As a female do you have the courage to walk alone in the dark?

[Vaccine001]

I have done so but rarely. It has always terrified me. What if i akways think to myself..

I walk in the dark, or jog. I do take my dogs with me, and they are very protective but even if I didn't it wouldn't occur to me to be on red alert all the time.

Before anyone asks I'm in my 40s, was raped at 15 by a taxi driver and mugged at 19. I'm a stubborn bastard though and won't let these things define me.

I disagree with the proposals in some areas to turn off street lights at night. That will make it more dangerous for everybody - men as well as women. A gift for muggers, for example.

Same with reducing cars in cities. Women will bear the brunt of it. I'm all for saving the planet but women have a right to safety and moving about after dark on foot or by bike is simply not as safe as driving.

I’m probably somewhat older than many of you so with age comes caution. I live rurally so don’t mind walking the dog in the dark around the roads. I am far more cautious walking out in the countryside on my own with pooch, mainly because of the possibility of a fall but also because of how vulnerable I feel as a woman.
It’s a hideous situation where females are seen as targets by some men, the Sarah Everard murder is utterly chilling.
I was brought up to trust the police, a foolish assumption nowadays. I don’t trust any male other than close friends and relatives, sad but necessary.

Not if I can help it

@spotcheck

I'm not sure it's to do with bravery? More just good sense not to.

It shocks me that so many people don't realise how shocking it is that, as women, we have to have the 'good sense' not to leave our homes after dark. It's so sad.

And no, I don't feel safe.

Yes and without a second thought.

I go for a walk every night, it's now dark when I go and tbh it never bothered me before but after the two girls were murdered it's made me nervous.
My BIL (ex military now does security in military bases) saw me getting ready for a walk once with earphones in, told me to take them out, said I wouldn't hear anyone coming up behind me then gave me a few tips on staying safe, well lit areas, change your route, have your phone handy not in a zipped pocket, go to a house with lights on if I feel uncomfortable, better to be embarrassed than attacked, never be dragged into a car, fight and scream as if your life depended on it as it probably would depend on it.
You'd hope that woman wouldn't have to think like this, nothing ever changes, some men just see us as targets

Yes. It's never bothered me.

It depends where. Ironically I feel safer in a busy city. If it's a street with lots of shops open til 8 or 10pm then I'll walk there after dark. But in the countryside I don't even feel safe going into the garden once it's properly dark.

Yes I walk alone in the dark

I’m wary

Male violence against women isn’t new jus remote is reported now

Yes, I always walked home at 3 or 4 in the morning after a night out when I lived city centre. Now I’m in a suburb I only really go out walking the dog. She’s harmless but has a huge bark so is a deterrent.

I would never wear earphones or talk on the phone...I’m aware of my surroundings. If someone walks behind me I stand in with my back to a wall until they pass. I do have a can of pepper spray which I would use.

Yes but only on well light roads with lots of houses and some people around. I won't go near parks or alleys.

Yes and lots of women need to if they don't have a car or someone who can offer regular lifts. In winter I finish work and 5 when it was dark, and when I travelled in early it was dark in the mornings too. If I didn't walk in the dark I would not be able work for some of the year or go to the shop, never mind all the extra things like seeing friends or going swimming. Am I careful and sensible? Yes but in the same way my husband would be. Although I would wear no or one earphone which he probably wouldn't do. Women also get attacked in daylight.

No. I don't go out in the dark.

No unless it’s absolutely unavoidable (like an emergency). Not something I would choose to do.

Yes, all the time. When I lived in central London and in the countryside. I stay alert to my surroundings, don’t listen to music, but I’m not curtailing my life.

@Embracelife

It get s dark at 5 pm in winter. How do you manage to only go out in daylight?

I am up super early each day and do all jobs in daylight. Luckily I don't work so there is not this element to worry about. I am always on high alert walking in quiet areas during the day though 🤷

When I lived in Northampton, I was once followed in the early evening (winter) by a man whilst walking around the edge of The Racecourse. The road where the bus usually dropped me off was closed and so the bus route was diverted so I was dropped off at the opposite end of the park than I needed to be. I should have walked back to where I normally would have crossed The Racecourse but I instead walked up and round the unfamiliar end of the park thinking it would take me to where I needed to be. As I walked it was almost completely deserted, and very dark in parts, but when I saw a man up ahead I felt relieved to see another human being in the same area as me (naive 20 year old). However, as I passed him, he stared at me really intently which made me feel very uneasy. I picked up my speed and looked behind me to check where he was and he was stood still watching me. At which point I was utterly freaked out and started walking faster, but to my horror I realised I could hear him close behind me. Then up ahead I saw two men walking together and exiting the park down an alley. So I ran after them with the man still following me, and then I walked as quietly as possible down the alley so the two men didn't know I was there. The man who was following me stopped at the end of the alley, presumably put off by the presence of the two other men, and then disappeared. I then followed the two men at a safe distance back to the main roads and eventually got home about 45 minutes later than I should have done. At the time, I couldn't understand why I had kept silent behind the two men but I now realise it was because I knew that the two men would deter the other man, but that I also couldn't trust the two men not to be dangerous to me also.

So from that point on I've been very wary about walking around unfamiliar places at night by myself. However, I have lived in my current town for most of my 40 years and I do feel safe here, and as a result, generally do walk by myself at night, although always along main roads and brightly lit places full of other people. I know it's not always safe to do this, as Sarah Everard's horrendous experience shows us, but I also don't want to feel like I have to constantly live in fear, or drive everywhere, or get my dh to go out for me.

@blueshoes

Not good news for shorties. Thanks a lot.

That's it. No one tall gets mugged or raped in the dark. They are less of a threat🤦🏻

Just wow.

It depends on where. Locally I walk alone regularly but there are some areas that I wouldn’t and I wouldn’t if I didn’t know the area.
However I do sometimes get nervous walking locally and often look over my shoulder, especially if it’s dark.

"No I don’t.
But then I don’t know if that’s a ‘female’ thing...none of my male friends do either"

????

I'm always cautious walking alone at night and occasionally nervous. Depends where. That said, I wouldn't walk alone in the woods either, as a couple of local women had bad experiences, and that annoys me.

I’m impressed by how many women don’t think about it, feel and enjoy your freedom of movement, I think that’s wonderful. I have always been scared, my mum taught be to scared (she was attacked by a stranger at 16) but still to do it, which I always have, but always hypervigilant.

I’ve not been sleeping well and tried a relaxing yoga class the other evening that finished at 9pm. I won’t bother again - the adrenalin spike of the 20min walk home undid all the relaxation!

Of course, how would I get home from work in winter otherwise? It gets dark before the end of a standard working day.

I am careful about where I work generally but light levels are just one tiny factor in personal safety.

Walk not work, careful about where I walk