Author Topic: Women hiking alone.  (Read 5790 times)

Magic girl

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Women hiking alone.
« on: 08:09:15, 09/10/18 »
At the moment i walk the same old routes where i live and I'm out for a maximum of 2 hours,I know of a few other routes nearby that are longer and more remote that i would like to do.My hubby isn't as into walking as i am so i mainly go alone while my sone is at college(he has aspergers and can't be left alone)Both my hubby and son aren't keen on me walking about on my own where it's remote and to make matters worse Hubby recently read about a women being attacked while walking her dog recently and now isn't keen on me walking my usual route which is remote ish.Do any of you other lone lady walkers carry anything to keep you safe/protect yourself when out and about? My dad in law mentioned pepper spray I don't know if you can get that or if only certain people can use it,the police for example.I thought if i carry something just incase hubby might feel a bit less worried,I've very rarely felt unsafe on my own only occasionally when a car or van has stopped a bit ahead of me for some reason but they've only asked for directions or let their dog our for a stretch of the legs and toilet stop and unfortunately my dag can't walk that far so I can't take her on all my walks.I need to keep going on my long walks as its the only thing that keeps me sane x

richardh1905

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #1 on: 09:52:27, 09/10/18 »

Carrying pepper spray is illegal, Magic Girl. You could carry an loud personal alarm - or get another dog, of an 'imposing' type, shall we say. Or persuade your husband to come along to protect you!

But do keep walking - the health and mental benefits far outweigh any perceived risk of attack.


Edit - "The use of pepper spray is illegal in the UK under the Firearms Act 1968 which prohibits use of any weapon designed or adapted to discharge noxious liquid, gases or substances. It is illegal both to bring pepper spray into the UK or to possess it, and people caught carrying or using it will be arrested."
« Last Edit: 09:58:34, 09/10/18 by richardh1905 »
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richardh1905

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #2 on: 09:56:37, 09/10/18 »
.. have you thought about self defence classes?
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Islandplodder

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #3 on: 09:57:06, 09/10/18 »

I am in the same situation in that my husband doesn't enjoy walking, and I go out on my own a lot.  Like you I have never felt particularly unsafe, I am more worried about being attacked by cattle or falling on rocks (I live near the sea and am well aware of the dangers of scrambling around on a rocky shore alone) than being attacked by a person.   I know it happens occasionally, but I have always felt less safe in town than wandering around in the wild, and the most dangerous part of a walk may well be the drive to the start, and even more the drive home when you are tired.


However, statistics never convince anyone when they are worried about safety.  Perhaps you could carry an alarm of some sort, or even a loud whistle can act as a deterrent.  The other thing I try to do is leave a rough itinerary and estimated time of return.  However, I do leave quite a bit of leeway for my ETR, I am at least as likely to get distracted, lost or just go slow for a while as get attacked or have an accident.

richardh1905

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #4 on: 10:01:59, 09/10/18 »

Alternatively, are there any walking groups in your area?


I have no idea what age you are so please don't be offended by me mentioning this, but the University of the Third Age (U3A) for retired of semi retired people often have local walking groups.
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gunwharfman

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #5 on: 12:56:14, 09/10/18 »
I've met a fair amount of women walking (and camping) alone, in the UK and in France. One young woman I met in the Pyrenees in 2015 carried a machete in a leather scabbard, "just in case", her dad bought it for her!

Whilst on the Stevenson Way, I wild camped and a passing young woman, near dusk (she was from Brittany) just stopped, said hello, chatted with me for a few minutes and then camped beside me for the night. I left early, never saw her again.

On the Pennine Way, prior to 2015, I was sitting on a rock eating a sandwich, when a young woman came towards me, said hello and just sat with me and ate her food. The most perturbing thing was, whilst chatting away she just took her trousers off, down to her underwear and then put her shorts on! I believe the term is, she was comfortable in her skin! Then whilst still chatting, she took her top off, down to her bra and changed the top for another one. All I could was blink! She told me she was an accountant in the NHS, used to go camping with her dad and even though he had now died she always hiked somewhere two or three times a year.

