Was I unreasonable to let my friend walk to the train station alone on a night out?

I'm really concerned by all these supposed grown-ups who can't be an adult. Some parts of the world are genuinely extremely dangerous, in most places incidents are rare and avoided by keeping wits about you and walking along busier roads. Keep wary walking anywhere, be ready to go into a shop/ restaurant/ bar if needed, but if someone genuinely can't manage a 20 min walk unsupervised then let's really hope they never have to be left responsible for a child!

@Salome61 you were frightened of getting a bus in, checks notes, Twickenham?

Good grief!

I also don't know anyone who has been attacked at night

Women attacked by partners, yes. At work, yes. In clubs, definitely.

Why the focus on walking at night? I really think it's about controlling women

Well in a previous thread there were women saying they never leave their house after dark (4pm in winter) and one who said she won't go out after 4pm all year round!

I'm very sorry to hear of your experiences. I do think you've been unlucky. I've been walking around alone late at night night since my mid-teens. I've never felt any danger or had any trouble. I'm now 50. I don't know any woman that's been attacked by a stranger. I do know women that have been assaulted by partners or people they've just started dating.
I've lived in five different places in the UK, two of which were quite deprived/rough, but I still didn't know of any woman who was attacked by a stranger. I do know men who've been attacked (statistically men are more likely to be attacked by strangers).

That could be true, but I know so many women who have had similar experiences. Perhaps I just live in a very unsafe part of the U.K.

Or you've been exceptionally unlucky

Plenty of women walk around in the dark and are completely safe

When you all meet up again I'd bring this up in the group, and discuss how you would each like to behave/respond if this situation comes up again.

I remember when I was about 22 my car being in the garage and a friend asking me for a drink, I went into Twickenham on the bus. It was a Sunday, and quiet. I hadn't asked her, but had assumed she'd drive me home - at the end of the evening when we got to her car she just said she'd phone me again soon and drove off! I had taken her home a million times when we worked at the same pub together, I couldn't believe she'd left me there. I felt nervous at the bus stop, and decided I wouldn't go out on the bus to meet anyone again.

Haven't read the whole thread, but if train was at 9 and it was a 20 minute walk to the station, she would have set off about 8.30.

That's really not late.

Where do you draw the line.

This, she's a grown up.
I'd think nothing of walking to a train station in the middle of a city centre at 9pm.
I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to leave their night out to walk me there and back!

Don't overthink it, her own mum didn't even see the need to come get her from outside at that time.

This is why I use my local mini can firm. They’ve been there for 50 years and they know I’m local. I feel safer with them than an Uber.

Yes, one wrong turn and she would have ended up in Gaza.

"I think friend probably felt obliged to say she was ok walking alone because it was your birthday ."

Well, yes, it would have been very selfish to make OP leave her birthday drinks.

I was thinking this too, about taxis. I'd rather walk.

A volunteer you don't know. I don't see how that's safer than being alone.

You can't walk for 20 minutes? When it's not very late?
You might have trouble getting the taxi to accept such a small fare.

I've often walked alone in the city centre at night and never felt threatened or been attacked. I think it's easy to get spooked by news reports but it's still relatively rare. Your friend could have got a taxi to the station if she was really worried, you offered to walk with her and she declined so I think that's fine. Obviously if she was staggery drunk, you wouldn't have let her go off by herself!

🤣

I don't know, that's why I asked. You mentioned friend A in your OP...(quote below)

3 of us (myself, Friend 1 and Friend 2) live in the same general direction, with the last 2 trains going home in that direction being at 9pm and then 10.50pm.
After we had our meal we went to a bar round 7.30pm and it didn't feel like we were there very long before Friend A said she should be going soon to get the 9pm train as she didn't want her mum to pick her up from the train station late at night

Where does friend A come into friends 1,2 and you?

Just to be clear - I, and many colleagues younger than me, walk through town at between 10-11 almost every day. I do not think you did anything wrong.

It wasn't that late at all, she was given the choice, it's fine

I can't believe the amount of people who think they should have essentially forced an adult to take a taxi. Or given up their night early because someone else was going home early.

Why would OP need to ensure she got a taxi? The friend is a grown ass woman who could organise her own taxi if she wanted one.