Karla and Stuart -- The Naked Munros!

[Administration]

Background:
Shortly after this community was built and the doors opened for the first time, we received an email from an old friend who just wanted to say hi.  Correspondence went back and forth and both agreed that this was to be their new residence and they were offered and graciously accepted founder and builder positions. 

The Highlands of Scotland are what they call home and they have enjoyed years of mountain climbing nude for the sheer freedom it offers. The term 'one with nature' is no more personified then by their wonderful pictorial essays found in our galleries. 








The term 'Legend' is used at times on this forum community and it applies to a very few. People who risk publicity to promote the actual value (and to those that understand what real naturism is, it's definition, it's meaning, OUTDOOR naturism by recognized and accepted definition) of Naturism.

They are fixtures here in the staff and all areas.  This community if it has value, would not exist in it's present state of evolution without their presence here.  This much is inarguable.  They are, in essence, IYNO.

Please let the village in, on how you both, independently if that was the case, or as a couple became interested in naturism. Did you do research when hearing of it, or just how did that come about as part of your lives and beliefs.


Stuart - As soon as I was old enough to drive, I was heading to the highlands at weekends to go climbing. I loved getting away from the city and into the wilds, it was in my blood. I usually went with friends, but occasionally I went walking by myself, and on hot days I started skinny dipping in streams and rock pools to cool down. It started from there, but apart from a couple of public swims and trips to secluded beaches, I never really took it further until I met Karla.



How did you meet and tell us your first impressions! Where/what and how please.

Karla - Stuart and I started learning to paraglide at the same time. I call it paragliding, but the other term for it is more applicable in Scotland ... para-waiting. You get to talk to a lot of people on the hill whilst waiting for that small time frame when it changes from blown out to dead. All the pilots get to know each other and no one gets too serious about themselves. You can't retain too much dignity when crashing into wind-socks or landing knee deep in cow dung. There was an annular eclipse on the north coast of Scotland and I didn't have any transport to get up there. Stuart said that he was going and he offered me a lift. We started out as good friends but we ended up spending more and more time together until we became a couple.

Stuart likes to boast that he got naked before me. We were camping in the highlands before continuing on to the coast to see the eclipse. He decided to go skinny dipping in a small loch but after wading in he found it too cold. Unknown to him I had crept up behind him with a video camera and ended up chasing him across the heather with it. Eventually he had to admit defeat and walked back naked to his clothes. Stuart discovered himself that I wasn't too concerned about being naked the night after the eclipse when we spent a night in a bed and breakfast. He came out of the shower to see me on my back with my knees around my ears inspecting myself with a mirror to check for blood sucking ticks.

Stuart - Its was a warm October day. The last remnants of a wonderful summer drifted across the sun-kissed hillside as the paragliding school began its climb up the hill ready for the day's instruction.

 
“Blimey” I thought, “you don't often see women here”. Someone had got my attention, or rather a pert bottom had as it walked up the hill in front of me. I didn't get the chance to speak to the person attached to that bottom, but in the new year when the weather improved and the paragliding started again, I struck up the beginnings of a friendship with that bottom.

 
I was to learn that the name of the bottom's keeper was Karla.

 
Having learnt the bottom keeper was a keen photographer, I told her I was going to see an annular solar eclipse that was taking place, visible only from the north coast of Scotland. To my astonishment she was interested in my suggested three day camping trip into the wilds of the northwest highlands, and we got on wonderfully, our friendship getting off to such a good start that she didn't even bat an eyelid when I attempted to skinny dip on a mountainside.

 
The friendship just went uphill from there, and before long we were a couple, very much in love.

 

Without saying where you live, tell us about Scotland and the general area you live in. Life there, locals, and outside of naturism, tell us what it is about that land that means so much to you.

