Will Devon & Cornwall be ok to go to in July?

[EinsteinaGogo]

We are in a real dilemma.. We have to pay the balance on our holiday in the next couple of weeks which is about another £800 on top of the £400 deposit already paid.

We've gone for a self catering holiday flat on the Devon / Cornwall border for last week of June /
first week in July.

Don't really want to go if the touristy places we'd usually go to aren't open but our holiday company are only offering a reschedule so will lose our money if we cancel. We have a family wedding next year (hopefully) so we don't want to rebook.

We were pretty sure we'd still be in lockdown and be able to get a refund but now that the new rules are in place, I don't know if we are or aren't allowed to go.

AIBU to think we should be able to get our deposit back?

I’m booked for Norwich in August and I fully expect to go

I actually do own quite a lot of our local area

Obviously nobody will go on private land but people are allowed on public highways and footpaths. i think its unlikely that tourist attractions and campsites will be open though so doubt many people will come. Maybe some holiday cottages will open and if people are happy just to go to the beach, go walking they might come.

@ITonyah depends how you look at it as you are saying we may not of had the peak in sw so our numbers may go up and some other areas might see there cases going down , we just don't know yet
But people will of been crossing borders for deliveries , jobs , how do you think the food got on the shelves .
I know not in same numbers but as I've already said maybe slowly introducing tourism will be the way forward

“ you will see the tiny number of cases in the SW compared to the rest of the country. Of course people from outside will bring it here”

It’s already there, by definition. My mother is wearing PPE to see all patients anyway. And she still hasn’t met my newborn baby and is unlikely to be able to for many weeks or months, and my father is self isolating in their house because he is vulnerable. Because she is a greater risk as a doctor in the SW than my little family self isolating in the SE. Now I have no problem acknowledging that increased tourism brings increased risk. But I can also manage not to be hostile to people asking questions about it when there is so much uncertainty

@ITonyah your comment and then laughing about you actually so own a lot of your area obviously means you are quite financially stable not all of your fellow residents are and lack of tourism will affect some of them hugely

Some comments here about Devon and Cornwall residents are ridiculous. I've spent most of my life in Devon and I've never heard of loathing towards tourists.

That's my sincere hope - that it's just a vocal minority and that the vast majority are happy to share their beautiful counties with respectful tourists - and also take advantage of the economic benefits that they bring with them.

It was also the driver for my fanciful secret ballot suggestion. Sometimes, a proportion of people can seem (or be presumed) to speak for everybody, when that isn't the case. For example, there was the clear impression in England that all Scots hated us and wanted rid of us. Whilst I don't for one moment equate simply wanting independence with hating your neighbours, Indyref made it clear that approximately half of Scots wished to stay in the Union. Some may have changed their minds afterwards for various reasons but, again, it was suggested that all of the Scottish people hated the idea of Brexit, when 32% actually wanted it. It never hurts to know exactly where people stand.

There are not alternative jobs in Cornwall for them and some will be on really hard times

Yes this is a genuine concern I agree @Easilyanxious. I am hiring at the moment (non-tourism business) and will be opening up positions via the Unlocking Potential scheme if possible.

As a nation, we will need to think creatively and collectively about how to create jobs in the future. Hospitality trade nationwide likely to have fewer jobs for quite some time.

Although interestingly Cornwall has one of the lowest rates of people reliant on benefits.

really interested to know how social distancing is going to work in our nearest village bearing in mind the pavement is about a foot wide and you're barely 2 metres apart on the other side of the street (single track road). The queue for the tiny co-op (the only grocery shop for 7 miles) is constantly about 15 people long (all standing 2 m apart). If it's still like that when tourists come it'll be great fun!! Maybe the local bakery will use the queues as a pasty selling opportunity!

There was talk of making The Shambles and other narrow streets in York one-way. There are ways of accepting temporary restrictions without having to be totally excluded from going somewhere. Some supermarkets are having people queue outside, which is annoying, but waiting your turn is much better than not being able to buy your food at all.

