Hi Fodorites,

I'm hoping to enjoy a couple of long walks while on vacation in northern England. One walk would take me to Chatsworth (about 7 miles) and there's another on the Longshaw Estate in the Peak District (2-3 miles).

My question is: as a single woman, should I be very concerned for my personal safety? On a weekday morning (10 a.m. - ish) in early May, should I expect to see many other walkers? I carry a self-defense spray here in Chicago and am a very careful person - but the beautiful images I see do sometimes appear remote. Just wondering what locals think. Have you heard of muggings and attacks on these walks?

Hi
Neither of the walks you mention is situated in Yorkshire - are you planning to walk in Yorkshire as well?
I walk in Yorkshire most weekends and have never heard of muggings and attacks. I do see women walking on their own too - not frequently but certainly several times.

Whoops! You're, of course, right. They're not in Yorkshire, are they? (I believe they're Peak District...?)

I'll be headed towards Yorkshire later that week. Staying in Pately Bridge (I may have time for a walk here - but will be visiting Fountains Abbey earlier that day, and I understand there's opportunities to walk around these grounds, too), and then headed to Castle Howard (will walk here... but this isn't a location I'm concerned about).

Thank you, Morgana, for responding. I'm very glad to hear you haven't heard of anything negative happening, and that you've seen women on their own at times. That puts my mind at ease a bit (but, of course, I'll still be careful).

Since you walk so often in the country, what sort of shoes do you wear? I walk in Chicago so sneakers are fine here... but is there a particular brand/type of shoe you recommend? (Am I overthinking this?)

Thanks again for all your wonderful advice so far!

I have walked long distances in the UK on my own with no worries what so ever about being mugged or attacked or whatever. My elderly aunt, who joined the Ramblers at age 60 used to regularly take off over the moors for hours of remote walking on her own, without a mobile, but always well equipped for if the weather turned bad.
If my tendinitis wasn't so bad I would have done the Hadrians Wall walk by now.
Do be aware of the weather but don't worry about attackers. And don't try and take your spray with you either.

Beware the Yorkshire Ripper!

Though i am not a woman i echo the view of others in that in walking many miles on footpaths i've rarely seen any cause for concern.

For walking in the countryside alone, losing your way and accidents like a sprained ankle are the worst things to be worried about. (If you feel better with a safety measure for these cases, tell the place where you are staying in the morning, I'm going to do that so-and-so walk and if I'm not back by xx o'clock please send help.)

A scumbag who plans to mug and attack people will go to areas where he is likely to find enough victims - like the parks and outskirts of large cities, or even better, tourist hotspots. Robbers don't live in forests any more. Far too little business options. No one hides behind a tree for days waiting for the one lonely woman to come this way.

I would definitely recommend 'proper' walking shoes and not trainers. It might be dry, but it might be wet underfoot and many paths can be slippery, rocky and muddy. Any make of walking shoe/boot would do, the only important thing is that they have been worn in.
The most valuable piece of safety equipment I would take with me if I walked alone (apart from a map or detailed instructions) would be a mobile phone. We always take ours and signal coverage is generally excellent in the Dales, wherever we walk (we try and escape the kids at weekends but they always manage to ring and track us down!).
Fountains is a huge estate and just walking in a circular loop from Fountains Abbey to Studley Royal, round the lake and then back along the other side of the river is about 3 miles. You can extend this walk at Studley Royal by walking out of the estate gate, along by another lake, across stepping stones and then walking through the valley of the Seven Bridges (see link below).
http://www.harrogate-country.co.uk/T...rt_walks_1.htm
There are numerous walks in and around Pateley - one of my favourites being up to the old lead mining works at Merryfield Mines and Ashfoldside. The local tourist board will have leaflets.

Don't bring that spray over here.

Possession of any offensive weapon - and however you choose to describe them, sprays are weapons intended to harm other people - is illegal, and trying to smuggle a weapon into Britain is an crime.

Think of it from the point of view of a mugger / assailant

You are planning to attack and mug a woman do you go to

a) a busy city with lots of females alone carrying handbags that contain mobiles, money and credit cards. can snatch the bag and run.If you don't see anyone suitable you can always go to the pub for a drink

or do you

b) head for a remote yet beautiful place where you will freeze various parts of your body off and may not encounter a woman. If you do she will be wearing boots and not carrying a handbag you can snatch and if you do mug her you would have to run several miles on rough territory to get away from her.

Take a mobile phone (note that US phones may not work here) but there are easy solutions to this (search "mobile" or "cell" on this site)

Weapons (spray or knives with blades over 3 inch not acceptable)

You need boots to walk in the dales unless you keep to sites like fountains abbey's gravel paths.

The only crime I've ever experienced on a walk was having our car broken into in the car-park at the beginning of the walk.
I agree that the twisted ankle is far more likely than the loan rustic nut case. In that unlikely event, any weapon would very likely be turned back on you.
I'd echo the advice about telling somebody where you are going and carry a mobile phone.

"If you do she will be wearing boots and not carrying a handbag you can snatch "... and she'll be a hell of a lot fitter than you, since she's been spending her life on long (which in English means over 12 miles) walks several times a week, while you've been snorting your head full of the coke you're mugging to pay for.

Mugging really is NOT the crime of preference among rural lowlifes.

Of course if you were a single female sheep....

Whoops, I meant a lone nutter.
I didn't mean a borrowed one ;-)

I do this sort of thing for a living and I have never heard of a hiker being mugged -it's far too much effort.

Also; be aware that pepper spray/CS etc is classed as a firearm in the UK and you really, really, don't want to break our firearms laws. In fact you'd be better off stabbing someone.

This is what I love about typing conversations, original intents can get totally messed up. Here is what I am talking about...

Cholmondley says " I do this sort of thing for a living..."

Now, I am assuming Cho means walking, but it could also be interpreted that Cho is a professional mugger.



dave

I think he inspects dangerous dogs for a living.

Oh my! Thanks for all the reassuring (and funny) feedback. I really had no idea my self-defense spray was illegal in the U.K. - it's such a comfort to me here, knowing I can temporarily blind and incapacitate a violent criminal in under three seconds from ten feet away.

I suppose I'm a bit hardened from too many years as a single woman in Chicago. Will leave the spray at home, along with the commando mindset.

Many thanks, all!

And again to Morgana - thanks for the further information about Fountains Abbey's (extended) walk and the Pately walk. They both sound like exactly what I'm looking for.

Glad you are leaving your spray behind. Besides the illegality - it gets windy out there! You could easily have ended up with a faceful yourself...although isn't Chicago the 'Windy City'? I have a comedy picture in mind of trying to run round circles round a confused mugger to get upwind before using it.

Have a lovely trip, it's a great part of the country, and I'm sure you'll be perfectly safe barring nettle stings and the after-effects of too many ales in the evenings.

run round circles round? Oh you know what I mean *doh*

I had a swell walk to Fountains Abbey from Ripon - first along a stream then thru forest to Studley Royal and back to Ripon via a different route.

Really nice hike.