 Stuart - Scotland is cut in half by the highland boundary fault, a geological feature that runs from the Isle of Arran in the south west up to Aberdeenshire in the north east. North of this is mostly mountains and wilderness, south is flatter, with rolling hillside. We live smack on the boundary of it, with the mountains within walking distance of our front door, and green fields in the other direction.
The weather tends to be a little cold, but not too bad. In winter we usually get a bit of snow, and in spring & autumn it tends to rain a lot. Summer can be good, we tend to get good ones and bad ones, right now we seem to be heading either way, we've only had a couple of days with the temperatures above 20C. But there's rarely severe weather other than storms.
The landscape in the highlands is possibly the most varied area on the planet for its size. The south eastern highlands (around Aviemore & Braemar) tend to be soft, rolling hills, sometimes with huge cliff corries. To the west are steep, pointed mountains, endless chains of huge spires of rock as far as the eye can see, begging to be climbed and explored. Further north, beyond Inverness, it becomes a barren wilderness, as endless mountains give way to isolated peaks rising from a desert of bare rock.
To me it is the most beautiful place on earth. If its cold, I can handle that, Scotland's worth the cold.
 
Karla - I have often wondered this myself. Some people come to Scotland and realise that they have found home. Some places just speak to certain people. For me, I think it's the wild open places, the mountains and the temperate climate. There is a raw beauty about Scotland and it has a distinct cultural identity. I'm not sure I could ever be happy living anywhere where I couldn't see hills, which suffered from droughts or which didn't take pride in the quality of its alcoholic beverages! The weather may not be particularly good but when on those few good summer days the highlands are like a paradise. If it was nice all year round then it would be far more crowded.

In the same way that I always feel at home the moment I get back to Scotland, there is a small town in the north west highlands that feels like a home within a home. It's called Ullapool. Many people say something similar about Ullapool. I wish we could live there ourselves.


Facts about Scotland


Please give us your definition of naturism.

Karla - Any movement comes about as a counter balance to the current state of society. Because society is always changing so too does the definition. If there weren't so many connotations about being naked then we wouldn't have naturism. We'd just be clothed or naked depending on the circumstances. For me, naturism is a relief from the unnatural environments that we generally have to live in. Environments consisting of straight lines, edges, processed food and impractical clothes.

Stuart - Get naked if its comfy, just not necessarily to have sex or wash! Any other definition seems pointless to me. I know people talk about respect for nature, vegetarianism, etc, but all these are different issues that people who get naked may have an affinity with.
 
I don't worry about nudist/naturist/etc. Maybe we need a new word
? How about scudmeister?


Who came up with the legendary term, Free Range Naturism and define that for us?

Karla - I'll butt in here. We used to get emails when Naked Munros was up and running. Someone referred to what we were doing as free range naturism, as in naturism without walls. The term particularly appealed to me because I do see much of modern day life as being a form of factory farming by larger corporations and economic systems. Unfortunately I can't remember who sent the email. I'm still trying to find where I stored them all.


You are educated. We know that. What degree do you hold and are you putting it to practical use now?

Karla - My first degree was in Computer Science. I always wanted to do Artificial Intelligence but at the time you couldn't get degrees in A.I. I continued on to do a Masters in Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems. I then spent four years in industry trying to forge a career in R&D before going back to university to do a PhD in biologically inspired Artificial Intelligence with an emphasis on computational neuroscience.

I have done a couple of post-docs since then and another job in industry whilst writing up my thesis, but forging a career in academia is difficult, especially in the current environment. I now do most of my research in my spare time instead. To be honest, I do wonder why I bother sometimes but I always have to be working at achieving something. It can be quite dispiriting when you remember that no one actually knows about your research.
What do you do for a living? Stuart seems to be online more then Karla so we know she works! Tell us about it.

Karla - I normally tell people that I am a Computer scientist.

Stuart - I tend to follow Karla, as she's the educated one. I've just come to the end of two years in a post in HR for the local government. It was one of my more challenging roles, I took it largely to get HR experience to prepare me if Karla and I set up our own company one day.Friends. Tell us about your friendships at home in your area. What do they do? Do they know about your passion for Munro climbing and FKK?

Karla - Unfortunately it's difficult making new friends if you move to a completely new area every year or so. I find that as soon as I've made a new friend then I need to move for a new job. It's quite frustrating really. For the last three years I've been mainly working from home and that's made it even more difficult. Nor does it help working in a male dominated career. There are more women in academia than industry but unfortunately they're often a few years older than me. The other problem is that many women my age have had children by now and so they end up getting to know other parents instead.

