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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

'Stay local to exercise' is rubbish

655 replies

ThePants999 · 27/03/2020 18:56

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52062209

Taking public transport to start your exercise is obviously counterproductive.

Driving to somewhere where loads of other people are also going to exercise is not exactly ideal.

Driving to somewhere in the middle of nowhere to go for a walk? Not only is that perfectly safe, I'm going to assert that it's BETTER than walking from your house, especially if you live in a built-up area.

AIBU? And if I'm being U - why? How am I endangering anyone by going out to the countryside by car instead of walking round my town?

OP posts:
lotusbell · 27/03/2020 22:34

Because people are being dicks about it! Local moorland near me on fire again - 2nd time in as many years - due to idiots lighting bbqs. 8 fire engines deployed to put it out, fire engines which could be used elsewhere at a time when public services are already stretched. People think it's a fuckinh holiday and are out in their droves enjoying the sun.

Cunninglittlevixen · 27/03/2020 22:34

If you're a couch potato do everyone a favour and stay at home

opticaldelusion · 27/03/2020 22:34

I think there are an awful lot of people who haven't got off the sofa for six years now desperate to exercise their 'right' to exercise. Literally haven't talked round the block for decades and are now in a tangle because they can't suddenly go leaping over the fens.

opticaldelusion · 27/03/2020 22:35

*walked

RainbowMum11 · 27/03/2020 22:35

It's also the mountain rescue volunteers who might need to be called out, not just paramedics/police/fire etc.

fiddlethefiddles · 27/03/2020 22:35

I live a 10 min drive from some beautiful open countryside

How often did you go there before all this ? We have some lovely scenery locally that people are moaning about not being able to go to now when they haven't been for years. Just walk and discover your local area or stay home and do fitness exercises

Bowerbird5 · 27/03/2020 22:36

Someone was killed on our roads today. I wondered if he was going out to exercise and I wondered if he was a nurse going to work.RIP

Poster that said about Mountain Rescue.
I agree.
We have lots of different teams in our county. The nearest one has a couple of people I know. They are medics. If their bleeper goes off and it takes longer than expected they may not be at work on time. One is a nurse, one is a GP and one is a Policeman with an unusual and specific job.

OP while I appreciate what you are saying you might be surprised. DH went Fell walking to a usually remote spot and he said there was loads of people there not all suitably dressed although he said they were conforming to the 2 m rule. I was cross with him going and now he is helping me garden as our exercise. Some of these people are not well equipped, can't map read, may be exerting themselves beyond their capabilities and therefore end up needing the Mountain rescue and perhaps medical attention at the few and far between hospitals that have Coronavirus patients in them.
The police here have issued statements to the local paper to make it clear to people what is expected.

airbags · 27/03/2020 22:36

@TheLadyAnneNeville@TheLady
Two word - likewise. Ironic.

waterlego · 27/03/2020 22:37

Fiddle, I’ve been regularly going to those spaces since I got my dog 4 years ago. Twice a week most weeks. Am doing lots of fitness at home too.

RainbowMum11 · 27/03/2020 22:39

And Derbyshire police got sniffy because they have a large area with too few police, and a lot of people travelling from cities to 'enjoy the isolation' therefore risking other people and overloading a very stretched and sparse health service.

In a city or even a big town, how far is it to your nearest hospital?

And bear in mind that city hospitals are generally better equipped.

Cohle · 27/03/2020 22:39

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/live-updates-michael-gove-leads-17996549

^Mr Gove has promised to release the data used by the Government to justify the stringent lockdown on the UK.

Dr Harries said she was “very confident” that the Government had “acted on the science”.

She added: “There is a bit of a moving agenda on some of the data.

“I should be absolutely clear that we have acted, we have looked at the modelling, we have taken those interventions in order that we know will have the biggest impact and we have steadily introduced those.”

Mr Gove says data shows there has been a dramatic decline in the use of public transport, freeing it up for key workers and a dramatic reduce in footfall - and the overwhelming majority of people are following the advice from the government.^

LaurieMarlow · 27/03/2020 22:39

Why are we suddenly banging on about mountain rescue?

Isolated spot does not mean dangerous mountain terrain.

