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 walk and run in the evenings all the time. Given that I’m far more likely to die crossing the street in the street in broad daylight than I am to be murdered by a stranger, there’s no reason not to as far as I’m concerned.

It’s very rare indeed for women to be raped in random attacks by strangers, and it’s even rarer for that to happen in places like country parks. Rapists very rarely hang around in places where a) they will have limited opportunities to actually find a woman and b) where they can’t make a quick exit. You’d be much more likely to be attacked in a town where you can be easily dragged into an alleyway or something.

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/march2022#:~:text=Adult%20victims&text=In%20the%20year%20ending%20March%202022%2C%20female%20victims%20were%20more,other%20known%20person%20(9%25).

Interesting stats here. In the year ended March 2022 only 6 women were murdered in open houses outdoor spaces.

I'd do it, but then I haven't got anyone worrying about me! He's NBU to be concerned: it's not just predatory men (v low risk, imo) but also things like tripping over a log and breaking your leg/head (probably higher risk).

So, take precautions. The obvious one is a big, fuck-off torch and a smaller one in your pocket. Has the park got full 4G/3G coverage, and have you got around £170? You could get a personal alarm thingy that will call DP at the press of a button and send your GPS location. Most have two-way speaking, which would be a massive help if anything happened.

A button round your neck is much easier and safer than a phone in an emergency.

I had a big and very protective dog (think Rottweiler type) and felt safe walking through country fields alone in the evenings.
I no longer have that dog (I have another breed) and was recently flashed at early morning in a quiet high street with my dog. It really shocked me, the dog didn't even notice and I now don't walk at quiet times alone.
It's not fair but I want to stay safe.

Don't know where 'houses' came in to that! Murdered in open outdoor spaces it what it should say.

That's the thing though, I'd definitely feel more unsafe in a high street in weird hours than a huge country park

I wouldn't personally especially in winter. I'd worry about good lighting/ clear paths and falling or slipping if it's not salted when it's really cold. I would probably go somewhere well lit like along a main road in the dark. I do think being with a dog makes me feel much safer but I also don't want to be in a scary situation. In summer I wouldn't think twice about it.

I walk my dog around the streets at night but he's a big scary looking dog.

I also run at night round the streets with my music on.

I said to my husband I wish I was brave enough to trail run through the woods at night but I'm not. He said I'm more likely to be attacked on the street than in the woods. And he's probably right.

I walk to and from my local station for work at 2/3am as well.

See I feel the opposite. A high street is highly visible, as a kid I was always taught to stick in public places if I felt unsafe. Whereas a huge country park is quite secluded, you can’t as easily approach someone for help (especially in weird hours) or run for safety as you could be quite far into the park away from exits.

You could be minding your business on one side of the park and be unaware of someone being kidnapped in a shady corner. Whereas someone being kidnapped on a high street will likely attract witnesses, both visual and auditory, and be caught on camera.

I also wonder about how quick you can get help in a huge country park. Will you have phone signal? Will people be able to quickly find you or will they have to look for you? There’s a difference between trees being nearby, vs street signs and identifiable shops. What’s the police response time? If I got a taxi or person to pick me up, they could drive right up to the high street but not to your location in a huge country park.

Just because you can.......... it doesnt mean you should.
Its annoying and horribly unfair but no I wouldnt.

I’m often out in parks and fields at dusk or after dark. At this time of year (generally still evenings) you can hear a twig crack a mile off. People just don’t wait behind hedges or trees on the off chance a woman will come along. It’s also pretty difficult to see so unlikely an attacker would even know what they’re up against. I feel much safer in a deserted field/wood or in sight of a few dog walkers than walking along the main road at night where I could be bundled into a van or find someone lurking in a bus shelter. I wouldn’t listen to loud music after dark though

I would, and I do. I don’t have a dog. I am aware of the dangers of being outside. I’m also aware of the dangers of being inside.

Outside, rurally at night, the biggest dangers are tripping or falling, hitting my head on a branch, missing an anklebreaker on the rabbit fields, somehow falling into water, getting bogged down in some ridiculous marsh that wasn’t there yesterday, not noticing an electric fence, scaring the sheep, rousing the cows, getting lost, falling into a patch of nettles or brambles, falling off a larger rock or down the scree. You can see and hear cars on approach a mile away and I use footpaths so getting hit by one is exceptionally unlikely. I don’t live on the coast so don’t have to worry about tides or mudflats. There is also the very tiny risk of meeting a person who wishes me ill.
Whilst Im out, I’m in zero danger of dying in a house fire, falling down the stairs, getting carbon monoxide poisoning, burning or cutting myself making food, drowning in the bath, and any one of many other common household risks. Being out also reduces the much bigger, statistically, risk of violence against me from someone I know or live with. I’d rather be out if someone was breaking in, too.

I have a head torch and I carry spare batteries. I have a charged mobile phone with GPS, saved maps and signal. I have a compass and a whistle. I wear good solid boots, I move slightly slower than in daylight and am more careful with proximity to heights or water, because it’s easy to get distracted looking at the ground for trip hazards and realise abruptly you are too close to something you shouldn’t be. I do everything I need to to be safe outdoors, and I walk wherever I like, 3am or 3pm.