 Stuart - Most of our friends know what we're like and what we get up to! We've moved around a lot over the past few years, so most of our friends aren't in this area though.

A few years ago, the story of the Naked Munros got out and you used to have a website that many real naturists (and many non!) adored.  Please tell us about that, and why in fact you decided it had to be no more.

 
Stuart - The Domai article that I wrote (which is at http://domai.com/news/2009/06june-19/index.html) very neatly sums up the history of the site. I still twitch every time I see a tabloid newspaper...


What did your parents think and other family members. Surely it got out?

Karla - My mother was fine about it and expressed interest in it. She certainly didn't shy away from telling people about it. Oddly enough I never did mention it to my religiously minded brother even until after the site was closed down. I didn't know if my mother had mentioned it to him or not. Eventually I did have reason to discuss it when he was setting up his own website and didn't know how to get traffic to it. He had heard about Naked Munros from my mother but didn't know too much about it.

 
Stuart - My family were not accepting of it, and its not a subject that ever gets mentioned. They did read it though, but as I point out, they have a lot more to be ashamed of than me, they were reading the News of the World. Not that they'll be doing that again in a hurry...


Is the British press letting it all die out now that so much time has passed, or is there the odd letter or contact perhaps to see how things are now?

Karla - I did get sent one email to my personal address after I had left a few clues on another website but generally I think it's died down now. I think one problem that we suffered from that it was too much of a marketable gimmick of trying to climb up each munro naked. It was too easy to make it into a story that would grab people's attention. So next time we'll focus on making it more about free range naturism.

 Stuart - Our old email lapsed, so no one who didn't know us from anywhere else ever contacts us. I've seen the odd comment on outdoor & climbing forums, but nothing too dramatic.

 
Tell us about the Domai interview! How was that? We see the thread on the forum  and we are curious how that happened and how it all worked out.

 
Stuart - I wrote an article on what had happened at the request of Domai's founder. It wasn't an interview as such, just an account of what we used to do and how the press stopped the website. It was the first thing we did with Naked Munros after the site came down, so it was good to get the massive amount of positive feedback that we did.
On the same vein, what is your feeling about an interview on an albeit classy, but male targeted site such as Domai? (note: no one is judging at all as we all appreciate beauty in a classy way of course)

Karla - I'm flattered that they are interested in us. Domai seem to specialise in photos of dainty young professional models frolicking around happily in natural environments. I tried that once and apart from a single photo of my bottom it didn't work at all well.


Most will disagree with that statement

Ok, tell us of your history with this website and organisation and how you two came to be here please, as in what attracts you? We know you joined when it was being formed and are often referred to as founders. What exactly ARE founders?

Karla - I'm a little bit worried now. I thought founders were changelings who were rulers of the dominion.

Stuart - I'd heard that Danee was involved in building a new forum, and I was aware that the other one was going downhill, so I emailed her and volunteered any help. I didn't really do much, just started a lot of posts and put up some pictures. I think everyone's just being kind when they call me a founder to be honest!

What is life like in that staff area we sometimes hear about? Is it busy?

Karla - I don't know really, I only go there for the massage and pedicure. I'm hoping no one will notice.

 Stuart - Very busy. Sitting in the hot tub can take up hours. As can the sauna. The five course meals served by Playboy centrefolds are always an attraction though, but having nubile virgins peel your grapes for you does get a bit boring though, as they so often turn out to be 45 year old Star Trek fans.
 
You are educated as we said earlier and are a tech moderator with Delta in the Cybercafe. Is that sometimes hard to keep up with? What would you like to see more of in that area? Any questions you have not been able to help people with?

Karla - Most of the time I don't bother trying to keep up. Every time I blink there's a new technology out there it seems. I generally ignore new stuff unless it becomes apparent that it will really benefit me to learn about it. I am interested in trends in technology though. People always finds uses for new technology that you would never anticipate. Delta's much better at the day to day technical questions than me so I'm really glad he's there!


