To think it's ridiculous that people are still flocking to 'beauty spots'

[AiryFairyMum]

Last weekend parking tickets were issued because of all the selfish parking at Dovestones reservoir near Manchester. Lots of pavement parking etc.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/drivers-slapped-fines-people-flock-19596560

This weekend the same thing happened again. AIBU to think people should just walk near where they live, and not drive to walk, then park badly because the car parks are full with others doing the same. Yes, I understand the need for exercise, but no-one NEEDS to go on days out.

Everywhere is really busy. People are driving a little way to get away from people... and it has a wave affect. I have two parks in walking distance that used to be deserted when I walked my dog. Now, unless I'm there at the crack of dawn, they are heaving. So to help social distance it's tempting to go to the next park along by car... but the local walkers there have to go further afield.

We're all displaced from our usual spaces.

Shocking. I bet the locals are fuming. My parents live in pretty countryside and the lanes and paths surrounding them resemble Oxford Street on a Saturday lunchtime pre-pandemic, plus with the added bonus of a continuous tour de france level of cyclists. Don't know what it will take for them all to stay at home

What's really sad is that headlines like this, which imply widespread rule breaking (yellow lines aside, it's impossible to judge to what extent they have been broken as there's no way of knowing how far the cars have come), have put some people off from legitimately going about their 'normal' exercise.

My friend lives in a village, a few miles from the town where I live. Anyone around here would describe both as part of the same 'local area'. She was driving into town to meet me and one other person (at different times during the week) for a run. That's no change to normal. Running is part of all our lives, and it's good for our physical and mental health. We run very early in the morning and barely see a soul (so no affecting other people). She's now too worried about being judged for doing it, all because she was getting in her car and driving 7 mins or so. I'm sure she's not alone.
Where she lives there are no street lights, and no pavements, so she can only run in daylight - not possible when you work full time and have a primary aged child at home.
So the publicising of incidents such as this doesn't always have the desired consequences - in fact, given there have been oodles of these kinds of stories over the past year, I'd say they're doing nothing to deter the people who need to be deterred, and just deterring those behaving legitimately.

Parking on double yellows is wrong but saying to city folk you have the choice of walking on pavements or round a tiny crowded park is also wrong - people should be encouraged to go to quieter places further away from cities with booking systems for these popular spots car parks.

I live quite near Dovestones. It’s becoming a real problem there. Even before lockdowns there were many moor fires caused by portable bbqs. But the really strange thing about Dovestones is that there are LOADS of alternative places to walk in that area, with plenty of (free) parking so it baffles me why everyone coming to the area wants to just go there. Particularly when it’s going to be so busy.

The problem is the 'local' is a vague term without a strict meaning. It could mean within a walkable distance from your house, it could mean within 10 miles, or 20 miles, within my local authority or county? it's open to interpretation as you can see from this thread.

Where I live, I am 7 miles from the coast, and we went for a walk down there at the weekend with the dog and it was lovely to have a change of scenery and to be near the water. Boris Johnson went for bike ride in a park 7 miles from his home and this was deemed fine, within the rules and acceptable. Until a stricter measure of distance is put in place, this type of thing will continue to happen, as other posters have said, going for a nice walk is pretty much all we have left so I don't know why it's so shocking to see that people may want to go for a walk some place nice.

The odd walk on the country is hugely beneficial to my mental health. No, I'm not stopping, my mental health matters.

I live local to a national park and there are too many road users for the road space available during lockdown weekends. Walkers, cyclists and so so many vehicles, some of which had travelled over 50 miles to get there, according to our local police. It was bedlam. Last weekend I was nearly knocked off my bicycle by a vehicle cutting the corner of a junction, driving on the wrong side of the road and only swerving at the last second to narrowly avoid hitting me. This weekend I witnessed similar incidents of driving without due care and attention. The car parks are rammed and those that can't find a space park on the grass verges, damaging the SSSI. In a normal summer tourist season the area is busy but nothing like this. Everyone is so worked up at the moment too compared to the happy, calm and relaxed visitors we'd normally get. It's become so bad that I consider it too dangerous to go out at weekends now.

But that's poor driving. Poor driving/parking should never be allowed.

Driving to walk us fine.
Saying that i haven't been anywhere for ages as I'm too lazy so that's one less family off Box Hill

The problem is the 'local' is a vague term without a strict meaning. It could mean within a walkable distance from your house, it could mean within 10 miles, or 20 miles, within my local authority or county? it's open to interpretation as you can see from this thread.

