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.

There's an item on our local news about so many people flocking to the Ashdown Forest that parking is now impossible and that the deer population has moved to the outskirts and is invading peoples gardens. They are frightened.

A poster on another thread talked of people trampling through fields and destroying crops.

Maybe the government needs to reintroduce some sort of Country Code. It's there for all of us but we mustn't abuse it.

As @Honeyroar and @Beaniecats have said, Dovestones is plenty big for everyone. We did a ridgewalk from Dovestones to Chew and back over Christmas - it's a massive area of woodland. There are two problems really:

1. The car park is nowhere near big enough, and is used by Saddleworth people to drive to walk their dogs, when they could walk. There is no reason UU couldn't make the car park bigger.
2. Most people aren't used to walking there, and only come in a pair of trainers, so just walk round the ressers - if they wore sensible footwear and learned how to read a map they'd have the whole area to play with.

I live at the bottom of Tandle Hill and avoid the area because of the hundreds of people every day who are walking up there at the moment; it's impossible to socially distance. I did an 11 mile walk at Dovestones over Christmas and we only saw 10 people all day. Oldham Council should do some Comms re the variety of walks you can do around there, Denshaw, Diggle etc, and ditto Rochdale and Piethorn/Ogden.

Ugh, it's not woodland, it's moorland. Stupid autocorrect...

@AiryFairyMum

I don't know who the locals are being abusive but I'm definitely not one of them, nor do I think Saddleworth is in Yorkshire. It's definitely Oldham/Greater Manchester. But I don't think the county lines matter - it's the bad parking and driving that bothers me.

I've had abusive messages from about 10 and I blocked on Facebook, from community Facebook probably about same 20 ot 30 who are using Dovestones issues to try and close it as they dont want visitors.

Some numpty on the radio was waffling on about restricting people to their own borough/council area. I live at the edge of a central London Borough, I can think of five other boroughs within a one mile radius, several of them a lot less distant

Yeah good luck with that in Crystal Palace. Or in Camberley where you have Surrey, Bracknell Forest/Berkshire (Sandhurst) and Hampshire (Blackwater) all coming together!

This isn't about people driving for exercise, it's about stupid and inconsiderate people who can't park.

@redsquirrelfan

Some numpty on the radio was waffling on about restricting people to their own borough/council area. I live at the edge of a central London Borough, I can think of five other boroughs within a one mile radius, several of them a lot less distant

Yeah good luck with that in Crystal Palace. Or in Camberley where you have Surrey, Bracknell Forest/Berkshire (Sandhurst) and Hampshire (Blackwater) all coming together!

This isn't about people driving for exercise, it's about stupid and inconsiderate people who can't park.

But I live in Oldham Dovestones is Oldham and been abused through facebook for going there by residents around Dovestones

Bore off! The police will sort out dangerous parking. Just worry about what you are up to e.g. setting up threads like this. People need to get outside. The virus does not spread outside.

@Lastbonestanding

Bore off! The police will sort out dangerous parking. Just worry about what you are up to e.g. setting up threads like this. People need to get outside. The virus does not spread outside.

actually, you might want to do some research and find out that it does...

But you make your own rules why don't you

Post covid whenever that is we are leaving either further away from saddleworth or out of Oldham altogether

I agree that people shouldn’t all flock to beauty spots - that’s ridiculous of them.

However I don’t think it should have to be local, because in cities that just caused people to all be crammed into parks. Much better to say - do drive out to somewhere more remote/ quieter but use your imagination- try to avoid where others will be.

Also, I am very much against shitty parking - people should just leave if it is full.

@HarryLimeFoxtrot

I live in a rural village with no shops so what do expect me to do? Starve?

There is a difference between essential food shopping and visiting beauty spots miles away

I suppose publicising these problems is helpful as it tells the risk averse amongst us which honeypot places to avoid. Folk are so unimaginative at finding quiet places to go!

I live near a nature reserve and double yellow lines are being completely ignored now. I mean once you're in there it's fine as distancing so easy but lots of people coming from other places. I don't necessarily think driving for exercise matters as long as parking isn't an issue. I drive to the next village to walk in the woods and if I lived in a town I imagine I'd be desperate for some greenery, but the parking needs to be done respectfully

It feels like we'll be in lockdown forever because some people aren't following the rules/guidance/common sense.

I live in West London. Not far from a huge park and a lovely stretch of the river. There are lots of places for good walks. Since March it has been very busy, specially in each lockdown, as it is reasonably easy to get to for people from all over London and the South East. And they do.

