offers the positivity of company, the positivity of naturism offers the negativity loneliness. OK there are times when solitude can be freeing, enjoyable and rewarding, but if naturism always equates to being alone then that is not ideal and ultimately a downer!

What can you do, if you are in such a situation?

We see ANW as filling a role in many people's lives that having family or local friends that enjoy naturism could fulfil or replacing the lack of an nearby landed or non-landed club, and we hope that many solo and at home naturists have much needed contacts through the pages of ANW. 

We always welcome ANW members to create local based meet up groups to organise safe connections and little adventures with some of their ANW friends. If anyone wishes to do that for their corner of this naturist world, do reach out to me via messaging and I will help set that up. 

We also have a series of Topics in the forum based on Get-Togethers – allocated to each country. Share where you are off to for naturist trips and holidays and you may find other ANW members who want to meet you there or even travel with you (taking sensible steps of getting to know each other first through verification, activity and communication). 

So there are 3 solutions and there may be more that ANW can help with. 

But what about beyond ANW? How do you feel being a lone naturist adventurer? Maybe it is a little depressing? Maybe you have strategies in place? Maybe you are even put off naturism and going to places? Maybe you just don't care and simply enjoy your own company?

I look forward to your thoughts and experiences. 

I can relate to this topic living where I do. 
I'm the first to admit being a lone naturist can get very lonely at times. Although I have been very much the loner all my life, I found in 2019 I actually really enjoyed other peoples company when outdoors naked. It just made everything feel "More" I felt safer, more relaxed, more natural, more in-tune with nature. 
At the time I hadn't told any family or friends so being with another naturist really improved the quality of the naturist experience.
From 2020 to 2024 I was back to being alone as my friend left the island. I found it very difficult to go back to being a lone naturist, and did feel the loneliness a lot. Around 2021 (I think) I told a friend, and got laughter and scorn poured on me, which didn't help to be honest.
Soon after I told the members of my family that matter, got mixed reactions but no one was interested in the lifestyle so I remained a lone and silent naturist. 
I found the hardest bit was not so much the loneliness but the fact I couldn't talk about it. 

If I tried chatting to people online it always ended up going the sexual route which wasn't what I needed. I needed like minded people to help bolster my confidence and to share my personal experiences with.

January 2023 I found and joined ANW and my naturist life started to look up as while it was only online, I finally connected with real and verified people. So that year I really started to enjoy the solitude of being a lone naturist again. I could share photos and write blogs if I wanted, people would take notice without criticism.

2024 was a really good year for most of the summer as another person joined me on my naked adventures, but they stopped their naturist journey due to personal reasons.

So I found the end of the 2024 season was really lonely when out and about nude. 

To sum up I think it really depends on the situation and how you feel on the day. Sometimes the solitude of being a solo naturist is absolutely brilliant. Other times it feels really lonely and you feel like you're the only crazy person in the world that understands the naturist lifestyle. On those days I head home early.

It certainly does seem like a most unkind paradox when being free results in isolation. I have read advice on forums where it is proposed that home solo nudists should speak to those around them about naturism. Or to leave naturist magazines around. I guess the premise is that it could lead to acceptance of being naked with others, even if they remain clothed. That sort of happened to me.

My situation certainly did match the isolated scenario above several years ago. I would totally immerse myself into the naturist lifestyle. But only when everyone was out of the house! It was terribly frustrating. But today I am typing this out nude with my wife popping in and out of the room and my daughter is downstairs, without any issue.

The turnaround really started several years ago by pure luck; I was nude in the house and someone came walking in the front door. I thought it was my wife coming home. But it was a friend of ours who just let herself in. She saw me naked and came over to me and gave me a hug, like she usually did. So I stayed nude, made a coffee and chatted to her. In time she told our other friends about the encounter and that started them chatting about it. My nudity became accepted in front of others and occasionally, they would join in. We've had a few "wobbles" along the way but it seems to have settled down again now.

The odd thing for me is that I prefer to be alone when clothed on my long distance walks or cycle rides. But when I’m nude, I much prefer company.

I think locally based meet-ups with ANW-ers is a great way to go to break the isolation. I would certainly be up for that. I strongly believe that ANW is the ideal forum to make that happen.

