Mysterious single shoes

[Objectrelations]

Since I moved to the UK, I’ve noticed there are a surprisingly large number of single shoes by the side of the road in many different places.

How on earth are people losing shoes in this way? I’ve never become remotely close to losing a shoe by the side of the road.

I’ve recently been doing a lot of driving down the A1 and the number of single shoes are extraordinary. Every time I see them now, I just think how an earth are they getting there?

Falling out of bags? Or a marker deliberately placed? Pairs of trainers hanging over telephone lines used to be mark the territory of dealers at one point, I believe.

Can't say I've noticed up here on the A9 and the A96.

It’s a thing. There’s numerous threads on Reddit. No one’s ever given a comprehensive answer though 🤣

They might not be single - they might be in a long-term and committed relationship, but just having some time out on their own.

😹

never seen a single shoe thrown out. Not even a sock, nickers couple of times but not shoes...it is mainly wrappers and plastic bags

That is a possible explanation I had not considered 😀

Oh wow I find this reassuring I was feeling so lonely in my observations!!

Literally walked past a loan flip flop in the middle of the road yesterday morning! 😂

A flip-flop? Pah. I drove round a roundabout yesterday and halfway round, there was a teaspoon lying in the middle of the road.

I feel that there is a film in tracking the story of some of these everyday objects!

Foxes! They are always running off with shoes where I live.

Port key of course ! (Harry Potter)

Daft people that put things on their car roofs, then forget and drive off.

Or foxes that steal shoes left at the door and drop them somewhere. You’d laugh at our neighbourhood as everyone leaves the found shoe on their garden wall in the hope of it being reunited.

I once spent a ridiculous amount of money after an unexpectedly large Christmas bonus on a pair of boots. Went to the office Christmas party wearing them for the first time. Got very drunk (in fairness was only 23 and I'm ancient so nobody judged you for that back then). Woke up the next day with only one boot. I still mourn them because they were perfect.

Oh my word I feel the pain of losing things like that! I once lost a fabulous beige cashmere & wool coat the same way.

(And wow, that combination of normality & naivety of being drunk & thinking we were safe - we were so bloody lucky, most of the time.)

Definitely a thing around Glasgow - M77/M74. I always wonder if someone's limping around with one trainer. It's not just shoes, sometimes it's random items of clothes.

I once stuck my head out of the car window to be sick, and my glasses were sucked off my face in the slipstream. 3am on the M4.

🦊