The concept of naturist clubs is something we have ignored for the longest time. We’ve always considered ourselves more the recreational kind of naturists. Back in the days before Naked Wanderings, we would most often decide to go to a nude place in the morning. We would see the sunshine through the curtains and realise that our agendas were pretty blank that day. So we would pack for a day at the beach or, if our agendas happened to be blank the for whole weekend, put the tent in the car and drive to a resort.
We once tried to apply to a club though, but when we received a long questionnaire with things like “Why are you a naturist?” and “How can you volunteer at the club?”, those papers never saw a drop of ink. They hung around on the kitchen table for a while before they ended up in a drawer and were never seen again. We decided that naturist clubs were probably nothing for us.
What is a naturist club?
Naturist clubs are the oldest form of modern-day naturism. They all started because a group of people shared a passion for social nudity and brought their brains, skills and wallets together. The first naturist clubs appeared in Europe soon after the First Wold War and quickly started spreading to other parts of the world. Spielplatz, one of the clubs we visited in the UK will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2029.
As non-sexual social nudity was a very alien thing at the time, these people needed spaces where they could be safe from curious eyes and angry mouths. So they started buying properties away from civilisation and putting high fences around them. This is what naturist clubs would look like for most of the century to come.
The concept of non-landed clubs (clubs that don’t have their own property) only took off more recently, but we imagine that these have to be the very first clubs. A handful of people heading deep into some German forest, taking off their clothes and soaking up the sun. Hoping that nobody has followed them.
Today, both landed and non-landed clubs exist in many parts of the world and the way they operate is very similar to amateur sports clubs. You pay an annual fee that’s being used to maintain the property, pay off rent, and organise activities. Additionally, you may be asked to do some volunteer work. Depending on your skills, your likes, and your physical health, you could find yourself cutting hedges, cleaning the pool, maintaining the website, doing the accounting, or anything else that needs to be done.
The membership system
Becoming a member of a club differs from place to place and the clubs we visited in the London area are pretty good examples. Spielplatz and Diogenes are traditional membership-based clubs. This means that you can’t just show up or make an online booking to stay overnight. Instead, you can apply for one or more “trial visits”. These are meant for you to get to know the club and for the members to get to know you. At the end of your visit, you will be asked to apply for membership. If you want to become a member, the board of the club will make a decision about your application.
Brocken Hurst, aka The Naturist Foundation, has a more flexible system. You don’t need to be a member to visit this club, you can just book a day visit or a vacation online. Becoming a member is more about benefits. You get discounts for accommodations and events and you can visit the club outside of visitor times.
The brand new Sunfolk, owned by British Naturism, completely abolished the membership system. Although it has the look and feel of a club and still largely works with volunteers, visiting Sunfolk is similar to visiting a commercial resort. You make a reservation and you go there.
The different membership systems each have their pros and cons. A major advantage of strict membership is that these are very safe places. You know that every person at the club has been approved by the board. This also creates a stronger sense of community. The downside, however, is the hassle of becoming a member and that you’re more or less stuck to one club. Unless you want to pay annual membership at several clubs at a time.
At non-member clubs, it’s the other way around. The stepping stone is much lower and you don’t feel pressured to visit many times to get the most out of your annual fee. The risk that someone with the wrong intentions walks in is a bit higher, although every club we visited in the UK had strong security, both by the club and by the other visitors.
Why would you go to a naturist club?
The first question you may be asking is “Why would you visit a club in the first place?”. The UK has a variety of nude beaches that are free to access. Why would you cough up hundreds of pounds to become a member or tens of pounds to visit the property?
Safety is probably the most important aspect of a club. As mentioned earlier, even the clubs that are open to all have strong security. As these are all private properties, visitors who misbehave can easily be banned and will never be seen again. So there’s much less risk of harassment, voyeurism, exhibitionism, and anything else that doesn’t fit in a naturist place.
