Can I drive 5 miles to walk in the woods?

[R2221]

Just that really. We’ve been isolating for over a week and these woods are the only thing that kept us sane. Isolated woods - not many people there. Those we came across were mindful of distance.

With the current lockdown rules, are we allowed to drive there?

We will be having a wander around places we know are usually deserted for exercise. If there are other people there doing the same we will leave it though.

Well that sounds very sensible!

The OP, me and others believed that driving 5 miles to a quieter area was safer, and we got a fair amount of shit and name-calling for it. Accused of not giving a shit about other people and so on. No, we were doing something we thought reduced risk

Agree. The amount of name-calling and abuse that many posters got yesterday for making perfectly sensible suggestions - that have this morning been specifically endorsed by gov spokespeople and the police - was astonishing.

Accord to half of MN, it's much safer to trudge around a block for 15 minutes, in a highly-populated area, then 'FUCK OFF BACK TO YOUR FUCKING HOUSE' than driving for 5 minutes to a deserted spot to walk in the fresh air and thus avoiding other people.

Of course, it all depends on people being sensible. The walk-in-a-crowd-round-the-block ers think they're the ONLY ones being sensible. Others don't agree, including, thankfully, the people and bodies handing down the guidelines.

Yeah, not expecting apologies.

It was just confirmed on the news again. It is OK to drive to quieter areas to exercise. I think the words were something like.. use common sense and make sensible decisions.

Well, we aren't quite the thick selfish arseholes after all hey?

I live in a densely-populated part of a city, but went to one of my usual dog walking spots today - woodland about a 15-min drive away.

It was no busier than usual, we passed maybe 20 people walking/cycling in the space of an hour, the paths are wide, it is very easy to keep your distance, unlike going anywhere within a short walk of my house. I am going to carry on doing the same until the rules/recommendations change as I think it is far lower risk than joining the likely crowds in my small local park.

use common sense and make sensible decisions

That's going to be a red rag to the bull(ie)s on here..

Guy on the bbc news now says yes. He is on now, name not on the screen.

Guy on BBC news makes a valid point:
Driving somewhere quiet to walk in a wood or park may make sense, but it stops making sense if everyone does it because then those places get busy.

We have lots locally even though we are in a town centre but I am anticipating others having the same idea. I will ask my driving friends to have see if they can see people when driving past places to try to get an idea before. Obviously if lots of people in the general area I'm not going to bother.
Our council closed all the big parks at the weekend before boris announced anything monday. They're blocked the roads into them with big road blocks.

This is the entrance to one of them near us

This is when they closed them. A lot of people made a good point that 2 days prior they removed all parking charges so people could get out I'm assuming that's why they cracked down in the face of the headlines about not listening since they encouraged them not to listen

Not woods, but Battersea Park today. They just don’t fucking get it do they? This is why ‘exercise’ needs to be withdrawn from the list of permitted activity as obviously a large proportion of the population is too selfish, stupid or both to be trusted to make their own decisions.

if everyone does it because then those places get busy.

Yes, if that happens you leave.

The woods I go to is really not an exciting place to visit, so I think we will be OK there. There are plenty of nicer places to visit. If it does get busy there, I will turn back round and go home before getting out of my car.

I care about lowering the risk to myself and others, despite what some here think. I will make sensible decisions and hope everyone starts doing so too.

Not woods, but Battersea Park today. They just don’t fucking get it do they? This is why ‘exercise’ needs to be withdrawn from the list of permitted activity as obviously a large proportion of the population is too selfish, stupid or both to be trusted to make their own decisions

And yet the people suggesting a short drive somewhere deserted are being bullied off threads all over MN.

Driving somewhere quiet to walk in a wood or park may make sense, but it stops making sense if everyone does it because then those places get busy

That falls under 'bloody obvious' for me to be honest.

Driving somewhere quiet to walk in a wood or park may make sense, but it stops making sense if everyone does it because then those places get busy

Which is why they said to use common sense and make sensible decisions.

I live in a smallish town surrounded by a huge expanse of open land. Even if half the town went to visit local countryside at once we'd still be able to do social distancing I would imagine.

I'm going to be really disappointed if they close this natural resource on our doorstep and make us all stay in town, thus being at more risk of infecting each other, because people in London don't understand what it means to stay away from other people.

Glaceon a number of councils in our region have done the same. They didn't scrap the parking charges though and all toilets/cafes/visitor centres were closed. They couldn't secure access to the play areas but advised against it due to the virus living on surfaces.

They tried to offer an alternative for fresh air with the hope that people would apply common sense. Then it turned out that lots of people choose not to use it by going in big groups, not minding the distance between people, play areas full of kids, and so on. In the end they're all closed here now and I can understand why.

It's a shame but as ever the majority have to suffer because of the minority who think they're special.

The exercise thing isn't going to work. It shouldn't have been included.

They should do this by location. At two extremes:

Most of Scotland - no problem. Loads of open land. They have the right to roam too.

London? No way. Too many people, too little space.

Other areas - depending on the population and what space is available.

Play areas should definitely be closed. It's not just abotu distancing - it's also about the virus hanging about on surfaces e.g. the play equipment.

I am also wondering this. Within 10 mins drive on quiet roads there are many isolated areas we could walk for our exercise.
I don't want to take kids for a walk from my house because we live right on a popular walking route and there has been a non stop procession of people walking past all afternoon.

The exercise thing isn't going to work

On MN, there is a VERY vocal contigent who think that unless you're shuffling in a block around your own house, with everyone else, for 15 minutes max, then you're breaking the rules. That's stupid.

People with half a brain are exercising sensibly in places with fewer people. It's the yelling bullies who are getting it wrong here. It can work.

We are in the middle of a national emergency and a global pandemic, and people still think it's ok to drive for a nice little trip out. I wonder how many will still be thinking this in a couple of weeks, which seems to be where we are behind Italy in the rising death rates.

I would not drive unless you need to (this does not count as needing too) - you seriously do not want to be in a road traffic accident at this time.

How many times have posters said it...

Good luck if your car breaks down, good luck if you’re in an accident (we had two idiots in this area the last two weeks), where do you intend on parking now they’re going to close the rural car parks, where do you get petrol from? Are you touching no gates, no stiles?

Every time you leave your house you are creating a risk for those around you and the NHS. In two weeks time we’ll have more severe restrictions.

As I said before, we’re in a rural area with multiple corona cases in this valley alone. Three of our nearest villages have confirmed cases. Do you know the number of suspected cases around you? Do you know what this country could look like in two weeks?

Better bored than dead. Or harming others.

Look at Italy before you think we’re being OTT.

Think about people who are affected by corona, who are reading this post. One friend has JUST survived after two weeks in hospital from corona. We know so many others fighting it, wait til it hits people you know

I won't be driving to any woods to walk.

However can someone explain how driving to an isolated area is putting others at risk compared to walking around the local area which may be densely populated?

I do think total lock down will come once he has the bill to give police and military the powers. However there has to be some sort of sense of when an open space is more social distancing than a busy city or town.

We are in the middle of a national emergency and a global pandemic, and people still think it's ok to drive for a nice little trip out

People here are generally talking about following government advice.