The F. C. estates covers large areas of Scotland. As a member of the public I have the right to responsible access and as a naturist I have the Procurator Fiscal's guidance.
I recently wrote Phil Whitfield of the F.C. asking for their policy on nude walkers on their estates. He responded positively as follows:
1. Me to F. C.
I am writing regarding the above in order to clarify the policy of F. C. Scotland with regards to naturism, in particular, naturist walking on your estates.
As you are aware, with the right to responsible access, people are walking over huge areas of Scotland including those owned by F. C. Scotland. In April 2018, the Crown Prosecution Service issued guidelines covering England and Wales that clarified the position regarding public nudity.
Essentially, the guidelines state that, subject to there being no sexual element, being nude whilst pursuing a lawful activity is not illegal. A range of lawful activities were provided as examples including activities in the garden, on beaches and walking outdoors. I understand that these guidelines have been embraced by F. C. England and that one of the rangers in Sherwood Forest England provides advice on the matter to F. C. England.
In Scotland, the Procurator Fiscal and Police have also adopted these guidelines subject to there being no sexual element and that the naturist has not INTENDED to cause fear and alarm. This development, has been subject to extensive conversations and emails with the Deputy Chief Constable of Police Scotland and the organisation British Naturism. You will have noticed that there were many reports this year of New Year's day skinny dipping and Edinburgh's participation in the World Nude Bike Ride will see full nudity for the first time. This is on the back of Dunoon's "The Gathering" which has always conducted itself properly and with the support of the local Police.
With these changes now in place and with the support of Police Scotland, can you clarify the position of F. C. Scotland is regarding naturism on your estates.
Regards
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2. F. C. to me
Dear Garry
Thanks very much for your enquiry and I hope you can accept my sincere apologies for the delayed reply.
We’ve not sought a legal opinion on the status of naturism in Scotland although I have read the CPS guidance for England and Wales: As an organisation, we would take a common-sense view on the matter and leave legal issues to others.
For members of the public, responsibly accessing the land we manage, under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, we only require that everyone respects their rights and responsibilities under the Code.
Should a naturist group wish to run an event, just as any other group, permission might be required and details on how to apply can be found on this page:
https://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/managing/get-involved/permissions-and-permits#sportingevent.
Permission would not be reasonably withheld and I’m sure our staff would refer to the guidance above, along with taking a local view from Police Scotland.
I hope that’s helpful.
Best wishes
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3. Me to F. C.
Dear Phil,
Many thanks for your reply. I can understand the difficulty in obtaining information regarding my enquiry as naturism has only recently benefited from clear guidance and, apart from the "go to" female ranger in Sherwood Forest, it isn't easy to find a path through the legislation and Procurator Fiscal guidelines. For easy reading, I have attached the simplified versions of the guidance as created by British Naturism (bn.org.uk). BN is the main naturist body in the UK and liaise with the Governments and other bodies on all things naturism.
I tend to walk either on my own or with one or two friends rather than a large group starting at Balkello Community Woodlands and then on to land owned by Strathmore Estates. I walk virtually every weekday though never at weekends as the area is used more heavily and I have no wish to offend anyone. I usually arrive at 7:30am and, if there are no other cars in the car park I will walk a couple of hundred yards before disrobing. If there are cars in the car park and I know the owners usual routes then I will only disrobe at a point past these routes. If I don't know the cars then I will walk clothed until I reach the Strathmore Estate which is entirely moorland with very few walkers. At all times, I carry a wrap around sauna kilt which, thanks to Velcro, takes just seconds to put on.
This type of respectful behavior is how I have always conducted myself and is similar to the vast majority of other naturists I have met and talked with. None of us wish to cause offence and I have had very few negative comments from the many people I have bumped into over the years. Most people will either smile benignly, giggle or make comments such as "that looks very relaxing" or "you're brave" (a common comment as I often walk in temperatures as low as minus 2c).
I hope that the above reassures you.
Regards
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4. F. C. to me
Hi Gary
That’s really helpful. The guides you’ve sent here and the description of your own personal approach, really help us to understand naturism and will make it easier for our staff to consider these issues in future.
Thanks very much. Best wishes
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The F. C. estates covers huge areas of Scotland. From the tone of their comments I suspect that this is the first time they have been approached on the matter. They certainly seem to be reasonably positive so fingers crossed for the future.