My first wife for example, came from Gloucester and worked as a Civil Servant in Tunbridge Wells. This was in the 60s, she used to hitchike back and forth to her home before we met. She always carried a 6" Bowie knife in her bag, as she used to say, if any driver got the least bit 'fruity', (a 60s term?) she would just casually pull out her knife, they always stopped! Again, her dad, who worried about her, bought it for her! I always admired her for that, a real flower power gal!

happyhiker

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #6 on: 14:57:07, 09/10/18 »
Judging from people I see out walking on the fells, they all see like decent folks. I have come to the conclusion that the type of people who might rob/attack/assault are just not the types to go serious walking, thankfully. I am sure you are much more likely to have problems in semi urban areas, playing fields, parks etc. or in very busy spots, easy to access by car. I have seen lots of women walking alone out in the country but not heard of any having problems.


Be careful about carrying anything which could be construed as a weapon. You could finish up in trouble yourself. However there are perfectly "respectable" items which in extremist might help - metal biro, long tailed comb etc etc.

Doddy

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #7 on: 15:18:08, 09/10/18 »
+ for knowledge of self defence. Be prepared to act as you would if approached inappropriately in your local High Street. Any weapons carried can be too easily used against you.

Mel

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #8 on: 18:33:35, 09/10/18 »
Lone female walker here.  Nope.  I don't carry anything to protect me.  If I'm grabbed from behind then chances are I wouldn't have time to get whatever it was to defend myself out anyway.  Plus, after a "controlled random grab from behind" at work once (they were proving a point on this very subject), all I did was scream, flail my arms about a bit and wriggle, in other words, panicked and lost rational thought.  What I probably should have done was bit his fingers and kicked backwards and got him in the g :-X :-X lies.


I feel safer in remote places than in semi-urban or city areas.  Most ner-do-wells can't be arsed to travel too far for a good mugging or worse anyway... only to bury the body  ;)


Walking alone does make me more cautious with regards to personal safety in a slip down a cliff and break my neck sort of way though.




April

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #9 on: 19:14:42, 09/10/18 »
I go solo walking and wild camping sometimes. I do understand why you might feel slightly worried going out on your own but you are more likely to be harmed (by humans!) in a city centre than in the countryside. I've been chased by cows three times and bitten by sheep dogs twice, I'm more worried about them! Or as Mel mentions, falling down cliffs and breaking ones neck, solo walks make you be careful where you put your feet.
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BuzyG

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #10 on: 21:03:37, 09/10/18 »
Often the best thing to carry in any difficult situation is confidence.  How you gain that confidence is different for different people.  We have a young lady of 87 in our walking group.  I'm 56 and she inspires me the way she will happily and confidently, spit from the group, in the middle of Dartmoor and head back alone on a long walk.  Keep up your walking and in time your confidence will grow.

Dovegirl

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #11 on: 22:01:46, 09/10/18 »
I'm a solo walker by choice.  Although I sometimes feel a bit wary in lonely spots out in the countryside, I think there's little risk.  It doesn't seem very likely that someone untoward would go into the countryside on the off-chance that a lone female might come along.  As others have said, it's urban and urban fringe areas that are risky.

ninthace

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #12 on: 23:33:13, 09/10/18 »
If your journey to the start of your walk involves the use of a car, then you are probably at far more at risk of injury on the way there and back than on the walk itself.  We never see it that way though.
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dav

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #13 on: 17:58:49, 10/10/18 »
Many women enjoy solo walking. Whilst doing the PW N - S, I came across a young American woman doing the LEJOG solo.All depends on ones charachter I guess some are at ease, some are more reserved.Whilst chatting with a mate and talking to a good fell running female doing the next leg in a fell race relay, She (still chatting) suddenly moved back a couple of metres, but still in the open, swatted down, pulled her shorts to one side and had a wee! We were shocked, she didn't blink an eyelid.

April

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Re: Women hiking alone.
« Reply #14 on: 12:47:11, 11/10/18 »
Whilst chatting with a mate and talking to a good fell running female doing the next leg in a fell race relay, She (still chatting) suddenly moved back a couple of metres, but still in the open, swatted down, pulled her shorts to one side and had a wee! We were shocked, she didn't blink an eyelid.

 ;D

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