please empty your brain below
Interesting. My map of 'dog encounters' wouldn't be very different from yours DG. What is it about those eastern edgelands which makes people think disciplining their mutt is optional, I wonder?

Mike Newman | Homepage | 14.10.18 - 8:50 a.m. | #

Can I be the pedantic one today and point out it should be venomous snake and not poisonous.

I know this thanks to watching QI.

I think you put these slight mistakes in to test if we are actually reading the blog.

Barry | 14.10.18 - 8:54 a.m. | #

I'm sure Barry has done this deliberately, but can I be the pedantic one and point out his first sentence should end with a question mark?

Martin | 14.10.18 - 10:03 a.m. | #

In the opinion of a contributor to "stack exhange" : "Rhetorical questions can be ended with either a question mark, an exclamation mark or a period. Using a question mark is probably the most common choice, but it is really up to the writer to use whatever punctuation matches best the intent of the rhetorical question.".

Meanwhile, back in the real world, I am pleased to read DG's summary of risks to life. Rather that the relative risk, I'd prefer to comment that most people are so unlikely to die accidentally that the risk should not stop anyone from doing any normal activity. Ignore headlines which say "XX doubles your risk of dying from YY", when the likelihood of death, doubled or not, is negligable.

Malcolm | 14.10.18 - 10:26 a.m. | #

Excellent. Very Bill Bryson-esque

Flare | 14.10.18 - 10:34 a.m. | #

Having read the comments from Barry and Martin, my wife asked what the collective noun for pedants was ...

strawbrick | 14.10.18 - 10:43 a.m. | #

A "loneliness" perhaps !?.

James | 14.10.18 - 10:52 a.m. | #

Never have I trod so carefully as on a solo walk past "The Bad Step" to Loch Coruisk on Skye in June. No cattle or dogs let alone other people. The thought of miles limping to safety along a craggy path really concentrates the mind. Great walk though.

Lorenzo | 14.10.18 - 10:54 a.m. | #

A "prissiness" of pedants perhaps?

I once found a tick on me whilst showering and promptly fainted. The next three days were spent in hospital as they tended to my fractured skull. Be careful out there.

Milo | 14.10.18 - 11:01 a.m. | #

No, it's not just you, I too have considered the effect of suffering a heart attack in a little used area but it hasn't stopped me although I do tend to stay close to areas where the grass is pressed down by walkers.

MikeH | 14.10.18 - 11:03 a.m. | #

Am I alone in becoming bored by blog comments increasingly becoming focussed on the intent, language and pedantry of the commentator?

From the grandstanders and smart-arses, to the apparent thin-skin DG that exhibits in some responses, and more recently in entire blog entries, what was often previously a lively discussion on the blog content/photos has slowed into an often turgid array of the anodyne and sycophantic.

I visit the blog daily, truly appreciate the quality and usually check back several times later to read the comments. It's a shame that people now seem reluctant to respond to the instruction to "empty your brain below".

And yes, I'm fully aware of the irony of this contribution.

Frank F | 14.10.18 - 11:16 a.m. | #

Finding yourself walking behind a man surreptitiously carrying a shotgun, hearing gun shot as you pass through a stand of trees, nearly slipping on wet rocks next a rock face, an adder crossing, and other horrors come before the so numerous dogs that have bounded up to me and tried to claim me as treasure. I have learnt, for the dog hazards, just to stop and raise my hand in a policeman-like stop sign works amazingly well on the dogs!

B | 14.10.18 - 11:16 a.m. | #

I was walking through Richmond Park yesterday for the first time in over 40 years, I had quite forgotten just how beautiful it is with the deer roaming around and like you DG I was also startled by a deer who rose up from a patch of ferns, I shall not leave it so long to go back next time as its a wonderful place to spend a sunny afternoon.

fishislandskin | 14.10.18 - 11:19 a.m. | #

Homo sapiens are quite capable of putting themselves in danger without help from outsiders, from climbing mountains in flip flops to swimming in large bodies of water in disused quarries.

Still Anon | 14.10.18 - 11:39 a.m. | #

Yes, we don't know how lucky we are. I spent a few years living in central Africa where the wildlife seemed to be armed tooth and nail.

Caz | 14.10.18 - 11:47 a.m. | #

Nicely done - perception of danger is a fascinating subject.

I'm fine with dogs (although in Richmond Park you are more likely to be licked to death by a black lab or a teacup cockapoodle) but am terrified of cows (I'm not sure about being safe if under 60 - those bad girls can get a fair shift on when they want to). To me, Richmond Park has a safe 'feel' to it, in contrast to the lonely cheerless marshes of Essex and Kent where you feel one wrong turn and you will be lost in the maze of muddy inlets, relieved only by the tide coming in to smother you.

However, the ticks are a present if not clear danger in Richmond Park, and it is probably advisable to stick to the paths.