The coffee stands and takeaways have been doing a roaring trade, specially since the beginning of January. At weekends and even nice weekdays the many benches are full. People sit and enjoy the views and have a coffee and a snack. They are spending money in our shops. The vast majority of us welcome them, not just for their money but but also because we understand that not everyone is near such nice places and we are happy to see them enjoying themselves.

Unfortunately the Council don't usually provide toilets or allow takeaways to open theirs, so visitors have to dive into the bushes, but we know it's not their fault. Many of us have been pressing the Council to rectify this but they refuse.

The result of all these people eating and drinking, walking, running and cycling, weeing and probably pooing, breathing on us and in our takeaways, on our Covid levels? A week or two ago there was only one Local Authority in England without rising cases - ours. Our rates have been falling since the beginning of January.

Clearly it is not wanton al fresco coffee drinking and exercising that causes Covid spread.

Simple answer is for the government to change rules so that exercise begins and ends at the front door. With real penalties (such as points on your driving licence) and a court appearance if not followed.

The issue of people travelling a distance for exercise was noticed in April, the Belgians adopted a simple rule to stop it. Would our government wish to be seen as less able than the Belgian one?

@Lastbonestanding

Bore off! The police will sort out dangerous parking. Just worry about what you are up to e.g. setting up threads like this. People need to get outside. The virus does not spread outside.

As previously mentioned it is not about the virus spreading outside. The reason people are asked to not travel is the risk of car accidents - so then potentially close contact with paramedics, doctor, nurses etc. Having to fill the car up more often etc. Yes I live near some beauty spots but have stopped going as often to reduce the amount of time on the roads etc. I take my dog walking close to home, on foot and try to vary it for him. My parents live near a beach which is somewhere I love to take the dog but it is a 25 minute drive so won’t be going there for a while now.

We have been asked to stay home as much as possible and stay off the roads. The more and more people think it won’t matter if they carry on as normal the longer this will last and the stricter the lockdowns.

I think people who are locked down and have no recourse to a bit of fresh air or beauty in their lives should be able to travel to somewhere that will raise their spirits. As long as they aren't sh!tting in the verges or rubbing themselves up against total strangers, I can't see the issue.
I am not personally travelling around, because I live near some nice parks and am happy to stay close to home. A trip to the seaside would feel like a glamorous holiday at the moment!

Some people really hate other people don't they. This is less to do with supposed safety and more about not wanting grubby people near them.

@TheGreatWave

Some people really hate other people don't they. This is less to do with supposed safety and more about not wanting grubby people near them.

Exactly our situation x

Oh piss off all you people who seem bemused / annoyed about people out walking.

We should be encouraging it. This whole shit show is a mental health crisis waiting to happen (if not already happening) and fresh air, exercise, a change of scenery and possibly company are all beneficial to our well-being.

As long as people aren't parking like dicks or acting inconsiderately, stop moaning.

Simple answer is for the government to change rules so that exercise begins and ends at the front door. With real penalties (such as points on your driving licence) and a court appearance if not followed.

This feels pretty unfair to people who live inner city or have mobility issues so can't walk far. Why shouldn't they see any green space for months?

I went for a walk around suburban roads yesterday. Encountered a few other people, maybe half a dozen.

Yet at a local “beauty spot” the local paper showed traffic jams, the car parks full, mud worse than the worst of Glastonbury...

It can’t make for a pleasant experience. Why don’t people think, “Oh, shall I drive to Dingly Nook ? no, everyone’ll be heading there on a sunny Sunday so I’ll give it a swerve.” But they don’t...

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

this ^ , as so many have said.

I think it is really important that people are able to still get out for a walk /run about every day, and yes, for some people that needs to involve them driving there.
I'm lucky, I live in a pleasant neighbourhood with some nice walks nearby and more than one park in walking distance, but I'm not so much stuck in my own little bublle to think that everyone has that luxury. I am also aware that a brisk 5K walk around residential streets is good enough exercise for me, a middle aged woman, but that picture is FAR different if you have 3 young children who are stuck at home all day and who need to run about and climb trees, roll down hills, kick a ball around, or generally do something fun to exercise.

"Simple answer is for the government to change rules so that exercise begins and ends at the front door. With real penalties (such as points on your driving licence) and a court appearance if not followed."

Christ. As if life wasn't bad enough at the moment!