How far do your 13/14 year olds go with their friends?

[DaisyUpsy]

I have 3 kids with asd and my oldest two hardly go out so I have a warped sense of what's normal. My asd 13 year old wants to go on the train alone to the nearest town, have a wonder around, go to a pride event where they will meet a friend then we will pick them up. This is fine right? I used to catch a train from Norfolk to Lincs alone at this age yet I'm freaking about mine going to the next town alone 😂.

I've said with friends but they won't be with friends until they meet them a bit later.

I think it depends on how used to train travel they are and how well they know the town.
How busy will things be with the Pride event?
Are the friends reliable - do they all have phones if the meet-up doesn't quite work etc?

Normally, yes it sounds fine. Only you know how the ASD impacts your DC though.

If your child is happy/confident doing this then that is fine. I think most children who do this would be in a group with friends though. Mine have never asked to do this sort of thing, I will sometimes drop them off with friends to shop within a defined area e.g. a shopping Centre.

Yes that's fine and typical imo, DS was doing similar. I am autistic and was catching a bus then train and wandering around a large city alone at 14, though my parents didn't know!

This is fine.
Think about it logically. Age 10-12 travel to school/local area alone. Age 13-15 travel a bit further alone. Age 16-18 going to visit uni/actually leave home!

Totally fine. Ds2 does often.

Our children's "range " was limited to our (only) local bus route , about 15 miles (and the limitations of its timetable) and cycling. They could and did bus to city (latest bus home 6pm) but were far more interested in cycling to friends houses and hiking on foot in the countryside we inhabited.

My 12 yo uses the tube on her own & goes a few stops with one change to school. She will go out on that kind of range with friends and has a phone with her.
15 yo normally walks into our nearest shopping area. Rarely gets the tube & not on his own but has gone further & left London on his own with mates. He refuses to get a phone and is a bit SEN but so far has always made it back!

My eldest took the train an hour away to the neared city and wandered about alone and went to the library from 11/12. She went to Scotland at 16 and Berlin at 17 (all alone).
She's diagnosed ASD and is in the military now aged 18.

Hold on. What friend is it? Will they be meeting anyone else? What is the event? I'm not sure I like the idea of 13 year olds alone at a pride event, they have been known to have fetishes on parade.