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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to have ditched my family on holiday walk

256 replies

Mounjaroday · 19/02/2026 16:55

On holiday and we’d just started our annual coastal walk. We have to navigate over a very squelchy muddy bit, one at a time. DH goes first, then strides off ahead at pace. As usual. Then the kids leap over, and run off to keep up with him. I’m suddenly left trailing behind at the back yet again, and it’s absolutely maddening.

“Wait up” was met with a rather cross “well keep up then” nonsense from DH. He doesn’t wait for me and they keep going - DH striding away, and the kids trotting along - and they don’t even bother looking where I am. They are easily 20m in front at this point.

So this time, I stopped, turned around and ditched the whole lot of them. Went for a mooch around the lovely gift and antique shops in the local town. Then grabbed a coffee and read some of my book. 2 hours all by myself. It was absolutely fabulous.

Was I unreasonable? They’re all salty about how I’d “left them”.

OP posts:
GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 19/02/2026 17:04

If anything they left you!

It’s absolutely no fun being left trailing behind on a walk - if they’d wanted your company they should have waited for you!

Cnidarian · 19/02/2026 17:00

Oh this is glorious. Sounds like they left you! No guilt my queen 👑

MammaBear1 · 19/02/2026 16:59

The walk sounds more like a route march than a relaxing family coastal walk. It was rude of them to plough ahead and leave you behind.

You haven’t been unreasonable in the slightest and your mooch about, coffee and read sounds excellent.

I think I’d be suggesting another walk tomorrow then deliberately dawdling and doing it again.

illsendansostotheworld · 19/02/2026 16:58

If they couldn't he bothered making sure you were OK then yanbu!! Sounds lime you had a lovely time.
We're away at the moment and would love a couple of hours to myself!

NotDarkGothicMama · 19/02/2026 16:58

YANBU. Did you let them know where you were though, or were they worried? DH is nearly a foot taller than me and often forgets that I have to trot to keep up with him. This is often a problem in airports, where I'm left behind with my bag and the crap the kids hand me. Very annoying.

Flamingojune · 19/02/2026 16:57

Surely they would have stopped eventually, it is a bit petulant to abandon them