Last Thursday I had the rare conjunction of a very sunny day AND a free day with no obligations until the evening. So I took the half hour drive to a really beautiful spot for some extended FRN.
This locale is a derelict Manor House where there is nothing left of the house itself but the grounds remain and have been left to go wild for decades. My friend took me there a couple of times for a fully clothed walk and I could see that it was a very likely location for some naked hiking. All around are the remnants of the former grandeur - a lake, a river with bridges, walls and the ruins of glasshouses and outhouses. The extensive grounds are full of mature woodland and it is very, very beautiful with a spooky, dilapidated grandeur and whilst it is private property, it is open to the public....but few visit and it is big enough that you generally wouldn't meet people.
I arrived and set out clothed and a couple of hundred yards in to the grounds, I got naked but carried in hand a short, towelling cover up wrap.
Only a few minutes in I saw, in the distance, a man in a pickup driving out of one of the fields that fringe the property. Despite its derelict state, there is some forestry and maintenance done on the land and this was one of the estate workers. I sensed an encounter looming so I put on my wrap (takes 10 secs) well before the truck could see me and as he rounded the corner of the track he saw me and stopped. Uh oh! Gaining strength from all the positive encounter reports posted by members here, I didn't show fear or embarrassment and bit him a cheery good morning. He enquired my business - "Just a nice walk in the grounds". He cheerily replied "Oh that's fine but you are headed into the private land so turn round and follow the marked paths". Obviously I enthusiastically thanked him for his guidance and strode off to where he had indicated the marked route was. I discovered it had been newly marked....by the county council! That was bad...it indicates attraction to public recreation. However I persevered and didn't meet anyone else all the way round in about 2 hours (the longest walk naked I have ever done).
The grounds are verdant, mature woodland for the most part in which the spiritually attuned naturist can bask in the earth energy of wood and water, leaf and stone
I wandered in the woods
One part of the estate that is still used is the chapel/church and I came to that in my walk. And in the graveyard, which was a well tended and in fact quite peaceful locale, I rested briefly for a drink and an apple on a substantial memorial to some past lord of the manor which was a still functioning sundial
I wandered also by the derelict bridge over the waters of the diverted river that irrigates and decorates the estate and feeds the weed ridden lake. Not only in Arizona's desiccated climes do you find the remnants of dead cattle...although it rather looks like someone placed the skull there!
I came away from my long walk very happy and feeling as though I had used my time well. However, these days I am a much bolder and more experienced naturist than in my tremulous early days of briefly getting naked in woodlands but I found this had a negative side effect. Perhaps because of the relatively minor need to be wary of possible encounters, possibly through familiarity with being naked in nature, as I ended my walk I realised that I had not experienced the depth of feeling, the frisson of excitement, the spiritual attachment to nature and the earth energy of the woodland that I had experienced most strongly in my early naturist days (about 15 -20 years ago). I don't know why I didn't get the usual buzz. I was excited to be there and appreciating the wooded surroundings as usual and as one of the pictures indicates, I spent time wandering amongst the dense undergrowth. But somehow, it seemed more matter of fact on this day. However, I resolved to try and open myself up to the energies and influences of the forest in my next walk which was planned for only 3 days later....more to come
John [/size]
