The advantages of 18th-century dating

Photograph: Alamy

I couldn’t agree more with Nell Frizzell that society – not just women – need secure pay and housing, parental leave and the rest, and have the utmost sympathy for the women facing the “panic years” (For those who want children, Covid has intensified the ‘panic years’, 24 February). But I can’t believe that walking dates are awful.

Every psychologist and every parent of an adolescent knows that the best way to broach a challenging topic is on a journey, side by side rather than face to face.

Dating 18th-century style by promenade must have its advantages, initially at least. If you can put aside the reason why you’re not lingering in a candlelit restaurant or speed dating in a bar, the ability to walk and talk and to get to know someone without the pressure of someone’s eyes on you is leisurely and liberating. At least a chaperone is no longer required.
Judith Martin
Winchester, Hampshire