This from a few members: The Hoff. It had to come up and well, we need to know in this interview exactly what that is all about, its history and please (for once) be honest about this Hoff thing?!
Tod asks:

 

Stuart - Ok, now it can be revealed. The truth of my relationship with the phenomenon that is the Hoff. He's actually my second cousin! A relative of mine moved to America after the First World War and his grandson is the Hoff. We met about ten years ago and got on great, he's a really nice guy and I'm proud to call him a friend, even if he did waste that cheeseburger I bought him.
Yeah right! On another forum a tradition of really bizarre and weird avatars somehow came about. The recursive pants of Hoff was produced to contribute and it just went from there. He pretty much owns the concept of internet irony and I want a piece of it!

 

 

Stuart is known as being famous for many things. His sense of humour is legendary. Was this part of your attraction when you began to see each other? How do you feel about some of his antics on the forum when he is wanting to create a light mood. We note at times, he will mention you name in shall we say, a sexual way (a good way!) and never a response from you. Tell us!

Karla - I just hit him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper if he gets out of hand. To be honest I don't really care but I know that some people can be quite sensitive about these things. I normally restrict my comments about Stuart to complementary ones regarding the girth of his member. He seems quite happy about those.


From a member: Tell us in depth about Naturism in Scotland and youth/family involvement and, what do you see for the future of naturism in Scotland? and on a more global level?

Karla - As far as I'm aware there's a single naturist resort on an island in Loch Lomond and some monthly swims in a swimming pool. Scotland's not a great place for naturism as it is traditionally practised but I think it has far more going for it for free range naturism. It would be great to see this take off in Scotland. People think that you need it needs to be warm to practise naturism. It doesn't. It just shouldn't be too wet, windy and cold.

Stuart - Naturism is not big in Scotland. There are a few clubs that have swim meetings and I think there's a landed club, but given the temperatures, it isn't popular outside. There are a few unofficial beaches as well, but nothing official. You/family involvement is probably next to zero as the organised scene is also next to zero. But the Scottish people love the outdoors, and while there won't be many who climb naked, skinny dipping on hot days is, I'm sure, a well practised past time for hill walkers on hot days.

 
What is with the Fondness of limericks?

 
Stuart - I get bored sometimes!

 
Is there a book of limericks in the near future to be published?

 
Stuart - How much will you pay me not to publish one?


You have a section and as far as we can ascertain, have only been beat one time and that was by Tony in Croatia. Was this defeat meaning the end of the thread? Or, are you soliciting new challenges?

 
Stuart - I retired! I found that I never quite got round to doing it and it just wasn't going to happen. I was already at work on other writing projects at this point though. I may come out of retirement on occasion though...
You are naturists in the purest sense, but we wonder, What made you start climbing up mountains in the nude? Describe that for us?

 
Stuart - It started off as a bit of fun, just taking fun nude snaps on the summits, but when we found we liked the pictures, we started taking it a bit more seriously. After we'd done a few hills, the day came when we were on the summit and had taken our photos, but we were warm enough to stay naked. So we descended naked, almost all the way back to the car.
It was a wonderful feeling, so now we climb and descend naked whenever we think we're probably alone and we're warm enough.

 

 
 
Have you two ever done the 'fun thing' on top of a Munro? (mountain)

Karla - It's too cold! And often the ground is too stony and uncomfortable. Although we have camped up on top of a mountain but we're normally too tired to do anything but go to sleep. It certainly has occurred to me though! It might happen if we ever kayak to the base of a mountain in the middle of nowhere and have a few hours to spare though.

Stuart - I can usually barely walk when we reach the summit! Besides, its cold up there, it can take five minutes of digging through rolled up skin just to pee, never mind anything else.

What is the coldest you have dared to try the free range naturism?

Karla - We've been comfortable down to 5C, albeit for short periods of time, but we have tried lower. It was 2 degrees when leaving the car at the foot of Meall Corranaich when we first tried it. I did get naked in a relatively sheltered spot higher up but we turned back after that. The ground was icing up around the summit. Those were very windy conditions. The limit was probably Geal Charn which had a -9 degrees wind chill and scattered showerers. It's actually been quite fun to see what our limits are. When you're cowering behind a rock for fear of being blown off your feet on a ridge, there is a certain exhilaration of stripping off naked and embracing the wind. I think my main fear is that my clothes will get blown away though.

