I WAS stark naked in public this week. Well, I wasn't quite streaking across the pitch at Lords or standing on a bar waving my pants in the air, but it was still public -- at the British Naturist Foundation in Orpington. Yes, I was there, living like the natives and generally just hanging out. Take some advice and try not to think about it.

Was it fun? I wouldn't call it fun, more an experience, but to the members of this exclusive club it's the highlight of their week.

"The nicest sound in the world is arriving here on a Friday and hearing that gate slam shut behind you," said one, who asked not to be named. With rare exception, most chose anonymity. Not that they're ashamed of what they do, but because they know many people outside their sphere are still offended by the concept of naturism, and they could face ridicule at work or among friends.

John Ashworth, lives on the woodland site with his wife Christine, honorary secretary of the society which celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer. He tries to ignore other people's attitudes towards his lifestyle. "In school, it's mainly the 15 and 16-year-olds who laugh and snigger and say things like 'nudy man' -- but most other people don't mind."

Mrs Ashworth really can't see any problem at all. She said: "How can people go to the cinema, or even sit in their homes with the TV and watch endless sex and violence and then say what we do is unhealthy? We're just people who don't see the need for wearing clothes when the weather is good enough. There's nothing sexual about it."

There certainly isn't and the surprising ease with which I stripped off while casually talking to Christine seemed to confirm the point. If it had been sexual, surely I would have felt some embarrassment at uncovering a body which, it must be said, would never pass an audition for The Chippendales -- but no-one cares or looks.

In fact, while you might think you wouldn't know where to look while talking to someone, the opposite is true. Another club member said: "It's the clothes someone is wearing that makes them sexy and not necessarily what's underneath. Clothes can accentuate someone's physique and add a bit of mystery, which is part of the attraction."

Still, I'm glad there were no girls of my age to test the theory because there's not a whole lot to wonder about when I'm fully clothed. My age group -- the mid-20s -- didn't seem to be too well represented. There were a few teenagers and younger children with their parents, but the predominant age seemed to be 40 and above, with a sprinkling of pensioners.

As I sat chatting on the grass in the sunshine with a group of people from a wide age range, it occurred to me that I'd probably have felt more self-conscious if I'd been the only one wearing clothes. I soon got used to seeing people's wobbly bits -- I hope they got used to mine.

The whole experience was a bit surreal and, with my white body among a forest of tanned limbs, I must have stood out like a beacon. After all, since I started wearing long trousers even my mum hasn't seen that much of me.

But I settled into it and, while I wasn't quite desperate for a fig leaf, I didn't derive any great pleasure from walking about as nature intended. But I could see how some people do.

Coming home, my feelings were of neither liberation nor embarrassment but it's not something I would choose to do again. I don't mind baring my soul. But the rest of me? Let's just call this visit a flash in the pan.

For information write to the Naturist Foundation, Orpington, Kent, BR5 4ET.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.