Everyone's got a naturist cliché in their head. Remember that holiday when you accidentally ended up on the wrong beach? Or inadvertently strolled in to a nudist yoga class? Where do you look? How bad is it to stare? Did you find the whole thing hilarious or crushingly embarrassing?

Unlike in Germany, where we're told naked rambling is as common popular pastime, public nudity in the UK remains a taboo. Stereotypes abound and its all to easy to have a quiet little snigger about those who choose to spend time at home and abroad sans clothes. But two recent studies have revealed that naturists are happier and more comfortable in their bodies than those of us who grimace at the idea of removing any kind of clothing at the beach.

Maybe it's the liberation of not wearing anything, or the fact that, when you look at other bodies, you realise your own is in fact, nothing to be ashamed of? Two female naturists, Martha Vickery and Emma James, reveal the naked truth on what it means to be nude, and explain the profoundly positive impact it's had on their lives.