If it's just cold, or just windy or just wet then that's fine. But a combination of all three is bad, especially if we have to stand around getting cold waiting for other people to leave the summit. We normally turn back in those conditions.



Are there any other mountain ranges or geological features you have on your checklist?

Karla - Definitely the alps. Soft green grass and rocky summits. I'd also love to go to New Zealand.

 Stuart - Mt St Helens and the German/Austrian Alps are the main places we want to go climbing, not necessarily naked, although it would be nice!
 
Note, they are about to get their chance. Shortly after conducting this interview, Stuart announced that a move to Germany was about to take place!  The birthplace of FKK!

Have you ever come close to being arrested for N activities (non sexual please!)

Karla - Not even slightly close. Even if we met someone and they took offence, it would still take several hours before they could even report us. And then how would they describe us? Naked? We always put out clothes on if we see a speck in the distance walking towards us.
 
Stuart - Never, those mountains are pretty remote sometimes.

 

 
How many people have you encountered on your journeys in the countryside?

 
Stuart - The mountains can be full of people – some of the popular Munros can be climbed by hundreds of people on a summer weekend. But we know what's likely to be busy,and we avoid the crowds.
We did have quite an audience on Beinn Ghlas a few years ago though when there was about half a dozen people camping on the summit!
You guys seem to love taking pictures of yourselves when you get to the summit, where do you keep your camera?

Karla - In our bags! We always make sure to keep our bags out of shot though. The rule is to keep anything unnatural out of sight unless they are a feature of the mountain or landscape. The question you should be asking is where we keep our exposed rolls of film!


What equipment do you use to take your pictures and for the climb?

Karla - I take up the medium format Hasselblad built in the 70's and 80's. Stuart carries the digital SLR. The Hasselblad is completely mechanical, requires multiple backs to store the film and several lenses with a fixed focal length. It can add several kilograms to the weight of my pack, still not as heavy as a paraglider though. I let Stuart carry the water supply to make it more even. I love using the Hasselblad. It really brought back my love of photography because you can't just point and click. You need to manually focus it and I have to figure out the exposure values in my head by looking at the shadows on the ground.

I'm particularly fond of panoramic photography and would love to get a medium format panoramic camera but they are very expensive and also quite heavy.

 

 
Stuart - My camera is a Sony A700 DSLR with a 20mm, a 28-70mm and a 105mm lens
 


Is there any photographer you feel influences your work? Who are your favourite photographers nude or otherwise, and why? (both answer please)

Karla - In terms of landscape photography I like the photos of Joe Cornish. He takes up a large format camera up Scottish mountains and his pack reportedly weighs in about 20 kilograms.

 Stuart - In terms of nude work, Stefan Soell is my biggest influence. I tend to be influenced by individual shots of other nudes rather than by photographers, but Laurie Jeffrey and Jim Furness are photographers I admire.

In terms of non nudes, my biggest influence is Colin Prior, a fantastic landscape photographer who has done some amazing work in Scotland. He seems to stalk his prey, finding the right spot for a photo and waiting hours or even days for the right light.

Have you ever gotten hopelessly lost only to find there is hope and make your way out?

Karla - I leave all the navigation up to Stuart. I enjoy it more if I don't know what to expect. Before I met Stuart I was quite comfortable getting lost in the countryside. I'd tell myself that even if it took all night then it was just a matter of perseverance rather than anything to be stressed about.

 
Stuart - On the mountains? Never. I learnt at a young age how to use a map & compass and navigate, and I know the landscape very well.

 
In life? All the time.


Any experiences that have stuck out in your mind involving your climbing?

Karla - Normally anything involving scrambling. It makes the climb so much more fun and far less of a slog. The actual act of going up the mountain becomes enjoyable and not just a means to an end.

 Stuart - There's always times that you remember, both good and bad. When we climbed Ben More & Stob Binnein a few years ago, I injured my knee and limped out over rough ground for miles. We had camped overnight, had seriously heavy packs on, and had run out of food. Karla was carrying as much of my gear as she could, but we both endured mile after mile of rough, painful, exhausting ground. It seemed endless, and when we were back at the car we were close to collapsing. There was also the time I watched a nearby bolt of lightning emerge from the cloud at the same height we were at, before striking the ground far below us. That one was a little scary!
But for every bad time there's a dozen good times. I've emerged from a thunderstorm to see a sea fog from above, rolling in 3000ft below me under blue skies. I've woken in a tent above the clouds, which are glowing orange from the morning sunrise. I've hiked naked in the dark, down hillsides into wind blown glens, feeling more alive than I ever have before.