The other not clear danger there is the oak processionary moth. Again I certainly wouldn't be fearful, but I'd make sure I didn't set up my picnic rug under the boughs of an oak, particularly one that had a blue or yellow disk on it (you can tell from them how many nests are in the tree - they give up counting at six). While the moths themselves are harmless, exposure to the hairs that come off the caterpillars can cause severe irritation.

GJ | 14.10.18 - 11:50 a.m. | #

Interesting reading about people's concerns about being taken ill or having an accident when in 'the wild' so to speak. I was recently walking on Bostall Heath in Woolwich which I noted had frequent signs indicating a grid system should the Emergency Services be needed.

Mike Newman | Homepage | 14.10.18 - 11:55 a.m. | #

Your mention of the threat of being attacked by a tick has me worried,as I awarded you a tick for yesterday's post. I'm ever so sorry DG. I hope you'll recover soon..........

Jo W | 14.10.18 - 11:56 a.m. | #

Many people in the western mainland are quite excited about the return of the wolf...

There are daily updates in the papers even...

Southern Heights (Light Railway) | 14.10.18 - 12:08 p.m. | #

I love our countryside - it's the best and most accessible in the world - in my opinion, before the pedants jump on me!
My only injuries from walking have come from tripping over kerbs on my way home from the said countryside!

Cornish Cockney | 14.10.18 - 12:23 p.m. | #

I look forward to your latest missive each day. Learnt so much about London and given me loads of ideas about places to visit. Thankyou !

Dogs being friendly, hmmmmm. Have a son in his 20's, autistic, very wary of dogs. This severely limits where he can go. National trust and Hampton Court Palace. That's it. Cannot go to Box Hill, any woodland in Surrey or public park. Once a dog spooks him it can take a few days for him to recover. If another dog owner says "he's only being friendly" as fido bounds up to my son - who is over 6 foot tall and built like a rugby player but can run as fast as Mo Farah - I may start saying rude words.

Chessington Resident | 14.10.18 - 12:49 p.m. | #

I'm ok with the dogs, wildlife in general, even heart attacks and ticks... I always hope for the best... But as a woman I worry a lot about male human beings in the woods. Nothing against men but that's what you learn in life as a woman.

It doesn't put me off walking on my own in remote places though - I come from Brazil where someone can kill you in your own garden so I feel extremely safe in England.

Renata | 14.10.18 - 1:12 p.m. | #

Interesting thoughts.

I've walked in areas of the US where it's necessary to carry around bear spray. It certainly didn't spoil the walk, but did add a certain frisson to it, as you are always conscious that at any moment a giant creature could appear and attack you!

Mikey C | 14.10.18 - 1:20 p.m. | #

Encountering a shooting party while walking alongside the Severn Valley Railway was a bit unnerving. They were less than willing to stop while I walked through them on the Public Footpath and the more paranoid part of me felt that I could vanish without trace and there would be no witnesses. I gather there may have been a bit of an ongoing issue with a landowner finding the right of way across his land inconvenient so trying to discourage its use.

Andrew S | 14.10.18 - 2:14 p.m. | #

Not to mention the ever-present menace of feral big cats - Beast of Bodmin etc etc. You can never be quite certain that an escaped leopard will not jump on you from behind that innocuous tree stump. I hear beavers are making a comeback. You don't want to mess with those teeth.

drD | Homepage | 14.10.18 - 4:57 p.m. | #

I agree with Renata above. I love walking alone and don't let the niggling fear stop me, but the niggling fear's there. In an isolated spot, I'd prefer to take my chances with a couple of cows who are eyeing me suspiciously, than with a couple of men who are eyeing me suspiciously, even though the men are probably just gentle, grumpy birdwatchers and the cows are homicidal maniacs.

Becky | 14.10.18 - 6:57 p.m. | #

Got threatened by the classic 'Get off my land' farmer with a shotgun in Cornwall once. We trusted our OS map and he didn't open fire. A bit sphincter loosening though.

Still, I note that a Brit mountain biker was killed in France this weekend by an over-enthusiastic hunter.

Chris | 14.10.18 - 7:17 p.m. | #

As a fairly scruffy man who walks alone in the country, how do I make it clear to any females that I meet, that I am not a homicidal rapist?

mikeS | 14.10.18 - 7:22 p.m. | #

MikeS, I wish I had an answer to that. It’s horrible judging men that are probably just normal people walking just like me, but the fear is always there. I don’t run from everyone I see, pretty much the contrary, but I try to follow my instincts. I had a friend chased in Richmond Park once. Not fun.
As Becky said above, behaviour counts and as though we could get into trouble by misjudging someone who appears to be friendly but is not, I’d say just act normal and all should be fine.