@OrangeSamphire I agree and also some hospitality staff may be home furloughed in 80% bit as it's often. It very high paying anyway they may well still be struggling
I have lost my job due to this and it's not easy trying to find alternative work at the moment

really interested to know how social distancing is going to work in our nearest village bearing in mind the pavement is about a foot wide and you're barely 2 metres apart on the other side of the street (single track road). The queue for the tiny co-op (the only grocery shop for 7 miles) is constantly about 15 people long (all standing 2 m apart). If it's still like that when tourists come it'll be great fun!! Maybe the local bakery will use the queues as a pasty selling opportunity!

@ITonyah presumably the locals will stay away to keep safe? 🙅‍♀️

And when I say 'as a nation' I mean the whole UK. Don't want that to be misinterpreted as me thinking Cornwall is a nation (although I know some people do think this!)

Sorry meant not very well paying

Honestly all this about the hospitals being over run etc, like the London's ones were not overrun!

Can you imagine telling people that they weren't welcome in London?

I didn't realise so many people visited Cornwall because they wanted to be welcomed by locals with open arms... I thought it was more about the beaches, seaside towns, moorland walks and attractions...
Who knew people would be so sensitive to a few lairy social media posts!

Cornwall has ONE hospital.

London has what? 80?!

That’s why people are worried.

@understandmenow - it was me that said this actually and I'm not sure whether you're joking or not about locals staying away? Many who live in the village are elderly or don't drive so it really is the only shop they have available to them? I am aware of supermarket queues- we have them here too you know! It was more about the physical ability to social distance in places where there are virtually no pavements and the shops are tiny so it's one person in at a time.

@understandmenow - so you're saying London would have welcomed 3 million Italians and Spanish in March are you?

@TeddyIsaHe and how many people live in each? Are you suggesting the London hospitals didn't struggle?

Thank you @Tollergirl for being the voice of reason.

My friend, who owns a glampsite in Devon is DESPERATE for people to be able to visit again. they've worked so hard for a decade establishing their business. Really, really hard work, renovating broken old barns, constant cleaning, chopping wood, mowing grass, maintaining trees and hedges, making sure their guests get to enjoy a bit of paradise for a week each year.

Their site has brought about a measurable upturn in the fortunes of their local farm shop and village pub. They only use local suppliers for their toiletries, furnishings, welcome baskets, maintenance of their site. They contribute an enormous amount to their local economy and the vibrancy of their village.

Throughout the summer months she works 12 hour days, longer often when a guest can't light the woodburner or can't find a bottle opener at 1am, what they make in the summer months sees them through winter.

they'll be ruined in a couple of months. all that hard work, their entire lives decimated. They've repaid their guests non-refundable deposits, because they aren't dicks and recognise they need the goodwill of their customer base. they have no income without visitors.

They're just one family but to see everything they've worked for go down the drain is devastating and makes me wonder just how many of these "stay away" types realise that their actions now will harm the place they purport to love for a generation.

not everyone in Devon, cornwall etc feels like this vocal minority

@Tollergirl where do you think the majority of the flights were landing? Where do you think they were going? Landing in Newquay?

I don't think you'll have three million visitors though 🙄

And @Tollergirl Italy and Spain are different countries, not the same country. The one that we all pay taxes for, the same health service, motorways etc.

Can you imagine telling people that they weren't welcome in London?

IKR

HandsNotWands I think the majority of people in Devon & Cornwall are very torn, don't want our cases to increase but don't want our economy to suffer even more than it already is.
There's no answer.
Imagine how your friends would feel if it turned out that their campsite became a hotspot for the virus after they welcomed some asymptomatic guests.
People are scared, of what is happening now, and what will happen in the future.

so you're saying London would have welcomed 3 million Italians and Spanish in March are you

18 million people have travelled into this country in the past few months. A good % via London airports - Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Standsted, and London transport hubs - train, bus, coach.