to think that only old people should go to areas where there is nudity?

If someone wants to sunbathe or swim naked I have no problem with that. Are not nudist beaches signed as such? It's not something I would do myself because I don't have that much body confidence, but if someone is offended then surely all they have to do is move away.

We've been on naturist beaches and quite frankly, once you've seen one you've seen them all. I think it's quite reassuring that not everyone is young and slim!
I certainly don't see anything sexual about being on a nudist beach..... perhaps I'm missing the point, no pun intended, and swimming naked is lovely!
I can't see much without my glasses anyway!?

Would Mr Darcy have looked so attractive emerging from the lake he if had been starkers? No, it was the big white shirt he was wearing that saved the day ( and his blushes.)

Many years ago as a student I went to a nudist island in Yugoslavia and swam naked in the Med - it was wonderful! And indeed, most of the people there were of a certain age - lots of ladies with ceasarian scars sitting knitting in deckchairs and a serious dearth of Adonises!

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Or perhaps shiftily nonchalant.

In the early sixties we went to the south of France and visited L'Isle d'Hyeres, a famous naturist island. All around were people in all states of dress or undres. By the time we had been there half-an-hour we could not have told you whether a couple we had just passed were wearing anything or not, but we had admired their hair-styles - matching, long, straight and flowing, held back by a braid round the forehead, Red Indian style (but no feathers)

We could not remember how much of them was visible, but it was tanned golden. Walking separately in the sand dunes, however, were several dead-white podgy blokes with expensive cameras and binoculars hanging round their necks, looking nonchalantly shifty.

That made me think of my neighbour who loved to sunbathe in her garden. The people who's garden adjoined the end of her's bought their boys a trampoline. She went banging on their door accusing the boys of bouncing high enough to 'spy on her in her bikini' they were 7 and 9 respectively at the time

There is a naturist beach near here. We used to walk the dog on a path that runs parallel to the beach. The naturists were to far away to see shape or form. We did however come across a man and a woman with binoculars one day. They were supposedly looking at boats but those boats were obviously highly amusing!!

PE teachers did seem very keen on watching naked girls showering. For some reason it was never considered odd except by those being watched

I had a friend in Cornwall who used to sunbathe nude in her garden. She was surrounded by 6 ft high hedges so none of the neighbours could see her, but patrolling helicopters from Culdrose used to fly VERY low over the garden

Our school didn't have showers. The pavilion was completed just after I left, so there were probably decent facilities there.

Nor in mine, Ana.

Not slipping on the floor, and avoiding the eagle eye of the gym mistress.

Don't think shower gel had been invented in my schooldays, rosequartz!

But I agree, I don't remember any soap, just having to get through as quickly as you could without slipping on the wet floor...

I never saw the point of the showers at school, it was a quick run through and there was no soap or shower gel.

I went into a sauna in Finland, my friend and I stripped off but our teenage daughters refused to take off their swimsuits. (We were the only four in there.)

I swim at the naked end of the beach in the small Greek village we often visit. Just wander down in my cozzie, slip it off, swim, slip the cozzie back on, and back to the lounger. Bliss. I ignore the chaps who parade themselves, but have no problem with people being naked at that part of the beach. I just don't choose to stay there to read my book

You would have hated our school showers then - we had to run through them naked with our towels held above our heads so that they knew our armpits would be clean!

Same at my school (except we had to wash) and I think all the girls hated it - it probably wouldn't have been such a bad experience if the PE teacher hadn't stood there watching each of us. Maybe that's where I got the hang up from!

I used to go to The Sanctuary Health Spa in Covent Garden (women only) and we all used to swim in the nude. Same thing in the women's changing rooms at my local sports centre. No problem.

I've also been naked in a sauna in a mixed gathering where I knew everyone there quite well.

However, I would hesitate to go amongst random men with no clothes on. Although I am quite old I still think of my body as sexual and wouldn't welcome ogling.

No, the showers were focussed at shoulder height more or less, and not wanting to get our towels wet (after the first time, mine was soaked because I was so horrified) did make us hold them very high.

Jo Brand went to my school until she was 16 (she's quite posh really, she hides it very well!) and she writes about it in one of her books. I think we were both scarred by it!

janerowena, didn't your towels get wet?

Two weeks ago, during my holiday in Greece, I saw many women frolicking (yes, really - best word to describe the fun they were having) naked except for sunhats in the Aegean. There were women of all ages, sizes and body shapes and all completely unselfconscious. Every day a group of women swam out to an offshore rock; some wore swimsuits, others just bikini bottoms and some were naked - all were totally relaxed and appeared quite comfortable with their bodies. Because I was seeing them every day I quickly found I got accustomed to their various states of dress/undress and noticed that actually every body had some deviation from being 'picture perfect', which I found very reassuring.

I suppose you (OP) like to take away all sexuality from the scene, which makes you feel uncomfortable - perhaps for the women, maybe for yourself?

You would have hated our school showers then - we had to run through them naked with our towels held above our heads so that they knew our armpits would be clean!

Viva? Circa!

Sailing in the middle of Lyme bay with my oh and children, I decided to go topless. Son then aged viva 12 said in an outraged voice "mummy, someone might see you!"
The nearest 'someone' was a tanker way out on the horizon

Is there a new competition for the oddest most original O.P?

Don't know why that appeared on this thread, it was supposed to be on the ios8 thread. Just confirms what I said