Renata | 14.10.18 - 7:42 p.m. | #

Chessington Resident: Have you considered joining the RHS? Their garden at Wisley is open almost every day of the year and only Guide Dogs are allowed in. My son isn't keen on dogs, so it's a good place to visit and not have to worry about seeing one there.

Friar Sven | 14.10.18 - 8:53 p.m. | #

Apt, as this Greenwich resident is currently on her annual solo hiking trip in the US. I don’t go to places with bears, but spent a little while on Friday morning getting paranoid about mountain lions. Usually though my fear is more along DG’s lines, re getting injured with no help nearby. I’ve turned back once or twice on trails that were too isolated for my liking, definitely. (Plus others that turned into being too challenging for my abilities, thus increasing the possibility of a mishap.) But overall, I adore these trips, and as a solo woman I never get the guy-nerves here (only rarely at home too, tbh). And I’ve got the Capital Ring section that covers Richmond Park pencilled in for the weekend I’m back to cheer me up, so this definitely feels like a very relevant post for me!

MightyMouse | 14.10.18 - 11:25 p.m. | #

'... deer may be large but run away...'
Hmm. I visited Bushey Park this summer, hadn't been there for years and had forgotten there were deer there. Walked through from the Hampton Court end and could see some in the distance, near the Teddington entrance.
Suddenly, two deer, a male and a female, began running in my direction. I froze, I had no idea what to do. Apparently the official advice is to climb a tree but I'm in my 60s, have arthritis and have never climbed a tree in my life.
Luckily they stopped running about 5m away from me, lay down and seemed to settle. I backed away slowly then hightailed it to the cafe. When ordering my coffee I found I was shaking so much I could hardly get my money out of my purse.
I have no idea what spooked them, and summertime isn't usually a time when they attack humans - spring and autumn are the sensitive times.
Deer are hefty beasties, particularly the males so if encountered I would advise getting the hell away from them pdq, don't rely on them to move away from you.

Margaret | 15.10.18 - 7:49 p.m. | #

MightyMouse, One of the problems about growing up in such a benign part of the world as the British Isles is that it makes one overly sensitive to these sort of risks.

Out here on the West Coast bears can be an issue in the deep backcountry but elsewhere usually asking the locals before hand is enough to reduce the risk to basically nil. Same goes for mountain lions. The problem is almost always with sick animals. Or those that have been fed by irresponsible city folk. And if you make enough noise you will never accidentally come up a family group - a mother with cubs. Always very bad news.

If you are in the very deep back country, High Rockies or Alaska then a hunting rifle is always a good idea. The noise is usually enough in a tight situation. No one, not even hunters, likes to take these animals unless no alternative. Ranchers and mountain lions, protecting livestock, is another subject.

Around here the main threat on hiking trails is ticks - Lyme disease. And the occasional rabid skunk. You just run away. They have very small legs.

My favorite local threat are the "Plague Squirrels". About once or twice a decade trails are closed because the local squirrels tested positive for Bubonic Plague. For someone raised on the Enid Blyton etc and the Tufty club the very idea of Plague Squirrels is darkly and daftly funny. But like the Black Widows that live in the garage, one I still treat with respect and care.

Because your not in Wimbledon Common anymore. Where I spent so many hours exploring as a kid.

jmc | 15.10.18 - 8:04 p.m. | #

Richmond Park is one of relatively few places within the metropolitan area where you can smell and hear the season in the air, and really take it in; autumn in particular.

I once got a tick when living in Germany. I didn't know what this thing sticking out of me - with wiggling legs - was, so asked my neighbour, who told me to go to A&E immediately. I went on my bike and somehow went in a side door and wandered around some empty corridors. Eventually, a doctor asked what I was doing, so I showed him my Zecke, whereupon he fetched a colleague, extraction tool and disinfectant, put me on a bench and extracted it there and then. It took considerable dexterity and force, and some very funny banter between the duo. They sent me on my way with no questions asked, forms to fill, ID or health cards to show. I went back through the empty corridors and pedalled back home. A very surreal A&E experience.

NickW | 15.10.18 - 10:51 p.m. | #

Deer don't always run away

[news item about savage goring by stag]

David | 16.10.18 - 3:14 p.m. | #

David: yes, a similar attack happened last year at Richmond Park. I've seen people get really close to them which is just bloody stupid. They are hefty animals, even if it didn't gore you it would be like being hit by a car.

The point of my post was that I was a) on the path and b) not doing anything to attract their attention, and yet they still ran towards me. They are VERY unpredictable. DG and the person who posted above about disturbing a deer in the undergrowth were very lucky IMO - it could have been very different!

In future I'll restrict myself to Greenwich Park, where the deer are safely within an enclosure.

Margaret | 16.10.18 - 8:19 p.m. | #

When I wrote 'deer', I did mean deer, not stag.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 16.10.18 - 9:00 p.m. | #











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