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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

A man shouted at me in the woods

99 replies

CaptainCabinets · 07/04/2020 19:01

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.

OP posts:
Bluebooby · 07/04/2020 20:03

Can't believe he was on Facebook ranting too. I heard a man on the radio today complaining about others being out, didn't seem to occur to him that he only saw them because he was out at the time. (Don't think it was this guy but would be so funny if it was)

Duvetday8 · 07/04/2020 20:04

@CaptainCabinets two word village second being hill?

ToCaden · 07/04/2020 20:05

Some people are just power hungry and like to make pointless battles for themselves. I grew up in a lane with a neighbour like that. You'd think he owned the whole lane the way he told everyone off for little things like riding bikes or trimming their hedges.

My mom was widowed with four kids and we had a terminally ill neighbour and a few older folks. The power hungry neighbour stopped the council from coming down the lane to collect bins by writing loads of letters of complaint. So all of us needed to take our wheely bins all the way to the top of the lane.

And of course when he got a bad back a few years ago he wrote another bunch of letters to complain about them not coming down the lane to collect the bins.

Don't let him scare you off. Hold your head high and walk in those woods. Seeing you a few more times is the only way he's going to realise he's in the wrong. Right now he probably still thinks you're a tourist lying about being a local.

Alsohuman · 07/04/2020 20:05

He’s a fuckwit. An angry one. But you know that anyway.

I’m deeply envious, I love bluebells.

Bluebooby · 07/04/2020 20:05

I regularly go for walks locally and we are lucky to have a wood and a nice big stretch of fields close to our house. They are both much busier than usual at the times I go, but as most of us are now at home all day long and allowed out once a day for exercise, I don't blame others for being there. As long as they keep their distance and aren't congregating I see no problem with it.

Stuckupsnob · 07/04/2020 20:09

He sounds neurotic. Probably intensely worried that he will get the virus. Maybe he has health problems but he has to walk his dog.

PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock · 07/04/2020 20:11

. Maybe he's just reached his own tipping point.... He's probably already quite stressed no doubt

Still doesn't give him the right to shout and abuse people.

Not his woods,not his path.

littlemixarerubbish · 07/04/2020 20:15

@Littlebelina and OP, I think my DM may live in the same village. 100 bus route?

AprilFloundering · 07/04/2020 20:18

Ugh.

People like that can't be reasoned with; they only see 'others', not themselves.

StrangeLookingParasite · 07/04/2020 20:20

If there is a next time, a cold stare, and "And you are...?" can work. Arrogant dickhead.

They look beautiful. I have wood envy.

Orangeblossom78 · 07/04/2020 20:23

We had a man turn up in our square the other night and start ranting at a tree! Something about it would be Sunday for the next 3 months and people would call the police Confused

think the lockdown is sending some people a bit crazy..

EasterBuns · 07/04/2020 20:25

I too think some people are beginning to go a bit stir crazy with the stress of lockdown and 24/7 Covid news.

Mawbags · 07/04/2020 20:31

@PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock

Och he is clearly an arsehole no doubt

Catsrus · 07/04/2020 20:35

I miss my woods Sad its forestry commission land and they decided to close it about 10 days ago [sob]. We are doing dawn walks, I'm in my 60's with asthma so being super cautious, I was driving to the big park (less than a 5 min drive at that time in the morning) where there was generally one other dog walker that we could see in the distance and the odd jogger or cyclist.

I decided to stop driving and do the 'walk from your home' thing - but the little park within walking distance had more people with the same idea. I said a cheery "good morning" to one woman and got a bit of a reluctant reply & glare, I'm betting she's cursing me as a newcomer to her morning walk slot!

Carry on using your woods OP!

Lynda07 · 07/04/2020 20:37

That man was seriously out of order, I wonder what he was thinking? You are as entitled as he to walk your dog. Carry on doing so!

Bringringbring12 · 07/04/2020 20:37

Tempted to select YABU just for the hell of it.

Dahlietta · 07/04/2020 20:40

He must be a Mumsnetter.

fodderbeet · 07/04/2020 20:43

Just name the bloody village!

IsolationBoredom · 07/04/2020 20:46

So funny you all live there

Original poster
CaptainCabinets · 07/04/2020 20:47

@IsolationBoredom what, all two of us on the thread? Confused @Littlebelina is the only other one who guessed it right, the other poster asking if it was a two word village is incorrect and so is the poster asking if the 100 bus route goes through Smile

OP posts:
HavenDilemma · 07/04/2020 20:50

@LilacTree1 Wow do you really not have any woods at all??? I thought everyone did, even big cities in the outskirts? I'm shocked

TheGreatWave · 07/04/2020 20:50

Is there some kind of Brownie Badge one can earn for being the subject of a FB co-vid rant? Obviously it has to be about something that is perfectly fine to be doing - walking near to home, leaving the house to go to work at the hospital etc

The ones doing the moaning are always there though, but everyone else is in the wrong. Everyone else shouldn't be there, should always move over for them etc.

Enjoy those woods.

Original poster
CaptainCabinets · 07/04/2020 20:51

Why on earth would I give the name of the fairly small village I live in alongside my occupation and my full posting history on a public forum when it has absolutely no relevance to the thread? Hmm

OP posts:
rwalker · 07/04/2020 20:52

Get on face book group saying how shocked you were to be shouted for walking in your local empty woods.

Pickles89 · 07/04/2020 20:53

He's clearly unbalanced. Don't let it get to you OP. Also, thank you so much for the work you're doing. Flowers