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.

@CaptainMyCaptain

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

Exactly. Of course people would like to walk somewhere nicer than pounding their inner city or suburban streets. And many people don't have to drive very far to achieve that, and I wouldn't blame them at all. But crowding places and parking dangerously/illegally is a whole other thing. And has nothing to do with Covid.

@peak2021

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?

I'm going to guess that you don't live in an inner city flat.

There were pictures of people parked badly in Scotland at the base of hills and they had blocked gates used by Mountain Rescue to send 4x4 vehicles up when required. Absolute hell ends, I think the cars should have just been removed by police. A hefty fine payable to retrieve it, good luck walking 30 miles back home folks!

@billybagpuss

I think the only way to stop this is to have clearer guidelines, they should set a no one may travel more than 10 miles from their home with very strict exceptions:

Medical, proof of appointment required
Care duties
Escape from violence

Clear, objective, provable then no excuses.

I think that this is a terrifying concept.

Can you re read your own words?

Do you know anything about the history of Europe ?

Clearly not.

Perhaps we should have armed militias or martial law ?

People clearly want to give away their freedoms

@BlueGreenMeadow

Perhaps we should have armed militias or martial law ?

People clearly want to give away their freedoms

They do and that is frightening

@BlueGreenMeadow you do know that’s precisely what the welsh government implemented during the last lockdown with a 5 mile limit. I don’t think we’re quite at the point of iron curtains and armed checkpoints, simply temporary clear objectives to stop the spread of the virus

@billybagpuss

Do you really want to live in a country that puts such laws into effect? No thanks.

I’ll drive where I want to for a walk, a change of scenery is good.

But I will park legally.

I'm going to guess that you don't live in an inner city flat

I lived in an inner city flat share in the first lockdown and I didn't travel anywhere for exercise between March and June..I walked around the streets. If it's more than possible if you have any sort of resilience and self discipline

I live in an AONB and it's been chaos. I can't walk to the post box without having to walk most of the way in the road to avoid hikers and cyclists blocking the pavement putting their boots on or tweaking their bike. It's annoying.

However I'm bloody lucky I live where I do and in normal times the visitors are wanted because of the revenue they bring to the area, so it's petty to begrudge them being there.

I'm also lucky as I can leave my house and walk for miles. It can't be nice living somewhere city centre in this pandemic. I don't blame them for coming. I blame the government for not being stricter.

@CoronaIsWatching

I'm going to guess that you don't live in an inner city flat

I lived in an inner city flat share in the first lockdown and I didn't travel anywhere for exercise between March and June..I walked around the streets. If it's more than possible if you have any sort of resilience and self discipline

Oh behave lol

@Biker47

Don't have a problem with people driving to places to walk, do have a problem with shit ignorant parking.

Covid lockdown bootlicker wankers who expect you to do laps of your garden as your only exercise, like some sort of Victorian era gaol exercise regime can do one.

Exercise outside of homes should be banned for people who have a garden imo.

I live rurally and walk our dog daily from the front door. The fields are muddy and wellies obligatory. I would happily swap for a walk around our local (historic) city while it is so quiet. It would be bliss not to have to spend half an hour cleaning up the dog and every surface she has come into contact with. And walking on real pavements would be so much easier on my hips.
Even better, you can walk after 4.30pm and early in the morning under the street lights without risking falling down rabbit holes and walking into barbed wire.
When the view is the same everyday it doesn’t really matter where you live.

The Guidance:
"outdoor exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)"

They are allowed to travel for exercise in an open space (a short distance is OK - the distance is not defined).

I will not walk around my local area - it is so busy, unbelievably busy with joggers and cyclists puffing by in very close proximity, narrow pavements on both sides full of families and couples and people smoking/vaping etc. Roads too busy to walk in to avoid the crowds.

The police kindly set up an ANPR van on the road out of town to catch people 'breaking' the law/guidance/rules, but sadly do not appear to have the Guidance themselves. Presumably it is easier to invent a law about travelling than enforcing the actual law on face coverings.

Pretty sure the French among others imposed very clear and strict travel restrictions during the last lockdown, it would be quite easy to do here too.

Do you really want to live in a country that puts such laws into effect? No thanks.

Because “stay within ten miles of home” is soooooo much more scary than the 1001 other restrictions that do legally exist under this lockdown

Last time I checked there was no evidence that driving or exercising (in any location) increased the spread of Covid-19 so staying at home won't make any difference to virus case numbers.

I drove 7 miles today to go somewhere for a walk, not really a beauty spot but it is somewhere I often go or take the kids. Car park was practically empty, saw a few other people but it was quieter than on normal weekday times.

Yesterday I went for a walk on my local golf course but it was so flooded it was really difficult to navigate with the kids. I could walk somewhere else which I have and will continue to but a change of scenery is absolutely necessary to stop me going mad. They've taken the gym, my job, the schools, my friends, family, soft play, I am not giving up my reasonably local walks too just because I have to drive there.

The NIMBYs are really out in force on Mumsnet lately. Not doing much for the "country folk are friendlier than city folk" belief. People are just looking for covid-compliant activities. Have some sympathy and consider putting up with them your act of national heroism.

Exercise outside of homes should be banned for people who have a garden imo.

I'm thinking you are just trolling now.

YANBU. In my view, by all means drive somewhere nice that's not too far, but if it's busy go somewhere else.

I think though that bad parking in general requires a mindset of not giving a shit about other people. The person who parks on a double yellow is probably also the person who'll crowd in and won't mask up.

Exercise outside of homes should be banned for people who have a garden imo.
My garden is extremely small and quite muddy at the moment. Useless for exercise. On the other hand I can see outside my kitchen window, a canal tow path. I can walk miles from there and so I will.

and a court appearance if not followed.
That would wonders for our overcrowded courts. Will the ramblers have to form a socially distanced queue to the courthouse? Will they have to take their muddy boots off to enter the courtroom, as those who are baying for express justice for those who wantonly drive to exercise would want arrest and trial to be within minutes of each other? Shall we carry out express justice by cutting off the feet of people who travel too far for their exercise?

This all just shows how bloody minded people from the UK are, particularly the English.

Go back twelve months, before all this arrived proper, we were told outdoor exercise was good and healthy. Most folks response for various preferring indoor pursuits at home reasons, "nah, fuck that".

Tell those same people to stay in the house and do the stuff they used to prefer to exercise and all fucking hell has broken loose. Now they want to be outside because of their new found love of green spaces/water/sand/snow speckled rocks which has been ignited by telling them they cannot go there.

We are, by and large with notable exceptions, a nation of belligerent arseholes.

By the way, I am English too, before anybody thinks I am picking on the English from an outsiders perspective.