Do you wish to inspire generations of naked mountain climbers to follow in your footsteps? (hopefully not too close)

Karla - I would be very satisfied to know that other climbers would be more willing to get naked if the conditions called for it, for example when they were in the middle of nowhere and it was particularly hot or if they were passing by a rock pool.

 Stuart - It would be nice to think we'd brought the heightened sense of oneness with the mountains that naked climbing brings to a new generation!

 


Pancakes or waffles?

Karla - Pancakes with sugar and lemon juice on top.

 
Stuart - Waffles!


"Can you describe your deeper feelings in being nude in wild nature. Do you feel to be a part of a big system like nature or sometimes is like a fear?"

Karla - Assuming it's not too cold and the ground isn't painful to walk on then it feels very natural to me. It's like being set free. I suppose dogs probably feel the same when they are let off their leads (leash).

 
There's never any fear, but there's certainly a stronger sense of connection to the surrounding mountain environment. Given the heightened sensory input that nudity in a wilderness environment brings, its inevitable that you'll feel closer to the natural world. Every gust of wind, every blade of grass, every ray of sunshine has an impact on you. And when you're travelling through that environment, and the input from your senses is constantly changing, then you might finally feel that you;re truly getting “back to nature”.

How was your first walk nude on the mountains? Who suggested it?

 

Stuart - It started off more as a photographic exercise. We were climbing with friends who were going a bit slower than us, and when we reached the top Karla thought it'd be fun to take some nude photos on the summit and be dressed before they arrived. The photos came out quite well, so we did it again on future hikes, and before long we were doing naked hiking & skinny dipping as well.

Were you climbers before? (textile)

Karla - Stuart was. I was more into paragliding. Hill walking was one an activity I had planned to do although I generally prefer more exciting outdoor activities. Hence the reason I really enjoy it when we have to scramble up mountains.

 
Karla - I've been climbing since I was a teenager.

 

 

 
"What's the average time you need for your mountains trips?

Stuart - The drive to them is usually an hour or two. The climb itself is usually anything from two to eight hours with a couple of hours to descend, but it can take longer for some of the more remote ones. Add an hour per summit for photos. Some even require overnight wild camping

The higher peak you reached?

Karla - The mountains in Scotland aren't too high. The walk-in and the terrain make them more of a challenge.
Most hills don't have a path. It's quite amusing to watch bewildered German tourists in the car parks looking
for sign posts to the path. Some can look quite dissapointed when you tell them that there isn't a restuarant at the top. Saying that though, it was really fun storming up the Brocken in Germany along the roped off path when there was about 6 foot of snow either side of us. We would never have attempted that in Scotland.

 Stuart - Ben Lawers, 10^th highest mountain in Britain, 1214m, 3983 feet




Which one got into naturism first, or did you both become naturists at the same time?

Karla - I hadn't really given naturism much thought until I met Stuart. If the temperature warranted it then I was perfectly comfortable being naked at home. It was only when I got naked on a mountain did I realise that it was nudity enhanced the experience.

 
Stuart - I'd started exploring it before we met, I'd skinny dipped in highland rivers and gone to a couple of public swims, but it wasn't until I met Karla that I really started to explore it.


What's the largest animal you've encountered on your hikes?

Karla - That has to be the highland cow. Although the most memorable was the time when we were camping by a loch under a full moon and some wild horses came to drink the water. Unfortunately it was also just as memorable for the horrendous number of midges that were out that night so we weren't able to spend any time enjoying the moment.

 
 
Do you bring a geologist's hammer with you on your hikes?

Stuart - Not usually. I have a good idea of the geology of each mountain I go to, and if there's the chance of interesting specimens I'd probably take it if I hadn't been there before.

 

 

 
Photography is it your favourite hobby? Have you even others?

