80-year woman naturist reveals the truth.

Nearly 80 years old, a lifelong naturist, and not a single regret. This week I sat with Trisha from Norfolk — a woman who has been baring it all since before it was socially acceptable. She takes me from secret garden gatherings in post-war Britain to shopping naked in Cap d'Agde and watching dolphins from a catamaran. Trisha is proof that the naturist life isn't a phase — it's a philosophy

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome to Slavic Uncovered Podcast. Hello, I'm Asha from Slavic Uncovered. Today I'm joined by a very precious guest, a veteran of naturism. Trisha. Welcome! Where are you based? I live in Norfolk. In UK.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

In the UK.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Alright, and how old are you? Woohoo!

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Nearly 80.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Wow, that's amazing age. I'm looking forward to hearing your stories. So tell me Trisha, how did you become a naturist?

SPEAKER_00 0:50

My parents introduced me to naturism. My father, although he worked daytime sewing, he was a photographer by trade and photographed lots and lots of beautiful people, male and female I might say, nature-wise. And so I was introduced to it, and they took me all sorts of places when I was very, very, very young. And so I enjoyed it, and as I grew up, I went to lots of places even then.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Wow, you are so lucky to have such wonderful parents. Did you go uh with your siblings to those places?

SPEAKER_00 1:33

No, I've only got one sister and she didn't, she was older than me. And so she didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

She wasn't in as much as you.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

No.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Oh, I see. Okay. So what were the attitudes among uh naturists at that time?

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Oh, very close-minded.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Really close-minded.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

And other places in the UK you you used to spend time uh connecting with nature? No, well in your birthday suit.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

No, no, well, my parents knew where to go, so they had these only special places and people that they knew that they could go to, so to speak. But it was very closed-minded in those times. It was a long time ago, obviously, and it was not the dumb thing really.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

And uh what was it like? Some beaches, nature's beaches, or did you do like clubs, nature's clubs?

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Usually in people's homes or their gardens.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Oh private um places.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Sometimes they would go to A Beach, but it was a certain part of A Beach, and you had to be very careful because people would report you other it had to be very, very closed.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

When you were an adult, did you carry on? Where did you practice naturism naturism?

SPEAKER_00 3:01

So when I got older and when I got married, my husband at the time also came with me to naturist places. And I had all two small children who also came to local beaches in Norfolk, and there's lots and lots of beautiful places that were allowed to have naturism on their beaches, but it wasn't open as it is today. There were dedicated places that had naturist uh areas, just areas and you had to be careful because people's attitude minds were not as open as they are today. Alcombe Beach, which is a very, very large area, acres and acres of it. Also, there there is a lot of woodlands, and the horses used to run all over the beaches, um, which is beautiful, beautiful place to be. Um, very open, the sea goes out for miles and miles, and there's sand dunes, and there's lots and lots of lovely places to go in Norfolk. There's Waxham Beach, which is a smaller place, smaller area, and but also there is only a dedicated space for naturist people to go to, and some people, if they are naturists, keep themselves to themselves very much because at that time it really wasn't a dumb thing all open as it is today.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

I've been to beautiful Broadlands Club.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Yes, I went to Broadlands Club. I found out about it through another friend of mine, and they said, come here, this is um a gated society, and you went there and we joined into this club, and after a few weeks we decided to get a small caravan in the beginning. Then after a while we managed to get ourselves a small caravan because we had two very young children, but it was very old. It only had gas lights which um were very difficult to keep alight. We only had pumped water and we only had um the gas, the little gas pumps, what are they called? To keep warm. It was very cold to keep warm and um it it wasn't warm to sleep in at all, but we managed um to keep there and the size the people there were absolutely wonderful, very, very nice to keep with, and we learned some new games, and we learned uh to play well it wasn't um netball or anything like that, but they had this bat and ball game, but you had to make your own bats, which my other husband did, and the children loved it there because they could join in with all the other children and boys and girls and play it very nicely, and they were very welcome and nice people to be with.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Hmm. Beautiful memory. Sounds like a beautiful community of uh people, yes, like-minded people. And did you go there only in summertime?

SPEAKER_00 6:49

No, not always, just in the summertime. Because we owned this little caravan there, you could go anytime. Didn't matter whether it was summer or winter, you couldn't stay there full-time. That was the only thing. You couldn't be there 24-7. You could go there most times, but you had to leave like two or three weeks' gap in the winter because at the laws of the land, so to speak, the governmental departments say you couldn't live there full time. So even in the winter, if it wasn't too bad, or well, even if it was icy and snowy, if you wanted to go there, you couldn't. Sometimes we did, just for a break.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Was there snow in those times?

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Snow and we sometimes if we could get there, the buses ran to a certain place, and we could walk. It's about three-quarters of a mile down the road to get there. But yes, you could go down there, yes. They had their own clubhouse and their own swimming pool, and they had their own showers and that sort of thing. Yeah, very lovely. That sounds very inspiring. It's a nice place. I'd recommend anybody to go there. It's called Broadland Sun Club.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Yeah, it's official a naturist club, so obviously it's a safe environment, and everyone can feel safe and welcome there.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Yes, very nice place.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

And have you ever been abroad to a naturist resort?

