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?

[ginghamstarfish]

But surely it's non essential travel. Do you not understand that ALL of us should obey the rules for this to work. Otherwise you get the twats driving miles to Snowdon, Peak District etc etc .... sigh.

[Bananasandchocolatecustard]

I do every day. I have a very anxious dog, he can’t cope with street walks.

[babydogandi]

No. Walk from your home

[ErrolTheDragon]

Hopefully things will settle down to people neither being overly prescriptive nor taking the piss. Do you have a 'reasonable excuse' eg by driving a short way to somewhere local that you know isn't heavily used you'll be better able to maintain safe distancing than if you walk from your door. Whereas driving a long way to somewhere pretty that lots of others might also want to visit isn't reasonable.

Who'd have thought... life is one massive AIBU nowadays.

[babydogandi]

Have you just watched the news briefing. Motor travel has increased, they said this wasn't ok. It's because people are getting complacent and thinking they can just drive to the woods, just drive to the park, just drive to the beach etc. This is NOT ok. Walk from your front door

[LimitIsUp]

Back down ginghamfish, who died and made you Chief Constable

[LimitIsUp]

Not everyone lives in sterile suburbia babydogandi - my front door leads onto a rural road with no pavement and a 60 mph speed limit. I have had 2 near misses whilst walking along there in the past week

I am very confident that the police will now support my 1.5 mile drive to the Forest Common since the Senior Police officer was quoted in the article above as saying this to his constables:

“Use your judgment and common sense; for example, people will want to exercise locally and may need to travel to do so, we don’t want the public sanctioned for travelling a reasonable distance to exercise"

I need to travel to exercise (safely) locally, and now can. So sorry if this upsets the Covid 19 curtain twitchers and Prefects!

[LimitIsUp]

Actually I am gloating. I am sick to the back teeth of you lot

[ErrolTheDragon]

Yes, that's the sort of scenario I was thinking of - short drive to somewhere safe is surely reasonable in that context.

Whereas a longer drive somewhere different because it's prettier or you're bored with your neighbourhood isn't reasonable. I'm getting a little bored with my patch but it serves the purpose so I'm not going to drive anywhere.

[babydogandi]

@LimitIsUp did you watch the briefing? I am repeating what was said by the government. In the last day or so the amount of people driving has gone up a fair bit. If you haven't driven all week to go for a walk and now start this is what attributes to the rise in cars on the roads 🤷🏼‍♀️ seems like OP doesn't have your situation at all so not really the same is it

[LimitIsUp]

The reason they emphasise that in the briefing is to deter the chancers from driving 30 miles cross country to the seaside.

[LimitIsUp]

Local 'neighbourhood' travel once a day to exercise - for those who can't just walk from the front door isn't going to present a problem. At least it won't in the rural areas of low population density as per my area

[LolaSmiles]

“Use your judgment and common sense; for example, people will want to exercise locally and may need to travel to do so, we don’t want the public sanctioned for travelling a reasonable distance to exercise"
Excellent.
So they can still keep the seafront car parks closed and block access to car parks near popular walking areas in order to prevent selfish idiots deciding they have to drive there, whilst those few who genuinely do need to be somewhere safer can drive a short distance and remain local.

[LimitIsUp]

"Actually I am gloating. I am sick to the back teeth of you lot"

I have to apologise for the confrontational tone of this ^^ - its just that the small minded busy bodies on our village facebook page who live closer to the centre of the village (where there is pavement & a 30 mph limit!) have been hectoring and lecturing the few of us not in their favourable position for the past week (and its rather got to me)

[LimitIsUp]

Exactly LolaSmiles

[Emjaygal]

Wow. Read the news. Stay at home ! And you cannot drive your car to go for a walk !

[LimitIsUp]

Emjaygal - I suggest you read the news. Start with my link. Dear God

[Inkpaperstars]

Well said @LimitIsUp

Unless guidance has changed in the last few hours, you can drive to exercise. You can. It's just fact. People here might not think you should. But you can.

[GinnyStrupac]

The new police guidance talks about exercising locally and travelling a reasonable distance. It's still not ok to drive outside our own local areas to visit the seaside or the National Parks.

[LimitIsUp]

GinnyStrupac - I think travelling locally to exercise over a reasonable distance is what most dog walkers wanted all along.

[vera99]

There are many experts in epidemiology and virology who are highly critical of the lockdown strategy. Few are willing to talk on record. There are public health experts arguing that suppression methods will kill more people than the virus. But they struggle to speak plainly, mostly out of fear of the social media mob. Many economists think it is mad to close down entire national production. But they tiptoe around their message because such opinions are threatening the mood of national cohesion.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/no-lockdown-please-w-re-swedish

[Whoopsmahoot]

The problem is not the drive - the problem is if u have an accident. You then risk the guy who comes to tow your car away, the police who attend the accident, the paramedics who come to check you out who are flat out anyway and then the hospital staff who have frankly better things to do. All because you couldn’t walk from your house. It’s a pain but it’s the sensible thing to do. It’s not for life people, just a short time. Walk from home please.

[Squiz81]

Well said @LimitIsUp the competitive quarantining and complete lack of common sense has driven me crazy the last few weeks.

[SpokeTooSoon]

The problem is not the drive - the problem is if u have an accident. You then risk the guy who comes to tow your car away, the police who attend the accident, the paramedics who come to check you out who are flat out anyway and then the hospital staff who have frankly better things to do

The inside of your head just be a worrisome place.

Be careful going down the stairs today - if you fall, you’ll be phoning an ambulance, the driver might crash on the way to yours, he might injure the scientist who was on her way to the lab to collect the only existing cure for Covid. She’s rendered mute by shock and unable to tell the world which drawer of her desk she’s hidden the antidote!!!

[LolaSmiles]

I think travelling locally to exercise over a reasonable distance is what most dog walkers wanted all along.
Not based on some things I've seen on social media.

There are some people still driving to local forests, woodlands and beaches despite it being perfectly safe to walk their dogs closer to home. They just want a change of scenery and to go somewhere nicer and the only reason the places they go are quieter is because the responsible majority are following the guidelines.

The number of people who genuinely need to travel to exercise or walk their dog is small. Others just prefer to and pretend that their want for somewhere nice is some sort of public service. I can think of lots of places near me that I could probably perform mental gymnastics to pretend that it's a reasonable local journey, but the reality is it's unnecessary so I wouldn't do it because an unnecessary journey is unreasonable.

A number of councils and organisations in my area have started blocking access to popular car parks because there's no need for anyone to be driving there, but people are. I totally support them in doing that.