To want to go for long walks and jogs alone in the countryside?

[LittleMoonbuggy]

I'm genuinely interested in different opinions on this.

Partly due to being an introvert, I've always loved going for long walks alone (sometimes jogs but mostly walks) in the countryside, often far from any houses and don't see another person for ages. For say 1-2 hours each time.

I usually listen to music whilst out and sometimes am conscious that I could be vulnerable to attack, particularly in remote places and if listening to music. Sometimes I carry a mini bottle of deodorant to spray in the eyes of a potential attacker but mostly I guess I tend to think that the vast majority of people are decent and wouldn't hurt others and don't let it get in the way of what I enjoy. I never go out at dark/dusk btw.

I mentioned that I enjoy doing this to a woman about 20 years older at work, she looked visibly shocked and said that going off on my own was 'asking for trouble' and I was lucky I haven't been attacked!

Do you ever go out on your own like this, or do you think it's too reckless?

I regularly go walking in the city where it is surely statistically more dangerous as there are more people around. I see no reason why you shouldn't continue to enjoy the health benefits of your walk in the country and ignore your alarmist colleague. The only danger might be in walking at night as you can't see anything but you are taking about waking during the day anyway.

I regularly do this - yet I have a friend who also thought I was 'mad' to do it, yet she happily drove herself and two children to Paris without a care - now that would be scary to me .

I regularly do this.
I always leave one earphone out though in case of mad drivers rather than fear of attack. Am quite often to be seen at the top of a remote hill jigging to some 70s disco.
Unfortunately the family can track me on Find My Friends - I was recently caught standing still for 15 minutes at the Weds night visiting chip van.

I run at night everywhere in parks, woods, city centres. Love it actually and never feel at risk. People keep suggesting I get a dog but can just imagine tripping over it and lying in a field all night!

Using the expressions "asking for trouble" and "lucky nothings happened yet" would be enough for me not to put any weight behind this woman's opinions.

God forbid something ever happened to you, her opinion would be that you would be at fault - which is victim blaming and wholly incorrect.

MumOnTheRun to be fair the fact that the only case that springs to mind was 20 years ago should illustrate how rare the likely hood of attack is

OP you are 'at risk' anywhere - I run through a nature reserve and down a canal - so far never felt threatened and love the sense of space - if you enjoy it do it

I do it and I live in South Australia (murder capital of the world!) and it's very, very isolated here.

I don't give a shit what weirdos fancy their chances...I'll see them off. Plus the likelyhood of it is so low...I'm not living in fear.

What's your colleagues theory? That an attacker is going to be just wondering around the countryside on the off chance someone might happen upon them that they can attack?

I have run alone for years and don't think too hard about the negatives as it would scare me and stop me doing what I love.

I do reduce risk though, and don't listen to music with those ear buds in, as they desensitise you to your surroundings. I know a lot of people do nowadays, their choice, but I think that increases risk a lot especially not hearing or being fully aware of traffic.

It's just me and the open road

One of the wood I walk is near to a secure unit, i did worry myself that i might come across some escaped inmates, then I told myself, they would not loiter in the area.

I do this too. But I usually just play my music in one ear only (or not at all). I don't feel safe being completely deaf to my surroundings, whether in the countryside or a town/city centre.

I do feel a bit nervous walking in the countryside by myself, but I think the potential benefits (physically and mentally) outweigh the risk of being attacked.

I don't see a problem, I see it more concerning that a young woman in her 20's thinks it's "asking for trouble".

Genuinely saddened by that.

Just risk assess falling or injuring yourself. Take water, a snack, spare socks and a couple of plasters in case of blisters, make sure your phone is charged.

And enjoy the peace.

I do this a lot, before I had DS I was alone now I have an 8 month old baby for company. It's heaven. Asking for trouble? Did you point out that she is using victim blaming there? It makes me so angry that there is still this idea that women walking alone are putting themselves at risk- no no no I am not putting myself at risk I am exercising my right to roam and not be attacked.
Enjoy your walks. If you were a man no one would say a word!

