A man shouted at me in the woods

[CaptainCabinets]

Walking my dog in the woods as I normally would (I go there because it’s quiet, spacious and we usually see nobody else) and a man who was also walking his dog there started ranting and raving that ‘all of you people need to go home and stop coming here, we don’t want you here, don’t you understand anything about the virus?!’

Note that my dog was under control and did not approach him or his dog (too busy sniffing trees). We were several metres from them.

For reference, I am a nurse looking after Covid patients so apart from going to work and coming home, I am doing nothing except walking my dog once a day so we can both get some fresh air.

AIBU for walking my dog alone in the woods by my house?! This man seemed to forget he was ALSO OUT WALKING.

Nutter

Unless they were private woods, belonging to him?

You can't argue with crazy.

What a complete idiot

Did you not say anything?

Why didn't you tell him you were a local?

Ignore him. He's not the police, he can't tell you not to go for a walk. Bet he wouldn't have started on you if you were a 6 foot rugby playing bloke.

It's obvious he thought you are a tourist or smth. Do you live in a popular area?

I suspect he thought you were someone who doesn't normally work there and had gone somewhere they don't normally. I keep seeing it on social media but these people don't seem to understand that these people have always walked there but because of commuting and not working from home just walked at a different time

What a twat.

Were you on his land?

How far did you travel to get to the woods?

Public woods.

@daisypond I told him the above and that we were local and he said he’d never seen us before. This was apparently not good enough for him and he started shouting that the woods were ‘normally quiet at this time of day and now everyone is coming here’ - I saw only him and his dog during our entire 90 minute walk around the place.

@Bufferingkisses as stated in the OP, they are by my house. It takes approximately seven minutes to walk there.

I live in a village that isn’t exactly a tourist hotspot

Of course yanbu.

What was he doing there then?

You don't live in the south east do you op? There was someone on village resident group ranting about woods in our village being busy this evening. Had to sit on my hands to avoid pointing out he was one of the ones making them busy (obviously some else did as it's been deleted).

Ignore him anyway (places like woods are going to get busy as gyms etc are closed and exercise is the only outlet for lots of people)

He is unreasonable. My local park is much busier but I don’t start shouting at people.

For your safety best to ignore though. I have an attack alarm hanging from my dog walking bag, just incase

@Littlebelina I do indeed...a village beginning with S, perchance?

The woods belong to him didn't you know?! 🙄

Don’t get me wrong, I am enraged by groups of people congregating but shouting at lone women walking their dogs in secluded woods is not high on my agenda

Yes! Woods behind the primary school?

@Littlebelina oh dear, has he taken to Facebook?! He really must be cross

He’s an idiot! Hopefully @Littlebelina can tell him he’s an idiot.