Muddy walk: who IBU

You sound uncompromising OP. Do you not actually like him or want to spend time with him? You told him there was a path and it sounds like he was fine until the path stopped. Plus he has an (unspecified) injury. Couldn't you have compromised on the route so it suited him? Or don't invite him if you want to walk a route that he'll hate / is too much for his injury.

He did give it ago.

He asked at the outset if there was a path, and you said "yes" so it is reasonable for him to have expected a path, even if it was muddy in places. And that's what he got, in the first part. He wasn't up for the second part, because the terrain was too much for him.

You have divergent ideas about what constitutes a path. And much as I sympathise with you (based on when my DH has marred various runs because they've been too much for him, despite him appearing to know what he's let himself in for, compounded in his case by a dogged determination to keep going when really he should have drooped and circled back), I think in this specific instance his expectations on what a "path" is were the reasonable ones. 'Not involving scrambling' really isn't enough. There is lots of demanding technical terrain that is well short of scrambling.

In future, either describe the path in greater detail.

Or - and my preferred option - go alone or with others whose enjoyment and capabilities is a much closer match to yours. Only suggest he comes when the paths are buggy-friendly ones throughout

Eh? I mean surely you can understand that that might not be the "whole point" for everyone?

To me, the whole point of going for a walk is exercise and fresh air (and to stop the kids murdering each other). I couldn't give a stuff what the ground is like tbh!

i suspect that will suit him perfectly

I'd go by myself in future, leave him in the house!

Also confused why you would be worried about him walking back to the car alone? All sounds a bit pathetic.
He shouldn't have come with you if he was going to be miserable but also you could have just gone alone in the first place

Yabu. I love hiking, dh is more fairweather so I only ask him if I know he'll enjoy the walk and when he joins me he picks the route and distance because it matters to me that he enjoys it too. If I suspect he won't, I go alone or with friends.

At one point the path came close to a road so he said he would walk back on the road round the wood instead of through it. I knew if I stayed in the wood I wouldn't enjoy it because of worrying about him, so I also walked back on the road.

Why are you worried about a grown man walking on a road? The rest of your post was just general compromise but this part is weird.

Agree with the above. Neither of you are unreasonable, you just enjoy different things. Yes, he was probably being a bit stroppy and he may have worn the wrong clothes deliberately, but is it worth all this hassle? Just carry on enjoying your separate things.

So he doesn't like walking but accompanied you on a walk despite being injured as you said there would be a path. There wasn't actually a path and therefore he didn't enjoy the walk and you're cross with him because basically he didn't enjoy it. He didn't spoil your walk and you didn't have to worry about him walking back alone. It's all very melodramatic to be honest.

Funny replies!

I would say of course yanbu

He basically made himself a complete drag - delaying the time of departure, wearing unsuitable shoes, dragging behind when it got ever so slightly less even. Who goes for a walk to stay on a path? Unless you are physically unable to go off the path the whole point is to walk on the natural ground.

He sounds like a selfish man child to me. He ruined your walk by whinging and whining like a spoilt child.

You are not on the same page when it comes to walks. You like a muddy ramble he likes a nice flat walk because of a recent injury.

Neither of you were being unreasonable.

Go on your own to unknown places and go with him to ones that are suitable for him.

Next time just go without him

All this pussyfooting around before you left, him wearing trainers etc etc are just delaying tactics.

I think YABU. He's injured, and you described it as a scenic walk along a path (albeit a muddy one) not a forest hike on an uneven trail.

Absent any other issues, it's just one of those things where your wires got crossed and doesn't need to be a big deal, but you're BU for resenting or blaming him imo.

Why would you have ‘worried’ about him walking back to the car on the road?

He tried, he didn't like it. It's that simple isn't it? I think you are trying to get him to enjoy a hobby that you do and he doesn't.

He have the walk a go
it didn’t work out

and you sound very peculiar to feel resentful and still navel gazing about it

Poor DH

all this effort and detail Op

so what are you planning to do with this thread? if people say yep you’re right to feel resentful… you’ll carry on feeling resentful

and if they don’t, you won’t?

Ill wager this is the tip of the iceberg anyway in other marital issues