I wouldn't but then our area is rough. Our local beauty spot has a flasher, he approached and flashed a 12 year old girl walking her dog, then ran after her and later on he flashed a female jogger,

Also drinking and drug needles on the path too, council say no funding to patrol or do cleaning. I don't bother walking any where now, too risky. There's some undesirables with mental health issues that live locally shouting abuse at females including little girls so walking alone is a nono even the day for women round here

I run in the countryside on my own. I've never been worried for a moment, and I think you are safer than in a beauty spot/ park as there are so few people no one would wait all day to not see anyone.
I do take my phone as I'd rather not break an ankle tripping and not be able to contact anyone.

I wouldn't. I know it's irrational because the risks are very low, and I'm probably more likely to be run over running around town rather than being attacked running through woods or countryside on my own.

I'm not keen on dogs, so I don't really want to meet loads of off-lead dogs when I am out and about.

I remember the case of the mum with two daughters being attacked (and their dog) and only one of the daughters (Josie) survived after having horrible head injuries. I know it was newsworthy because it was so rare, but there are often stories of women being hassled by men when running.

However, we will only have true equality in this country when all women feel comfortable doing exactly what you do OP - in the same way that men can. There are lots of places in my local area that I'd like to explore running, and it annoys me when I see men doing it and feel that I can't. But I do have female friends who do it and are obviously comfortable doing so.

Oh yes and I wouldn't drive to Paris either :) I'm just a wimp full stop.

mumontherun yes, runners and dog walkers must be the detectives friends. It often crosses my mind too.

I suspect the known health benefits of the exercise are statistically greater than the tiny risk of being attacked.
Having said that I personally don't have earphones on when out and about because I don't want to be isolated from the environment, either in town or country.

I enjoy long solitary walks and runs too but I would be a bit nervous in very remote areas, the idea of a man being alone in a very remote area makes me feel just as uneasy.
When I was younger I didn't give these things a second thought, and that was long before we had the security of a mobile phone wit us at all times!

Its more a case of being easily spooked, I'd be convinced that I'm being stalked by an escaped panther, I'd also be concerned about large attack dogs off lead

There are MNers who won't even answer the door if they're home alone. How some people get thru the day I can't understand.

I lived in a pooular welsh tourist village beautiful but full of weirdos i had a few bad experiences in the woods but always had my great dane with me, i dodnt let it stop me i was just more wary.

WTF? of course it's fine. I go fell running and walking on my own many evenings and weekends. As long as you know how to navigate you'll be fine, and even if you get lost it's not as though you'd be days from civilisation in this country.

Madness.

I regularly (3 or 4 times per week) run (slowly) along a canal tow path through fairly remote countryside with just fields on either side.

I always listen to music and have always felt safe. Occasionally though, somebody will tell me it's a "risky" thing to do. Funnily enough though, no-one ever tells me how risky it is to drive along the nearby accident blackspot daily - which I also have to do and which, to me, is a much scarier activity!

If we all lived our lives scared of absolutely everything, we'd probably never leave the house.

I'm also a real introvert and love long walks alone in the countryside, the more isolated and remote the better!

In fact I cant really understand why people want to walk in the countryside in groups, with everybody noisily blabbering and chattering away, surely the whole point of going out into the countryside is to appreciate the piece, quiet and tranquillity?

Your colleague is incredibly weird - is she from a city centre with high crime rates or something? Does she lead an incredibly sheltered, indoors life? Does she think that women who go out at night in mini-skirts are 'asking for trouble.? Is she living in the 1840s?

I live in a remote rural area, frequently go for full-day walks of fifteen or twenty miles by myself where I don't see another soul all day closer than someone moving sheep on a distant hill, and often, if I can't sleep on a moonlit night, I go out for a stroll in the fields, where the only appreciable hazard is waking a local farmer's flock of fierce geese.

In neither case would it occur to me to bring anything with me to fend off an attack, which is vanishingly unlikely - I bring a mobile purely in case of the much more likely event that I twist an ankle in a rabbit hole.