Walking alone in forests?

[Vemjs]

I was just wondering if most women are happy to walk through a Forest / big fields / nature reserves on their own for a dog walk? Or do you view this as dangerous?

Sorry it's probably not under right topic!

To answer the ops question - with my dog, I'm happy to walk anywhere on my own, including forests. On my own - would probably stick to parks

My big local forest is Savernake and we all know what we think of that place !😱😱

Do it all the time.

Does running count? My running routes go across fields, around lakes and through woods etc.

On my own, no dog. No, I don't regard it as dangerous.

Nope. Although I have panic attacks being home alone so I don't think I'm normal... I have a rottweiller but always have a means of protecting myself and have the SOS function on my phone set up and trackers on my phone and car. DH would think I'd lost my mind if I suddenly went for a walk in the woods alone.

All the time. The risk is worth the reward for me. I'm more likely to be attacked by a man I know and trust than by a stranger in the forest, just as we all are.

I walk my dog in open areas and woods. Prior to getting her I would only usually go for a run as I think people get sideways glances if walking alone and no dog. That may just be in my head though!

I did until a man with a baseball cap on came up to me making what I can only describe as silly noises was probably a miss understanding on my part but scared the out of me! So now I’m more wary!

I do love walking on my own and have it done it in woods, open spaces and in other countries. I’ve done it as a teenager, adult, all stages.

However there is a small risk and I really feel cross that there is. For men as well as women too, we forget that men are attacked by strangers statistically more than women. I guess it’s a small one in the day though.

It does make me feel a bit spooked though when my main local walk now is through a well used park, full of joggers and families, in a nice part of town, but on the main route I always pass a shrine of fresh flowers where a young woman was raped and murdered in the early evening, completely randomly. I think of her every time I walk now.

@Sunnyday321

My big local forest is Savernake and we all know what we think of that place !😱😱

That’s a real mumsnet spooky tale!

I wouldn't walk anywhere at all isolated without a sharp dog.

@Sunnyday321

My big local forest is Savernake and we all know what we think of that place !😱😱

I am missing something here as we often walk in savernake. Usually as a family as it is 30 min drive away, but still, what am I missing?

I regularly walk and run alone in local woods (no dog)

So far I've had no cause not to feel at ease doing this

I'm really surprised by some of the posts on this thread!
I'm with @NannyR and @LemonRoses, happy to go alone, wherever - forest, heath, field & lane (during daylight hours) - in fact, the more remote the better.

Maybe I'm naive?

But I find it so important for mental health to get out into nature.
I do live fairly rurally, fwiw.

When I lived in London I hiked all over the Home Counties on my own. The only thing that was ever a problem was fields with horses in. They’re a pest.

Yes I do with my 2 dogs. One is pretty big and goes crazy if a stranger goes near me. I'm always a bit more on guard in woodland than in open fields though.

I do this daily and don’t view it as dangerous at all

I walk along the river footpath near my house regularly with my dog and my little girl. I'd feel comfortable at the beach, park and in open spaces but I only go to the woods with my husband. It's not that my area feels unsafe, I just prefer not to go to areas like that alone because if anything did happen it's more secluded and less people about so harder to get help.

Yes, I'm not going to live my life afraid.

Rapists want power and like fuck am I going to give them that.

I run alone in woods all the time, even in the dark but I live in a rural area so don’t worry too much about meeting anyone dangerous. If I was somewhere more populated I probably would. In fact I would definitely be more nervous running alone in a city at night than in the forest where I live!

Every day with the dogs, am I aware of possible danger? yes, I have a rape alarm in my pocket, and I don't walk anywhere so remote that I don't pass other walkers.

But then I lived in London for 20+yrs and regularly walked home in the early hours from my friend's house to mine. You have to assess the risk and get on with life.

@Bluebird2021

yes i do

why not?

Take a guess

Yes I do it regularly with the dog.

I'm actually more nervous in the lanes as there have been a few attempted dog thefts locally.

Fuck no. I used to but after several experiences in my late teens I can’t do it anymore. I only walk in towns now.

I do and it’s never bothered me at all. I’ve been harassed on suburban streets or housing estates but not in the woods.