Another important aspect is the facilities. The UK isn’t particularly known for its tropical climate and nude beaches aren’t the greatest places to be when it’s cold and rainy. Although every club we visited offers a lot of outdoor activities, they also have options to be naked inside. Both Brocken Hurst and Sunfolk have a covered pool and Diogenes even has an indoor pool (in addition to an outdoor one). All pools are also heated, making them a lot more agreeable year-round. And then there are jacuzzis and saunas that will keep you warm even on cold winter days. Every club also has a clubhouse, where you can hang out with others when it’s pouring rain.
Lastly, there’s the social aspect. Most clubs have lots of regular visitors and after a while you start to get to know the others. Several years ago, we once were invited to join a “work weekend” at a club in Belgium. Work is not particularly something that usually comes to mind when we think about going to a naturist place. We imagined a grumpy group of volunteers just wanting to get it over with, but instead, we ended up with a bunch of friends who were having the time of their lives. We would not have believed it if we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes, but those people were actually looking forward to the next work weekend.
What to do at a naturist club?
We already mentioned socializing, swimming pools, saunas and hot tubs, and for most members or guests at a club this is everything they need. If you’re not the lay-next-to-the-pool-all-day kind of person, there are other things to do though. Mostly, a club is a great place to try something new in the nude. If you like sports, for example, you may not often have the possibility to practice your favourite sport without clothes. At home, you may not have the opportunity to cook in the nude. And although nudity is legal everywhere in the UK, a hike in the private woods of Brocken Hurst may feel more comfortable than at any public place.
Every club also organises events. At most clubs, something is happening at least once per month, and at Brocken Hurst pretty much every weekend. Events are the perfect combination of socializing and doing things you don’t usually do in the nude like dancing, singing karaoke, or quizzing.
Throughout the last century, how and why naturism is practised has changed a lot. But every club we visited maintained the very essence of the pioneers: Create a place where you can be your true naked self without having to fear judgment or harassment.
Which club to pick
If you’re a visitor to London and you want to spend some time in the nude, Brocken Hurst and Sunfolk are probably best for you, because you don’t need to worry about membership. Also if you live near London and never visited a club before, we would recommend visiting either of these first. This way you can avoid the administrative procedure and get an idea of what a naturist club is before continuing the search for the club that fits best for you.
If you like a relaxed atmosphere, away from the loud city and close to nature, Spielplatz and Diogenes will probably be a good fit. For a day (or several ones) of wellness, the brand-new facilities at Sunfolk may look the most appealing. Another advantage of Sunfolk’s jacuzzi and sauna is that they’re always open throughout the day, so you don’t need to book a session or wait until a certain time or day.
Being an event-driven club, Brocken Hurst is then again a great place if you like to be entertained and if you want regular activities. Especially their big events like the Naked 5K and Party in the Stark attract visitors from all over the country (and beyond).
Long story short, we can’t tell you which club will be best for you, we can only tell you what they are like. The best recommendation we can give you is to visit all of them. We only visited these four and already found them quite different from one another. There are several other clubs around London where we didn’t go and many more throughout the country for you to explore.
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This summer I visited Avonvale Sun Club near Ringwood as the had an open day for £10 pp and I have to say that it felt like it was a prison, the gate was locked after we were all inside, as it was an open day you would expect them to have a designated person to show you around. although a couple of the members spoke to me I felt isolated. they had a small swimming pool and a tennis court plus a large club house which was grubby with very old furniture, I didn’t ask about membership as I had no intention of joining. If this is an example of clubs in this country then I can understand why people don’t go to clubs. Whilst living in France for 11 yrs we used to visit a Naturist Campsite of which there are many, and the experience was far superior. The uk needs to take a look at what they offer.
Hi William, the naturist clubs in the UK can definitely not be compared to what you’ll find in France. The main difference (other than size and facilities) is that most clubs are volunteer run, and sometimes they don’t have enough volunteers to show people around or guard the entrance to make sure that no unwanted people are sneaking in. Next time you’re in the UK, try to visit Sunfolk near St Albans. The gate will be locked as well, but you’ll probably find a completely different reception.
Very interesting. Pretty fancy places, but very nice.