WalkingSkycladsaid:
As someone who enjoys nude hiking, the question whether to go completely naked or wear shoes/sandals comes up time and time again. If you have ever wandered through the woods barefoot, you will have experienced quite a different connection with nature. You are much more aware of every step you take, and you pay more attention to all that is beneath your feet. As a naturist, this is something I really cherish, even if this means I occasionally have to use tweezers to remove small thorns afterwards.
On the other hand, the benefits of wearing protective footwear are clear when you are walking over sticks and stones. In our Western World most of us are not accustomed to walk barefoot anymore. Our feet are sensitive to cuts and stitches from small objects on the soil that our ancestors would have walked over without even noticing them. I have grown up walking barefoot at home and in our garden as a kid, and I still do this today. But walking barefoot in nature is definitely something different that can be quite uncomfortable for me, especially when I cover a longer distance.
So, when I am naked in nature I wear footwear when it's pragmatic, just as I wear other clothing when it's pragmatic. When I just want to experience nature and have the time to walk slowly, I walk barefoot most of the time. When I want to have a longer walk, and the path is uncomfortable, I am happy to put on my shoes.
How do you handle this?
Thanks for sharing your perspective! I really appreciate how you balance the connection to nature with practicality — it makes a lot of sense. For me, I’m pretty particular about cleanliness, so I tend to go barefoot only at home or at the beach where I feel comfortable.
Honestly, I think I’ve lost some of that joy you described about really feeling the textures beneath your feet. Most of the time, I find myself wondering where the nearest shower is so I can wash my feet afterward! Still, I admire those who can fully embrace barefoot hiking and get that deeper connection with nature.
It’s great to hear how you adjust based on the situation — I think that pragmatic approach is really key for enjoying naturism in all kinds of environments.
Being diabetic, looking after my feet is paramount, so hiking barefoot isn't really an option. I do however go barefoot on the beach if it's sandy, but even then I've picked up some nasty 'splinters' from the grasses in the dunes.
I know what you mean, having anything on, like shoes, does change the "naturist" experience. We tend to work with whatever we are faced with. Walking bare foot is great but sometimes not practical.
To a great extent that is how I feel about naturism in general. I like being without clothes as much as it is practical. That can be a physical practicality like combatting cold or hurt or even protecting my eyes from the sun. Or a psychological practicality like not turning up to a friends wedding naked, just as I wouldn't shop in a supermarket in my dressing gown and slippers.
As 'Incogi' says, I don't feel properly naked if I'm wearing anything at all, including shoes, so I do love walking barefoot and naked. One of the first things I wanted to know when planning a visit to Euronat was whether you can walk barefoot everywhere. The answer is 'mostly' 🤣 Sand is fine of course, and grass, and leaf litter, and tarmac and paving if it's fairly smooth (my feet are as delicate as you'd expect from a lifetime wearing shoes!). Gravel is not pleasant, and once at Heritage on a very sunny and warm day the patio had become entirely too hot to stand on in bare feet. I was very keen to wear and carry as little as possible when I went to Euronat, so once or twice I locked up my cabin, hid the key and my ID card under a pine cone just outside, and walked to the beach carrying nothing and wearing nothing. Such a wonderful feeling - and I discovered the absolute joy of lying naked on warm dry sand at the top of the beach. So yes, barefoot is lovely whenever it's possible and practical to be.