 
Stuart - We both love growing our own food and have lots of fruit & veg plants. We're currently looking for a house with enough land to be almost self sufficient in fruit & veg.
I also grow insect eating plants, specifically North American pitcher plants and sundews. I have a greenhouse full of them, and I may try and make a little business of breeding them.
I love reading, especially historical non fiction. I just finished a biography of Albert Einstein.


Do you guys ever think of either having kids, or adopting? You are both incredible examples we think, of what positive parenting would be about.

 Stuart - I'm not convinced children would have the patience to put up with me. I also do silly things – I once accidentally fired a multi stage rocket at the queen.
Its probably best I go with nothing more sentient than a dog.

Karla - Thank you. Although it's not going to happen. We're still trying to settle down and establish some roots. Unfortunately we seem to keep moving every year or so. It's one reason why my research is important to me. Most people have an instinct to leave something behind that outlasts us.



Outside of Scotland or even the UK, have you enjoyed and experienced Naturism and if so, what would be your favorite place? Do you have wishes to visit one or more of the classic European Naturist villages or such?

 
Stuart - We've never done any naturist activity outside the UK, but we plan to spend some time in the German & Austrian Alps sometime in the next few years, and hopefully we'll get some naked hiking done there. I want to visit the volcanoes of Lanzarote as well and hike naked over them.

Karla - Unfortunately I haven't myself but I would absolutely love to visit the alps in Southern Germany. I certainly aim to spend a few years living in that area some time. New Zealand is also particularly appealing but it's a long way to travel and we're unlikely to be able to visit it any time soon. To be honest, I might get bored at a naturist village. Ideal holidays for me involve adrenaline and exercise.


Does anyone in your family know about your mountainous ventures? And what do they think of it?

 
Stuart - They know, they're shocked by it and the subject is never raised!


What are you two going to do when all the Munros are finished?

Karla - Naked kayaking and wild camping trips. I really want to be naked for several days in a row outside. That's possible if we do low level walks away from the most popular spots, or use a kayak to explore even more remote areas. We could camp near some rock pools for skinny dipping. Kayaking would be good in that we could bring more stuff with us for the multi-day trips, but it might be harder to do it naked.

 
Stuart - Double check the list to see if there's any we've missed.

 


 
You have shown that the classic beauty photographed by Stephan Soell captures your eye and none of us disagree of course. While she is most definitely a paid model, many of her photographs are posed in a true outdoor naturist venue.  Tell us about your fascination for her, and the photographer.

 
Stuart - Stefan Soell is in my mind the absolute master of the “landscape nude”. He has absolute mastery of light, on a level beyond most other photographers. So many nudes seem to be a compromise with light, but not with his work. The landscape's light is perfect, so is the model's, every time. He does a lot of what you would call explicit work on the Femjoy website, but that just seems to be to pay the bills – so much more of his work is an exquisite union of feminine beauty and the beauty of nature. His book “Alpenglow” is a stunning selection of images, and should be on the shelf of anyone who loves natural nude art.

 
And then there's his models. I've seen no photographer with a more powerful or stunning selection of models, although I don't think I have a fascination for a particular model. Corinna is a favourite,

 but she's only one of many. Susann is the voluptuous earth mother with the haunting eyes to Corinna's Amazonian princess. Kinga is like Botticelli's Venus, elegant and beautiful. Alison is athletic and nimble. They and his other models all offer a different image to represent in the outdoors, but each of them have something in common. Every one is a perfect example of feminine strength & beauty. Between his skills behind the lens and the power of the women in front of it, the images they create are the greatest influence on me of any photographer.



What are your feelings about that fascination he has?

Karla - Rather that than the Hoff.

The Girls section is often referred to and as an administrator, you see all. Give us a glimpse of 4 topics in that area if you will? What exactly goes on?
Why does it exist?

Karla - We discuss socio-political and economic issues, philosophy and morality and debate historical what-if scenarios. If you thought that discussions were about chocolate, sex, shopping and relationships then you'd be absolutely and totally wrong. In fact, I don't think those topics have even been mentioned, except when someone once jokingly suggested it. Oh how we laughed at that one.

