Would you walk through the woods at night?

[CluedoCat]

Pitch black at 6pm, with no lights. So dark you can't see your own feet.

The walk is about 10 minutes.

The wild boar will get you. They're fierce and fast. They make tasty sausages, but you have to defeat them first.

Yeh I would used to do so all the time when I was younger because it was the quickest way home

Another poster summed up my sentiments: I've encountered plenty of creeps during daytime hours when there's been heaps of people milling around, I'd rather not take my chances walking through my local city wooded area at night, thanks. That's a given.

Yes. I do, every single day. Carry a torch. There is woodland where I work and I park the other side of the woods. Security are often whizzing about though.

someone might be hanging from a tree in front of me. All really likely to happen, I know

This happened to me 3 years ago at 5.30am. I walked through those woods every morning for years until the morning I came across that poor guy hanging. We moved the year after as I couldn't settle in the house when I was alone after it as our kitchen backed onto the woods. I still walk in woods near us in daylight with the dogs and run through them but never when its dusk or dark.

Only when searching for a pair of bloody springers that had pissed off hunting. It’s remarkably peaceful being on your own at midnight in endless hectares of woods. I did eventually phone a friend to come and help.

Yes but I'm suitably rural and even the local badger baiters are now scared of me (not dh he's a wuss!). However probably not if we were urban it's not nature I'd fear but people

Update I was fine with it until hidden mentioned clowns now I'm never coming out from under the quilt with the cats again

It’s saddening and ridiculous that so many grown women are scared to walk amongst some trees because they have preconceived ideas loosely based on horror films and childhood scaremongering that they are automatically at risk just by being within a wooded area.

I genuinely don't think it's down to horror films - I think it's the other way around. Humans have a primal atavistic fear of dark places where they can be hunted and eaten. We have made horror movies because of this fear, not vice versa.

I do but it’s properly rural, somewhere you’d be more likely to fall and break a bone and die from hyperthermia than meet a random axe murderer / rapist.

It’s beautiful and eerie. The forest becomes its own and I’m very much aware of the trees watching me!

No never. I'm out and about in London late at night and on my own a lot but I'm always careful about quieter unlit places. Never a wood (I live near a lot of them but there are definitely plenty of incidents to be cautious about my safety). And I regularly hike alone in quite quiet places.

My view? You know your area and what's safe. Lets not judge each other - we do have to be careful which is why we should never be complacent about equality.

Yes, but I would carry a torch and pay attention (not on phone or listening to music)
I regularly walk these sorts of places with my dog, but he is big and bouncy enough to look scary.

Oh hell no

I’m not reluctant to walk in the woods because of horror stories, but because of the behaviour of some men.

Actually sure, if I wanted to be murdered, that is exactly what I would do. 😐

No. It's just been in the news about that poor girl being attacked on the nature reserve.

Was Savernake the scene of that terrifying story a MN posted years ago?

That story alone would make me certain to never set foot into the woods.

I am a city dweller though and have had little exposure to the woods / forest.

In the woods near where I grew up (near London) - no. Wouldn’t walk through them on my own during the day, unless I had a decent-sized dog with me.

Where I live now (Scottish highlands) - yes.

Like other posters yes if it's rural woods.
No if it's too urbanised nearby.

I was out late with the dogs last week and walking through a mile or two of woodland. Really amazed at how lovely it was and very calming. It's perfectly obvious after 5 minutes that it's not full of rats, witches, elves or ghosts. Nice trees and shy nocturnal animals doing their thing.

Not since reading that Savernake story.

I used to, a lot. But I was in the army and had a rifle and usually another soldier with me. Now? NOPE!

Why do I need to?

I walk my dog in woods about midnight... I’d have no reason to be there without him though, so it depends why...

Yes as long as I had a giant maglite torch to twat anyone who would jump out at me!!

I'm twitchy just reading this thread, so it's a no from me