Was I unreasonable to let my friend walk to the train station alone on a night out?

[Anonymous2003]

I'm aware that the title sounds very bad and I'm thinking I may get a lot of angry comments. Last month, my friends and I went out for drinks in the city centre for my birthday. None of us bar one live in the city, and public transport is not great here with trains being few and far between. Since we went out around 4pm, I wasn't planning on us staying out too late but we didn't make any 'set in stone' plans on what time to go home.
3 of us (myself, Friend 1 and Friend 2) live in the same general direction, with the last 2 trains going home in that direction being at 9pm and then 10.50pm.
After we had our meal we went to a bar round 7.30pm and it didn't feel like we were there very long before Friend A said she should be going soon to get the 9pm train as she didn't want her mum to pick her up from the train station late at night.
The atmosphere was only starting to be good and neither me nor the others wanted to leave so early. Friend 1 hadn't had many drinks and was nowhere near drunk. Friend 2 offered to get the train home with her at 9, Friend 1 declined. We offered to walk her to the station (20 minute walk each way for us which is quite lengthy) and she declined. Friend 1 said she would walk to the station alone while talking on the phone to a relative to feel safe.
We said goodbye and texted her soon after to make sure she got on the train okay, she told us she did but had gotten lost on the way there.
We are going out again this week and she said she will try to get a lift home to save her walking alone.
Were we bad friends to not go with her? It's not like we didn't offer but I still feel a tad guilty despite it being relatively early in the evening. I don't plan on doing this again.

9pm in a city centre? Seems absolutely fine to me, I don't think it would have occurred to me to even offer. But I do this all the time.

She's fine walking at 9pm

I have done it before too when I've had enough drinks and am tired and want to go home (sometimes when very drunk oops) but was never angry at friends who wanted to stay on later at the bar. Was in contact with Friend 1 today who was saying that her mum is anxious about her walking around at home at night (we are aged 20/21) as there has been a lot of violence against women where we live recently.

I'd get a taxi if it's a 20 min walk to the station

You offered, she declined, not seeing you did anything wrong.

YABU to overthink this so much. She didn't want babying, she just wanted to walk to a train station by herself. It was the hour of 8, no? Not exactly like leaving her alone walking down a dodgy footpath at 2am. Stop worrying and listen to what she tells you.

Sorry I'd never leave anyone to walk alone especially if it's a place with recent violence. I would have ensured she got a taxi . Attacks can happen at any time of the day

You offered and she declined. It’s fine, don’t overthink it.

Where are you going next time, if 3 of you live near each other and she lives in the other direction could she stay with one of you overnight and you all walk together or share an user,

That's very true. I suppose the guilt comes from the whole mantra of 'friends don't let friends walk alone at night' and I wonder if I acted like a shit mate

We don't live near each other at all unfortunately, I meant that the train we could've gotten together stops at each of our hometowns.

I would be quite annoyed if anyone tried to force me to take a taxi when I was happy to walk...

She's an adult. Presumably fully functional? She should be able to get herself home.
Without her dm coming to get her either...

It was 9pm and she wasn't drunk, I'm guessing the centre was well lit and you did offer, I wouldn't feel bad about this. I'm a lot older than you and my group of friends would have insisted we order her a taxi - she wouldn't have had a choice as we'd would have just ordered it. I would never leave a drunk friend to walk alone nor would I if it was a bit later on at night

You’re not unreasonable.

9pm in a city centre is fine.

You also offered and she declined.

9pm? No problem.

This.

So you never walk anywhere alone?

Honestly, I've been walking around alone at night since I was about 16. It's a completely alien concept to me that grown adults can't walk alone. It just doesn't make sense to me.
I'm 50, never been attacked by a random stranger. I don't know anyone who has. I do know plenty of people who've been assaulted by their partners though.

9pm in a city centre and not drunk is perfectly reasonable for walking to the train alone. I don't know how anybody could function if they weren't willing to do this. It's not remotely like abandoning a drunk friend in a club in the wee small hours.

There's a general code on nights out about sticking together and not leaving a drunk friend to find their own way home at night. This instance was different but I can see why the OP asked. I think people are responding to a 'night out scenario' not saying no-one should ever walk any where alone

YANBU.
I often go out on my own so obviously get myself home.
I'm aware there's dangers but I'm not going to stay in.

I mean, in the recent epidemic over here, most women have been murdered/assaulted by people they know such as partners or ex-partners. Not saying it can't be a stranger though. But the statistics are true.

What constitutes “recent violence”?

This week, last week, last month? The Civil war?

You’ll be hard pressed to find any city centre that doesn’t have “recent violence”.

I wouldn't have offered to walk her.

And if I was her, I'd either walk it without a problem - city centre, not that late - or I'd call a cab.