to walk in a country park at 8:30-10pm on my own?

[danniegrace]

dh annoyed at this suggestion by me and said he will be really annoyed if i do it as he will worry the whole time. we have a pretty high energy dog and the best time for his longer walk is simply in the evening time, dog is with me all day but i am a carer for a relative so with them all day, dh does take dog out in the morning but he needs another walk again in the evening and i just prefer somewhere than a pavement walk or small park... i am a fully grown woman in my late 20s. i know this sounds weird but there has been absolutely no crimes there that have come up in any sort of news, at all, not even over a decade ago, its a rather open country park vs very woodlandy. would you do it?

I don't think anyone has said it is risk free, have they?
Just that they feel fine going out then, and willing to take the risk as they don't want to curtail their freedom.

Has anyone said it was risk free? It's a risk I am willing to take. I am much more likely to be raped in my own home but I also take that risk every day. I am more likely to die in my car but I drove my children somewhere today.

Nothing is risk free and people should assess their own risk for themselves. I refuse to limit my life because of a tiny chance there is someone awful lurking somewhere.

Not one person has said it is risk free so it's rich talking about others putting words in your mouth. Perhaps don't do it yourself?

The risk is small. Especially compared to other risks many of us take every day such as driving.

Nothing is risk free and people should assess their own risk for themselves. I refuse to limit my life because of a tiny chance there is someone awful lurking somewhere
Exactly, and same

Don't be stunned. It tends to be those who have never happened to experience being attacked in those very circumstances. It's natural to be brazen and naïve if you have never experienced being assaulted/followed/attacked.

I have always wondered how I would approach this type of scenario of walking alone if I hadn't had the experiences that I have had .

@Vettrianofan

Well said and I was just about to post something similar. Yes it's frustrating and it goes without saying that women should not have to think twice about the risk to their safety. Sadly and from experience, rights don't come into it and common sense and self preservation does. Sure the balance of probability and statistics etc are generally reassuring when assessing any risk, but if you draw the short straw, they count for nothing.
Based on experience (Walking home from work, 10pm, total stranger) I've had many years to reflect on how lucky I am to be here. I'm a pretty tough character according to those that know me best, but only I know how it changed me irrevocably. No, I wouldn't risk it.

I wouldn't, no. My mum was out on a dark evening dogwalk in her early 20s and a lone male jogger ran past her (going the opposite way) then looped back and ran at her from behind. Their enormous dog reared up on his hind legs, bared his teeth, and grabbed the man's sleeve, so he ran off. It could have ended very badly.

Fantastic post, very well explained to those struggling with the idea of why many of us hesitate with crossing over the threshold of our front doors in the OP's type of situation...

I have personally been followed on two separate occasions in my life time aged 18+ and for me it makes me always always so wary. I just can't innocently walk without worrying about the risks of what might happen.

It’s ridiculously unfair that as women we have to change our behaviour rather than the world being safe for us but I really wouldn’t be out in a dark country park for that long - your partner definitely has a point. You can get things on Strava where you set off a beacon so your location can be tracked and you could wear a headtorch etc but I think it is a risk unfortunately.

Nope. I did when I was in my 20s and once had to run for it as a man appeared to try to grab me - country park on outskirts of a city. Reported it and was ignored. There was a sex attack in the area shortly after. I do walk freely in the countryside whenever.

I wouldn't. I hate that we live in a world where there is genuine risk to our safety.

No we shouldn't have to consider the risk of being attacked and we should be able to go wherever we want to at whatever time but the fact is "shouldn't have to " and "should be able to" don't stop us getting raped. And we're the ones whose lives are changed forever in the unlikely event the worst happens.
I never want to go through that again. I don't care that I should be able to go/do/wear. "Should be able to" doesn't stop anything.

I walk in the woods at 9 pm in winter with my oh and a head torch

love it
wont stop it

One of my dogs is huge and both are protective of me, so it's never bothered me and before the dogs, I had no fear at all of walking through dodgy areas at night. But we are all different and I am probably too foolhardy as I physically cannot run or fight.

Sad how successful violent men have been in preventing women from living their lives as they wish with the threat of violence.

Personally, no thanks. If I want to walk in the dark I will. Life can never be risk free.

Do you cross the road, drive a car?

Far more risky than going for a walk.

Depends on what type of dig you have My friend used to walk round some bloody dodgy streets in London but had 2 rottweilers with her Most people gave her a wide berth

When you cross the road you look both ways. When you drive a car you wear a seatbelt.

What I mean by that is you are aware of risks that come with different things and you do things to lessen those risks.

To be fair, you have no idea what people commenting have or haven't experienced. People react differently and as we know, not all assaults or attacks involving women happen at night or by strangers.

It isn't naive to be aware of the statistics, to risk assess and to make a decision based on that. It also isn't naive to refuse to live in fear based on those statistics and making your own risk assessment.

I wouldn't go to a park at night alone. Perhaps if I had a very strong dog I would.

I grew up in a then rough part of London so it's just ingrained to not do certain things.

DH from another rough part of London & he wouldn't do that either

I would take the dog for a walk around the streets at night though.

OH as in Other Half? It's not the same thing.