What's the latest time you would feel safe being out alone?

[ilovemincepies24]

What is the latest time you would feel safe being out alone (without a dog)?

I live in a small ish town which is pretty quiet after 8pm when the local supermarket shuts. A woman was allegedly attacked a few weeks ago at around that time, and since then I've felt uneasy walking in the dark (which is quite early at this time of year), even in built up areas.

On an ideal world it wouldn't be like this but...

I'm not even home from work until after dark in the winter! I have no issue being out when it's dark as long as there people about and it's well lit. I'll go out for drinks/meals and come home on the bus after midnight regularly (we have 24 hour buses here) the bus stop is a 7 minute walk from my house. No problem.

I agree. I'm rather surprised by people saying they don't go out after 4pm in the winter. One person said they wouldn't leave the house after 4pm all year round! I could understand if someone lives in an area with particularly high rates of assaults...
I'm not trying to belittle other people's fears. I'm just genuinely surprised and sad to hear that so many people live in fear with limited lives.
Ever since I was about 16 I've walked about alone at any time. I've never felt threatened. I don't know anyone who's been attacked by a random stranger. I know plenty of women who've been assaulted but it's always been in the context of someone they know, or maybe a drunken grope at a bar.
I live in a suburb of a city and frequently walk home alone which takes an hour. I walk through city streets, quiet streets. I also walk in the woods near my house at any time. Wherever I walk, I always see other lone female walkers.

I suppose not having anything you want to go out at night for is the key difference here. (Is it because you live in the sticks and there are no concerts, theatre, restaurants, night classes or friends close enough to want to see after dark?) I would find that pretty restrictive in my own life.

Don’t have a night curfew I live rurally now and go out anytime, if I didn’t go out after dark up here I’d be stuck in the house ridiculously early. but even when I lived in a city I loved a late night walk around even ridiculously late, something about the dark streets in the middle of the night walking around then just felt relaxing.

Those people who never leave the house after dark...is it that you never leave the house or you do but only if you can drive door to door? So walking to the pub isn't ok but driving to the supermarket is? Or is neither an option because it's dark and you have to walk to the car and back? Would you drive to a friend's if you had a drive and they had a drive to park on so there was no walking in the dark involved?

Nah, it's because I don't want to go to concerts, theatre, restaurants or night classes! 😆 There are plenty of those things available if one wants to go - this is one of the biggest cities in the state - but I have zero interest. I see my friends during the day - I live in a retirement village and have other friends at a couple of knitting groups the other side of town.