This post was edited by Mark Hemsley at November 7, 2025 10:00 PM GMT

Anna, your post hits right at the heart of what keeps so many of us naturists up at night—or more accurately, pacing the living room in the buff, wondering why the world insists on wrapping itself in layers of doubt. I've been there, more times than I'd care to count over my decades dipping toes (and everything else) into this life. Solitude's a double-edged sword: liberating when you're recharging in nature's embrace, but isolating when it becomes the default.

You're spot on about the trade-off: clothed company for the masses, or naked bliss in echoey solitude. But here's the no-BS truth from my experience—and echoed in many conversations—naturism isn't just a solo act; it's a gateway to deeper bonds, if you play it smart. That Goldsmiths University research from a few years back? It showed folks who embrace naturist activities report skyrocketing body satisfaction (up 86% in some metrics) and overall life happiness, precisely because shedding clothes sheds shame and opens doors to real talk. And on the isolation front, nature exposure alone slashes loneliness by fostering a sense of belonging—add nudity, and you've got a cocktail of vulnerability that turns strangers into confidants faster than you can say "skinny dip."

So, what do you do when you're that lone adventurer? I've built my own toolkit over the years, tested in the wild, and it boils down to flipping the script from "trade-off" to "build-out." ANW's your anchor—love the shoutout to country-specific get-together threads and local meetups. That's gold for syncing trips or sparking micro-adventures. But beyond that? Let's get actionable, because wallowing in "what ifs" is for textiles. Here's my battle-tested playbook, step by step, with zero fluff:

1. Audit Your Circle—Plant Seeds Gently: Start small with the people you already know. Don't ambush your hiking buddy with a full-frontal reveal; invite them for a "nature therapy" walk where you ditch layers midway, framing it as stress relief. Lead with shared benefits like reduced anxiety (naturists see up to 60% less body shame). If they balk, no sweat— you've honored your truth without burning bridges.
2. Hunt Local Havens Like a Pro: Skip the isolation echo chamber by scouting non-landed groups or resorts. Local and national naturist groups point you to low-key events—think naked yoga or beach cleanups where nudity's the norm. Research from naturist networks emphasizes this: Dive into group activities at resorts to forge ties organically. If nothing's nearby, start your own—ANW can scaffold it. It's easier than you think: Post a "casual nude coffee chat" invite, verify vibes online first, and boom—community seeds planted.
3. Leverage the Digital-to-Real Pipeline: Online's your launchpad, not your landing strip. Beyond ANW, hit genuine nudists forums for virtual events that morph into IRL meets. Solo travel as a naturist? It's empowering as hell, per recent takes: Embrace the freedom, but layer in connections to dodge the downer.
4. Own the Solitude—Then Transcend It: If you're wired for independence (guilty as charged), lean into it short-term. My ritual: Naked forest baths with a journal, processing that "depressing" edge into fuel. But don't let it calcify—set a "connection quota," like one outreach per week. Feeling put off? Pause and remind yourself: Naturism's not all-or-nothing; even clothed advocacy (like volunteering at eco-events) keeps the flame alive till the right tribe shows, and it will if you look for it and speak about naturism around.

Look, being the lone naturist can sting like salt in a fresh scrape, but it's not a sentence—it's a chapter. I've turned mine into a saga of unexpected allies, from beach bonfires with strangers-turned-friends to quiet victories in converting the unconverted. You're not alone in this, Anna, and neither are the folks reading. If naturism's your joy, fight for the company that amplifies it.

Just because you are naked alone it doesn't necessarily mean you are lonely. I love being alone in my nudity because I can be totally myself. My partner is barely tolerant of my nakeness around him and frankly makes me uncomfortable to be naked around him. Its a shame and breaks my heart. My family does not know.. and I have no interest in telling them for similar reasons. I have a few times a year when I am home alone and can fully enjoy my nudity.. all by myself. I fact my naturist journey began on my spring sojourn when I first went bare on WNGD. That would have never happened.. and I wouldn't be here now if I wasn't alone.

But being physically alone doesn't mean you are alone in your naturist journey. I have all of you, my dear friends on ANW. I cherish you all. I feel like I have a vibrant naked life shared with all of you. 

Every day I feel like I grow in my naked life and gain confidence with all of your encouragement and true friendship.

With the help of a couple of my ANW friends moving towards more of a social naked life that I am excited and terrified about all at the same time. Planning to meet up with an ANW friend for a naked 5K next summer at a landed club.. all very new for me. Hoping I'm ready by then to bare it all.