I think to summarise my post above, you may benefit from an “exit strategy”. If you feel unsafe when out walking the dog late at night in the park, what will you do? Who can you contact? How can you minimise risk? What’s nearby? Will you drive to the park or walk to the park? Can anyone, if it comes to it, drive to you and collect you?

walking along the main road at night where I could be bundled into a van or find someone lurking in a bus shelter

it’s interesting, as to someone that has lived in cities my entire life, these are unlikely events. I’ve never had these feelings, especially as bus shelters aren’t really existent and have been stripped back. (Possibly as an anti-homelessness measure) I’m aware of the dodgy white van stereotype but I don’t worry about being bundled into one (more catcalling/horns beeping).

The whole country was locked down for much of 2021-2 though - far fewer women walking home from the pub or waiting at a lonely bus stop for the last bus home.

Didn’t all violent crime except DV go down massively that year? (DV went up massively)

I wouldn't and I wouldn't want my dh too either. I'd be more worried about tripping on uneven ground and getting hurt.

Just a thought, if you had to get an emergency taxi home and leave asap - would the taxi be able to accommodate your dog? Are there certain apps you should use, or firms to call? Worth checking in advance so you’re not faffing in the moment.

I am in my mid 30s and walk my dogs (now 2 but used to be just the 1) regularly in the evenings. I went for a walk this evening in a national park and the only people I saw were at the start finishing their dog walk. I would feel more anxious about walking in a town than walking in a national/country park as whoever may choose to lay in wait would be waiting a long time for someone to stumble across them!

Just go prepared, lights for you and the dog and phone well charged. I also track my routes which is shared with a friend so they could see roughly where I am as a safety net

Agreed.
After dark there a predator on every street corner waiting to pounce.

Just over 20 years ago when I was younger and more naive, I was followed home. It was evening time, can't remember the exact time, but probably around 10pm ish. I was living in London at the time. I'd come out of the tube station and was heading back home which was a short walk, maybe 10 mins. Not long after coming out the tube station I was aware of a short, fat little fucker in a suit a little too close behind me. I kept walking - upped the pace and couldn't lose him. Got to a road and knowing he was literally right behind me, I waited until he crossed first. Thank fuck - he was now in front. Not for long my friend! He slowed his pace right the fuck down and I was back in front. I started running, he started running. At this point I was FUCKING TERRIFIED. Just as I was approaching home another bloke (yeah they're not all bad for sure!) saw what was happening and chased the fat fucker and caught him. Long story short - the police were involved and he admitted what he'd done (he didn't really have any choice given the circumstance).

About 5 years later, I had an art studio in a fairly rural part of London, a bit further out. It was a space I'd use evenings and weekends, around my day job. Leaving late in the evening to catch the bus home was all fine... until one day it wasn't. I'd locked up, walked up to the bus stop, no one around, and waited. A car drives past, as he approaches he slows down and turns and stares, but carried on driving, I clocked this but didn't think too much of it initially. A short while later the same chap is back, he's obviously turned around further up the road so now he's on the opposite side of the road and again, as he approaches he slows down and again, he stares as he drives past. I can't remember how many times he did this, but it felt like it went on forever, meanwhile by this point I was starting to feel pretty anxious about my bus turns up. The final time he drives past he is driving on the same side of the road where I'm sat at the bus stop, only this time he doesn't keep going and repeat the pattern again... he stops. He's pulled up in a road that runs left of the road I was waiting at, and I can see him, sitting there, staring at me. I can still to this day remember the creepy fuckers face, and his hair. This was my 2nd REALLY BLOODY LUCKY escape, because thankfully the bus did turn up... it was one of those bendy buses that London used to have - I've never been so relieved to get on public transport. I sat down in a seat that was kerb side, full of relief but then also terrified this bloke was going to follow the bus and I'd have to deal with him the other end. Thankfully at the time I was living in central London and the bus stop was really close to my flat. I got off that bus and ran like I've never fucking ran before and got home. It was also fairly busy the other end (the end where I was waiting for the bus... there was no one around... pretty desolate).

So, thanks for the offer to cool off on the drama and to go for a jog at night, but I think I'll give it a miss.

In both of these instances, whilst they were not in a park - the things that made me safe were 1) someone else being there to save the day and 2) public transport that I was able to escape onto. Both these incidents still give me the chills, over 20 years later. They could both have ended very differently.

We're all grown ups, we can each decide for ourselves how we feel about the risks involved when it comes to being out and about as a female when it's dark, whether that's in a rural area or otherwise.

I do find it staggering to see that folk like you are so naive about women's safety though.

Also, I never said "most men are predators", I said that "men are women's biggest predator".

Statistically it is pretty safe. Much more so than driving to work.

Nope. I wouldn’t do it. I would always try to avoid walking on my own in the dark, in fact I’ve rarely done it. Fair enough if it was in a bustling city at night, but a country park? Fuck that. Not in a million years.

shouldn't though as men don't have to give shit like this a second thought...

Except they should really as they're 4x more likely to be attacked by a stranger and vastly more likely to be murdered than we are. Lots of thugs carry knives nowadays and plenty of non violent men have fallen victim, often fatally.

In fact, I think the number of men murdered with knives alone was higher than the total number of women murdered last year.

Yes I would.

Like fuck are some men going to stop me living my life as normal.

An acquaintance of mine was raped several years ago when she was running in a large park early in the morning. When she reported it to the police they responded ‘oh yes the X Park Rapist’. A man had been committing attacks there for months and there was no publicity about it.

I walk in the same park but only during the day and I stick to popular trails.