Choo975 · 27/03/2020 22:40

Most people are just doing what is being asked. To be honest I don’t see this where I live and it’s a big town. Most people are happy going for a walk from their house, around the area and then back home. Why do you need to go to the countryside to have a walk?

waterlego · 27/03/2020 22:41

As someone who (obviously) walks my dog every day in every kind of weather, I’ve been wondering how come there seem to be so many people with dogs all of a sudden. I swear some people only take their dog out when it’s not raining 😆

PutColinInTheCorner · 27/03/2020 22:41

In France you can only exercise within 1km of your home. Maybe implementing that would give some clarity to this issue.

UnholyStramash · 27/03/2020 22:46

I thought too that people in small city centre flats might feel better going elsewhere - then somebody mentioned the risk of accidents and using scarce NHS resources. I can understand why some people would want to travel to exercise but I just don’t know whether it’s okay just now. I’m very glad I don’t have a difficult decision like that to make as I already live in a scenic place. Smile

SmallChickBilly · 27/03/2020 22:46

If you can link me to a video where an expert explains why everyone walking in built-up areas is better than people dispersing by car for their walk, I'll apologise for wasting everyone's time, as that's exactly what I've been after - an explanation of this "expert" advice.

I presume that they don't go into the epidemiological detail on the news because so few people want/need to know the actual science.

This article covers some of the way the probabilities are calculated, but if you can be more specific about which aspect of the advice you dispute, then there may well be something which specifically addresses that. (eg do you believe that the rules are wholly incorrect or do you think that they are wrong as often as they are right and therefore pointless).

For me, I'm persuaded by the fact that the escalation of the situation is more restrictions. That suggests that lack of movement is the more effective way to manage it. If people err on the side of 'more travel' when they have the option, then the option will be taken away from them.

lokoho · 27/03/2020 22:47

Ummmmm, mountain rescue is often not actually on the mountain? It's just the name. It's mainly things like getting "benighted" (eg going out and not realising how dark it is at night...)

I don't think I was banging on. It was a mild and informed point.

LaurieMarlow · 27/03/2020 22:51

It's mainly things like getting "benighted" (eg going out and not realising how dark it is at night...)

Most people aren’t idiots.

I’ve been going to a particular spot for years now. I’ve never needed anything remotely like mountain rescue.

MelbaToast · 27/03/2020 22:51

Fair enough to stay local to exercise if you don't have a dog - you don't need a park to run. I'm used to running 10k on the streets. To expect dog owners to do this is insane. My dog needs at least 2 hours exercise a day or he goes loopy.

Original poster
ThePants999 · 27/03/2020 22:54

@SmallChickBilly

I presume that they don't go into the epidemiological detail on the news because so few people want/need to know the actual science.

Agreed. That's why I'm here, in the hope someone more knowledgeable can explain why something that sounds intuitively incorrect is actually scientifically correct, or point to a resource that does so.

This article covers some of the way the probabilities are calculated, but if you can be more specific about which aspect of the advice you dispute, then there may well be something which specifically addresses that. (eg do you believe that the rules are wholly incorrect or do you think that they are wrong as often as they are right and therefore pointless).

I thought I had been specific, but I'll try again: I'm disputing the advice to not travel by car for the purposes of exercising. I agree that the incidents we've seen of hordes descending on beauty spots need to stop, but telling everyone in built-up areas to all do their exercise locally seems equally counterproductive. I think people should be allowed, perhaps even encouraged, to travel by private transport to somewhere where they won't come across anyone else for their exercise.

To be clear, I agree with all other aspects of the current advice.

OP posts:
GinnyStrupac · 27/03/2020 22:54

Why are we suddenly banging on about mountain rescue? Isolated spot does not mean dangerous mountain terrain

But it does mean footpaths and moorland, woods, forests, cliffs, rocks and crags where the usual paramedics, ambulance and fire brigade will not be able to reach you to treat you or transport you out. Most of our local call outs are people having a fall or being taken ill in these environments.

Original poster
ThePants999 · 27/03/2020 22:54

Ah - I thought you were talking about the article I originally linked, and posted before I saw your updates - let me go read.

OP posts: