'Getting nude in the forest has helped my mental health'

Beatrice Berry, 29, lives in Herefordshire and works in hospitality at an upmarket glamping site. She became a naturist 10 years ago and says it's become her solace, allowing her to fully relax and be in the moment.

Trigger warning: nudity.

A few days ago I was feeling a little low for personal reasons, but I knew exactly what to do to rebalance myself. I went for a walk close to my home in rural Herefordshire and found a peaceful spot where I could strip off every scrap of clothing and lay in the grass. Being close to nature like that grounds me and helps to level me out.

In fact, the feeling of calm was akin to the first time I stripped off in public, swimming in a beautiful lake close to my home.

That was on a hot summer’s day back in 2014 when I was 19. I remember passing the lake while out walking and having an urge to cool off in the water, only I didn’t have a swimming costume with me. Despite having some body hang-ups as a result of being picked on for my smaller bust, as I sat looking at the lake, I thought, 'Maybe I’ll swim in my knickers… but I don’t want to get them wet.' Instead, I just took off all my clothes and slowly waded in.

Feeling the water against my nude body gave me a sense of total euphoria and freedom, not just because it was refreshing on a hot day, but also as it was the first time I felt like I owned my body and how I felt about it.

The lake became my sanctuary and I would go there whenever possible that summer. With dragonflies zipping around and only ducks and swans for company, being nude there made me feel soothingly close to nature.

Naturism as an escape

I'm no exhibitionist and since the lake was on a public footpath, I was always wary in case anyone wandered past and spotted me. Still, my overriding thought was always, 'Oh sod it, it will be fine!'

For me, naturism causes a release of dopamine – the feel-good hormone – and it had given me such a sudden and unexpected boost of confidence that I soon began to go out walking nude in the countryside too, stripping off year-round.

When I crave calm during the colder months, I head to a nearby forest where I sit nude on the ground, enjoying the feeling of minus temperatures and frost, and watching as my skin goes red and tingly. It’s known as 'grounding' or 'earthing' and is the process of connecting with and absorbing the earth's natural energy. I just love the feeling of the elements on my skin.

Going nude on a date

You could never accuse me of being a fair-weather naturist. One of the first dates I went on with my now ex-partner was climbing Pen y Fan, a mountain in the Brecon Beacons, on a wet and miserable day. When we reached the top, I asked if he'd mind if I stripped – I’m always respectful of others – and when he said he didn't, the clothes came off.

Even when I’d first told him I was a naturist after we got together, he didn’t react. He’d travelled the world and told me that because he’d seen all sorts of people and situations, it really didn’t faze him. He never made a fuss about it, in fact he was quite blasé. He also told me once that as he suffered from social anxiety, he found it quite helpful that if I was nude in public it meant nobody was taking any notice of him.

As other people reached the summit that day, there were loud, questioning whispers of 'Is she naked?' from some, while others, including a woman we asked to take a picture of us, told me, "Go for it, girl!"

My partner never sexualised naturism. He was very much my safe space to just be me – he never judged me, he just accepted that I was simply doing my thing. I’m fortunate that living rurally I can always find isolated locations where I can discreetly slip away to be nude out of public view. I always have something with me that I can quickly slip on in case someone spots me, such as a pair of shorts, a coat or a dress.

Walking to work topless

That said, I’ve skinny-dipped on parts of the Pennine Way and wandered the Scottish islands without anything on. Living in the countryside, I’ve often walked to work topless, just to feel the air on my skin as I wander along country lanes and through fields. I always put on my clothes when I’m one junction away from the glamping site where I work doing waitressing and housekeeping as I don’t have the right to be nude on someone’s private land without permission.

If I worked in a town or city, in theory I’d be comfortable walking around nude as I never intend to cause distress to anyone. However, inevitably naturism is a divisive subject and while one person might applaud me for being comfortable enough to bare all, another could call the police and accuse me of indecent exposure.

Thankfully nobody has ever done that. I’ve had a mixture of people praising me, sniggering at the sight of a nude woman, and one drunken man overstepping the mark. He approached me and asked, "Are you a naturist?" and when I said yes, he replied, "Well, I have to say you are such a beautiful lady, you’re turning me on." Thankfully people who witnessed it came to my rescue and diverted him back to his home. Sadly, my general experience is that naturist women get ogled and sexualised whereas naked men are perceived as perverts, neither of which is true.

Naturism and the law

It's not an offence to be naked in public in England and Wales but it does become an offence if it can be proved a person has stripped off with the intention to cause upset and shock. The complainant has to prove this. But if I’m just walking, minding my own business and others are offended by it, that’s their issue.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, "a balance needs to be struck between the naturist's right to freedom of expression and the right of the wider public to be protected from harassment, alarm and distress."

Having respect for those around me is important. For example, I always cover up if I’m in close proximity to families because I don’t want to cause any offence or fuss, or for them to think I’m naked for the wrong reasons.

My parents tell me that my primary school reports would say, 'Beatrice has a hard time keeping on the right amount of clothes!' I was always the child running around the garden in just my pants in the summer. I even have a memory of watching Carry on Camping with my family when I was younger and thinking, 'Oh wow, all those people are naked!' My parents are quite liberal-minded so although they're not naturists themselves, they think it's great that being free from clothes makes me feel good.

As for my friends, a few of them have said they prefer me not to be unclothed around them, which I completely understand, while others don’t care. When I first put a naturist photo on Facebook with the caption, 'This is me, I’m a naturist!' certain family members made harsh remarks but friends jumped in to defend me. I no longer have contact with that side of my family.

No matter what, as a naturist you will be sexualised and unfortunately there are some people who do get naked for a sexual thrill. That's the main reason that so far I've been a lone naturist. Although I’d like to take part in naturist events to be with like-minded people, I’m reticent because I’d want to know that people had been vetted to ensure they’re coming into it from a genuine place, rather than one that’s distasteful.

It’s fine to go into a gathering being a bit giggly and nervous but when people take the mickey or have a hidden agenda, I’d prefer that they simply go away and don’t take part.

Accepting my body

Essentially, I just like being nude. Naturism has elicited so many benefits to my physical and emotional wellbeing. For example, my weight fluctuates, typically increasing during winter and then getting slimmer coming into spring. Being a naturist has helped me to take ownership of those completely natural changes, and has also enabled me to free myself from some mental health issues I’ve faced as a result of trauma I suffered in childhood.

As much as I think people want to romanticise naturism as being this glorious state of absolutely loving your body whatever shape and size you are, it’s not. There are days when I really don’t like myself – we all have them. For me, the beauty is much more about pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

There’s nothing more magnificent than seeing a person grow because they’ve challenged their own limitations, which is exactly what happened to me when I discovered naturism. It was a revelation to feel so suddenly and unexpectedly empowered.

Pushing boundaries is so important, whether that comes from taking your first steps into naturism, or starting something new and falling completely in love with it. Naturism has enabled me to do that and my life and wellbeing have improved considerably as a result.

You can follow Beatrice on Instagram @beatriceelizabethberry.

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