SPEAKER_00 8:21

Oh yes. I love going abroad. Absolutely worth going to. One of the loveliest places, well, lots of lovely places actually. But I went to Cat Dag, Pain Club. And this is a big society.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

But uh famous big naturist city, yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

In sovereign France. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

And we went on uh by coach with lots of other people. Obviously they greet you and you go in um in like colleagues, they're like um rental flats, I suppose you would call them. Big, big places, and you're allocated a space or a flat if you want, and it's so big. Shops everywhere, and you name it, they've got restaurants, yes. Everything is there, absolutely everything. Dance clubs and evening. Yeah, restaurants and dance clubs, and it's near the beach as well, but they have got inns, swimming pools everywhere, and they lay out all the uh bedding for you, and they've got lots of shelters and lots of sunshades and it's lovely, very, very lovely place to be. Everybody is extremely friendly, and supermarkets, which is I found quite funny, and the first time I ever went, I found funny because you're going shopping naked.

SPEAKER_01 9:57

Yes, it's a unique uh opportunity for a unique experience going shopping naked. I did it as well in Kob Dag. Yes, and there are beautiful sandy beaches which I love, yes.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

And you can go on trips on the boats, uh lots and lots of boat trips out there, and you can go and see the caves, which that's a worthwhile trip. Go and see the caves. Absolutely beautiful, and the fish. Um, or you can go up on a catamaran catamaran, that's the word, trip. Um, and they take you further out to sea, and you can see the dolphins underneath your feet on the catamaran. And that's a I'll never forget that. That is so lovely, so lovely. Beautiful place to visit. I went to Antila in uh Turkey. Turkey now, isn't it? Turkey. And that's another beautiful, hot place to go. But sounds a black, but it doesn't matter because it's still lovely. And again, you know, um all sorts of culture people. Oh black, white, all sorts of cultures, all sorts of languages. But again, they're naturists or naturists wherever you go. And so they all join as a community.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Yeah, everyone feels equal and it doesn't matter where you come from, what religion you are.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Absolutely. Nobody matters. Um big family. Absolutely, and this was uh uh all board, so it was like a mm hotel type place. So you know, sort of bed and breakfast, and you can go back and get food and drink and all that sort of thing. And they did outside exercises and all that. It was really lovely, worth going to.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

I see. Brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

And south of France I've been there's lots of different places. I went to Italy once, and you know, yes, I've been to lots and lots of different places.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

All the time, always it was nature's holiday.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Always nature is holiday, yes. And several in England, um, when my I'd say when my children were quite young, they enjoyed it. They absolutely loved it. It was freedom, absolute freedom for the children, because they loved and ran and played, and especially if we joined with other company and other families, because the children could play with other children and they have no restrictions. So and they don't know any different at all. So they're always so happy.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Didn't you find it difficult to bring up children in this naturalist uh lifestyle?

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Not at home, no. Not at all.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Like not being afraid of society, like uh other parents hearing maybe children telling stories at school that well, how they spend their holiday.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

I mean, if they wanted to say something they could. If any parent, which I suppose I was lucky, I don't know, if they made any comments, or if my children did say, you know, we went on holiday and we didn't have clothes on or whatever, I would tell them, yes, we went on that sort of holiday, and it was very lovely. And if some closed-minded people made derogatory comments, which some people would do, I would tell them exactly what I thought and why and wherefore, and what have you got to be worried about because you know the Lord made us the way we are and that's how we are.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Yes, exactly. Do you practice naturism these days? Are you still practicing naturism?

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Yeah, because um this week I came up to Emerald's Bar for a lovely week's break. I have been spoil rotten. It is so beautiful here, and I'm not joking. It's green and fresh, and it's so lovely. Oh, I've been fed every single day. I've been in the spa, I've been in the jacuzzi. Oh, you mustn't miss it. You really mustn't miss it. Oh, it's so lovely, absolutely. I'd highly recommend it. You really must come here. I came to the Jamaican sauna night, and there were so how many people? Oh my god, there were so many people here. Well here, all different people. I've never met them before, but they're also friendly and also nice to speak to, laughing and joking and oh really, really pleasant people. And I it was really good. I've never been to anything like that before, but I highly recommend people to come and join in these sort of things because it you won't forget it, and you will never regret it ever. It's lovely.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Wow, sounds amazing. Oh, uh I'm sure everyone listening to this interview today will be taking notes of your precious recommendations and um and uh be inspired by your messages.

SPEAKER_00 15:30

I hope so. Because um if you've never tried anything like this, then please do. Please think about it. Because even if you don't do this sort of thing at home, if you've thought about it ever, please think about Emerald Spar. It's worth coming to. It's worth spending a few days doing all these things here. It's the best. Homely, natural, comfortable, happy, and special.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

It was a pleasure and honour to host you today. Uh Trisha, thank you so much for sharing your amazing life stories.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

You're very welcome. Thank you.