I’ve been a naturist for decades, here’s why it’s popular in the UK

With 14 per cent of the British public describing themselves as naturists or nudists, according to an Ipsos survey, recent heatwaves may encourage them to consider a naturist holiday on home soil. “I talk to a lot of people who say, ‘I’ve got no problem with the idea of people being naked, you know, but surely it’s too cold in the UK?’” So said Andrew Welch, the former commercial manager for British Naturism, when he spoke to us in 2024. He was talking about the rise in naked camping. The great naked outdoors: Andrew in his natural form during a trip to Spain (Photo: British Naturism) Nudity is often a sensitive subject among typically stiff-upper-lip Britons, but it might be a more common practice than you’d think – even on holiday. Naked camping holidays are a popular niche, for instance. Pitchup, a leading campsite and holiday park booking website, has a naturist filter and has seen use of the filter increase by 88 per cent between 2025 and 2026. Andrew said that, despite UK sites typically being colder than those in Spain or France, naturism is more of a mindset, meaning that you don’t necessarily have to be naked to indulge in the practice. “Regardless of the weather, there is that community spirit,” he explained, “So, even when we’re sitting in the clubhouse with our clothes on because it’s too cold to get them off, we all know we’re all of a like mind.” Dare to bare: Why has naked camping become so popular? Andrew, who first found himself intrigued about the idea of naturism during a family holiday to France, aged 14, said: “I’d struggled for years in a caravan in Wales with the rain banging on the roof, and in a bed and breakfast in Cornwall with the rain, banging on the roof, too” – the popularity of naturism has shot up since 2020 and there’s no sign of it slowing down. That 2020 mention is crucial here; Andrew said he believed it was the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns that put naturism as a viable activity into more people’s heads than ever before. “There was that ongoing joke of, you know, it’s 5pm, let me change out of my daytime pyjamas into my nighttime pyjamas. There were a lot of people not bothering with pyjamas at all,” he said. During lockdown – and a time of great uncertainty – British Naturism ran an event called ‘The Great British Take Off’, where organisers encouraged people to “feel more liberated and not so stressed, to step out into their garden, and enjoy the sun on their skin.” The “Take Off” got wide publicity and, since we were allowed to leave our homes, the numbers of people embracing a clothes-off life has grown annually. But why the rise in the popularity of camping in particular? Andrew, who spent time at a nudist camp in a leafy area of Hertfordshire, said it was a continuation of that freedom so many of us were deprived of during the Covid lockdown. “In naturist camping, you don’t have to be concerned about what your hair looks like and what clothes you’re going to wear when you step out of the tent first thing in the morning,” he said, “You just unzip the tent, walk out into the fresh air, and it’s the most marvellous, life affirming, euphoric feeling.” While the very word “naturist” or “nudist” immediately conjures up images of naked bodies, most camps worldwide are actually clothing optional meaning that, if you’re so inclined, you can experience the environment without having to strip off. It’s only in swimming pools in the resort that are strictly no clothes allowed. “That’s a hygiene thing,” Andrew said, “because there’s all sorts of nasty, dirt detergent on your swimming costume that you don’t have on your bare body.” He did seem slightly baffled at a number of naturist resorts around the world, where people tend to dress for dinner, but he acknowledged it was a horses-for-courses type of situation – “it’s a human instinct to want to look your best.” And while he said he would happily wear a suit to a funeral or a job interview – “all of that conventional stuff” – it’s at campsites where he and his fellow naturists come alive. “We understand that, sometimes, clothing is simply not necessary. While camping, people can be themselves, and people feel completely liberated that they don’t have to follow those norms. I think that’s an important feature of it,” he explained, “It’s not just about ‘good old British tits and bums’, you know?” Is glamping rather than camping your thing? You can do that nude, too (Photo: British Naturism) Is naked camping in the chilly UK a good idea? Naturism is growing worldwide and while it’s possibly more tolerable under say, the warm Spanish sun as opposed to our own drizzle, there does seem to be a uniquely British approach to it. As well as camping, keen nudists can head to festivals including Everybody, held in Dorset, in August. Hundreds of people take part in craft sessions, workshops and wine tastings as well as listening to bands play – mostly naked – and getting spa treatments and warming up in a sauna. Even for first timers, Andrew said, this can be a liberating experience – and perhaps more pleasant than simply pitching a tent in a field on the south coast. “As it goes on and you just immerse yourself in it, after a short while, you look down and think, ‘oh my God, I’ve forgotten that I haven’t got my clothes on’, but you’re delighted.” Art meets nudity: A number of naturist festivals offering a variety of activities are popping up across the UK and further afield (Photo: British Naturism) While many of us would be horrified at the idea of taking off our clothes in front of anyone other than those closest to us, Andrew said he thinks everyone has the ability to embrace their inner nudist. His advice for those who think they would never dare to bare? “Nudity is a sticking plaster,” he said, “Get out there, strip off, feel embarrassed, feel vulnerable for 10 minutes – and then realise that no one’s paying any attention to you. After that, just get on with enjoying yourself.” And if you’re still not convinced? “At the campsites and at naturist events, we are just human beings just enjoying the fresh sunshine and the water sliding over all of our skin. Is just the most wonderful feeling. And you soon realise that, when everybody’s naked, nobody is judging you,” Andrew insisted, “It’s a mode of dress in its own way – and liberation is something that naturally comes from it.” Keen to dip your toe into the world of naturist camping? Try Andrew’s favourite spots British Naturism Sunfolk This site just north of London provides a Naturist centre that is open to all. Facilities include a state-of-the-art, modern pavilion with catering and meeting facilities, a heated swimming pool, hot tub and sauna, with Glamping pods, motorhome bays and acres of grounds for camping. sunfolk.bn.org.uk Lancashire Sun Club There are more than 100 Naturist clubs around the UK, all providing an escape from daily life to their members and visitors. Lancashire Sun Club, near Preston, is a typical example, set in a secluded 10-acre (40,468 sq m) site of beautiful, natural woodland, with a hot tub and open air solar heated swimming pool. Plenty of space for camping and touring caravans. lancashiresun.org.uk Nudefest A camping festival (the next takes place in July 2027) that has taken place each summer since 2007. Now located in Cornwall, the event includes a packed activity programme with live bands and other entertainment, yoga, meditation and fitness classes, talks and workshops, food outlets, bar, crafts, sports and more. nudefest.co.uk Nude festivals can be a way to relax or a livelier way to get into being naked outdoors (Photo: Nirish Shakya/British Naturism) CHM Montalivet In the South West of France, a huge, sprawling, partly-forested site with a wide, sandy beach on the Atlantic coast. Facilities include swimming pools, restaurants and bars, shops, sports courts, and an outdoor cinema. Hundreds of chalets for holiday rental and loads of room for motorhomes, caravans and tents. chm-montalivet.com Bélézy A gem in Provence, Bélézy’s site stretches across many acres around an old Farmhouse. With pools, a restaurant, a wellness centre, entertainment and activities. There is a wide range of chalets for rental and plenty of space for camping. belezy.com Flevo-Natuur Situated not far from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Flevo is arranged around a beautiful lake with chalets for rental and lots of camping pitches. The site has indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and restaurant and bar. flevonatuur.nl