There’s no interpretation necessary. Nowhere in the legislation for England is the word “local” used. There is nothing in law about the distance you can travel. Guidance uses words like “local area” but the guidance is not law and cannot be policed as such.

I don’t mind people driving to my rural location to walk - there is plenty of room for everyone . Why shouldn’t they have their spirits lifted by a lovely view rather than walking round a modern estate or down a town street . My only issue is their rubbish ( much better than in the summer actually ) and their parking ... it’s only a few who park idiotically .

I'd usually say YANBU but I'm absolutely sick to death of all the moaning and twitching on social media at the moment so I can muster up a "meh" at most right now lol
(I'm sticking to the roolz by the way)
Don't see the point in getting worked up about it.
People know by now what they should or shouldn't do, posts like this aren't going to make them suddenly see the error of their ways, just make the ones who are sticking to the rules feel more fed up or start to froth.
I'm just doing me, I can't control what others do.

Well at least we are recouping some of the money lost from this whole thing!

Idiots.

I have no issue with people driving to somewhere nice for a walk. However there is no excuse for twatty parking, especially on double yellow lines.

@MagentaRocks

The amount of people going to our local woods is insane. It is a couple of miles from me and we usually take the dog a few times a week as he can go off lead and has a great time. Due to lockdown we now only take him once a week at most as trying to avoid driving too much, to be in the spirit of the regulations. Yesterday it was packed. Cars parked on verges. There is a pretty big car park too which was full. Never seen it so bad as the last couple of weeks.

I know, how dare they! How entitled they must be to think they can go for a walk in a green space.

@MagentaRocks

The amount of people going to our local woods is insane. It is a couple of miles from me and we usually take the dog a few times a week as he can go off lead and has a great time. Due to lockdown we now only take him once a week at most as trying to avoid driving too much, to be in the spirit of the regulations. Yesterday it was packed. Cars parked on verges. There is a pretty big car park too which was full. Never seen it so bad as the last couple of weeks.

Because the woods is a nice place to walk and there is nothing else to do? Be thankful that it’s on your doorstep- others might not have anywhere pleasant to walk?

@CoronaIsWatching

Shocking. I bet the locals are fuming. My parents live in pretty countryside and the lanes and paths surrounding them resemble Oxford Street on a Saturday lunchtime pre-pandemic, plus with the added bonus of a continuous tour de france level of cyclists. Don't know what it will take for them all to stay at home

How very dare people want to go for a walk in the countryside! Shoot them all I say

@Almostslimjim

Well at least we are recouping some of the money lost from this whole thing!

Idiots.

No money being spent in my local national park as all the tea rooms, B&Bs etc are closed and parking is free. The police don't have the resources to issue many fines as our local teams have been hit hard by covid and many officers are isolating.

@CoronaIsWatching

Shocking. I bet the locals are fuming. My parents live in pretty countryside and the lanes and paths surrounding them resemble Oxford Street on a Saturday lunchtime pre-pandemic, plus with the added bonus of a continuous tour de france level of cyclists. Don't know what it will take for them all to stay at home

Yeah sorry that other people are out breathing in their space.

We don't have to all stay at home, so it is irrelevant really.

People should not park dangerously, pandemic or no pandemic. But outdoors is really pretty low risk. I'm more interested in the workplaces where it is spreading and the lax enforcement that I suspect is going on.

@Calmandmeasured1

We live near a beauty spot and the number of people visiting now is far more than in previous years. At this time of year there aren't usually many visitors, even at weekends. It's as if people think they have been ordered to go out and exercise for an hour every day.

Or maybe it's as if everything else is closed and so going for a walk at the local beauty spot is ALL THERE IS. I would hazard a guess that at this time of year, even on weekends, most people would be visiting others in their homes, going shopping, going to the gym or pool, visiting indoor attractions. Is it really hard to understand why outdoor places are currently busy

@CaptainMyCaptain

Travelling a reasonable distance for a walk and parking like an idiot are 2 completely different issues.

I agree

I imagine some on this thread have gone full League of Gentlemen over their local area...

Live in a picturesque Norfolk village with some great walks. It is much busier than normal, but these are difficult times and people need a bit of a break, so, welcome and enjoy! It is everyone's countryside and not just the people who live there. I would just ask everyone to park responsibly and not to litter. it might be helpful if we had some guidance on what exercising locally actually meant. I think 10 miles generally is fine, but without really clear guidance, I do think that some people will travel much longer differences, which does increase the level of risk- stopping for food, petrol etc, and effectively taking a complete day out.

@HarryLimeFoxtrot

Not comparable, don't be a twit.