 

When the big meltdown occurred a few months ago with a renegade member, tell us the scene you observed and the emotions you had. We understand you all don’t chat at one time on MSN but that day, apparently you did watching what went down Without revisiting it, as it was a painful time for you, just explain to us, what this community means to you.

 Stuart - First thing I noticed was that Danee's account was deleted. I jumped on MSN to ask if she'd deleted it, when she said no, I realised what was happening and jumped on to revoke a certain mod's privileges, but he deleted my account just before I managed it.

 
I was very angry, ready to spill some blood. The abuse of responsibility like that was unforgivable, especially over something so trivial. But it did bring a lot of us together in a good way, as adversity often does. I think the forum, and the moderation team, grew stronger in the aftermath of that.

 
To me, this forum is a fantastic place. It offers young people searching for a certain experience a place to share ideas, information and advice. Naturism is something that's very difficult for a lot of people to experience, and it tends to create something of a burning desire to experience. If you can't have that experience, it can be tough, but this forum means a lot of people can share how they feel, and get advice and support on how to proceed.

Karla - My main worry was whether backups had been frequently made because I understand how people invest time and effort in a community. Losing posts made over a day or so is bad enough but people can carry on where they left off. A discussion forum needs a certain turn-over of posts in order to be successful. Losing weeks or months of posts would destroy the flow of conversation and people might start to drift off rather than feel that they are repeating themselves. As for the perpetrator, you'll always come across people who'll throw their toys out the pram when they get upset. They're not worth caring about.


We understand you have a new project in the works! Tell us about this Zombie project!!

 
Stuart - I've never been impressed with naturist fiction. It never inspired or interested me, it was so often trying too hard to be about the naturism itself, with plot & character taking second place.  I had an idea for a naturist horror story with the natural world itself attacking people, but it didn't quite work, although I'd developed some good characters for it. Then I had an idea that made naturism an essential plot point if I made the horror element based on zombies. So I re-wrote the entire concept, keeping the same characters. I'm having fun with some horror clichés. Traditionally, the people who get naked and have sex get killed first. Not with me! Naked & sexy might just keep you alive..

Future of this community, 5 years?

Karla - I think there will always be a need for naturism and therefore a place to discuss it.

 Stuart - If we continue to recruit good moderators, I have no doubt we'll be the leading online community for young naturists anywhere in the world.

 

 

Any parting words?

Karla - Dried ground up ginger loses its flavour if it's too old and you may be tempted to add more to your cooking. But remember, no matter how old it is, it will always act as a laxative.

Stuart - Don't eat yellow snow.


The interview concluded with us talking our leave from this wonderful part of this planet called earth.  Scotland is rich, in so many things and while K and S are getting prepared to turn the page on a new chapter of the book of life, we know that the loss of this pair of wonderful people will not a loss, but rather a loan to Germany.  We cannot wait to see what happens next. 



Thank-you both for your words and candor.  We are fortunate to have some overflow of the tremendous love you have for each other. 











 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8AeV8Jbx6M&feature=player_embedded#at=72


 

[Wolfboy]

Most of the questions I can think of are answered in this interview

Maybe one question:

Karla - I just hit him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper if he gets out of hand...

Does it help?

[Karla]

Karla - I just hit him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper if he gets out of hand...

Does it help?

Yes. I find it therapeutic.

[chrisw91]

Wow a great interview, you two are an inspiration 

[Bobbert]

Thanks for the interview, you two!

[Nude_not_rude]

Brilliant intervew!!!! Well worth the 12 month wait ;) You two rock!!

Ouch

[bobolo]

I'm here for so few and I've been reading this interview with so much appreciation!
Congratulations!

You must be an inspiration for whole nudist or "nudist-like" community!!!

[nudetrail]

just read this interview really enjoyed it

[NakedKiwi]

That was lovely, thanks.

[TheSeane]

Took me forever to find this again so Kodi could read it... then she came up with the brilliant idea of using the sites built in search engine.  Wow, feeling slightly dumb after that!

Was fun to read again.  You two are such rock stars!

[keiranmac]

Hello from Edinburgh, Looks great doing munros naked. Ive done one or two but always with non nudists and always when weather not suitable!

[dewiw10111]

Thanx for the post!