While driving to exercise might be unwise it is not prohibited by emergency legislation--new guidance for police.

[BreathlessCommotion]

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/30/uk-police-guidelines-coronavirus-lockdown-enforcement-powers-following-criticism-lord-sumption?

I'm pleased that the police over reach is being discussed.

For example, I am pregnant and I have a toddler who regularly falls over as he's learning to walk. If I go for a walk in my town, as I did yesterday, I encounter 35+ people, the majority of whom it is impossible to keep 2 m distance from on pavements and paths. My toddler has to stay in his buggy.

If I drive 10 mins (which, incidentally is not as far as I have to drive to go to the supermarket), to go to my normal walking location, there are acres and acres of open space and I do not have to get in close proximity to anyone. There is one gate, which I wear gloves to open. There is no livestock so my dog can be off the lead chasing a ball. My toddler is free to exercise as there is no broken glass, dog owners are diligent about picking up dog waste.

Common sense tells me the latter option is safer and better for our health. Exercise for everyone is important. I'm not going to pass on/receive the virus there, and no, contrary to the belief of many on here, I am very unlikely to break my leg on the gentle grassed gradient of a walk I've been doing pretty much every day for the past year and a half. I am not worried about having to call mountain rescue for assistance. Yet according to many on mumsnet I am being utterly selfish for driving and walking there every day.

Looking from over the water (France) I can only say: unless the govt nails down the specifics in legislation, and empowers the police to enforce it, people will always interpret “advice” as they see fit and as they want to - or not at all.

Here, we aren’t allowed more than 1k from our home address, not allowed out for more than one hour, not allowed to make any non-essential car trips. We have to carry and signed and dated (including time of signing)) form every time we leave the house (as we carry ID including hone address all the time anyway) If we are going out for medical purposes, we are expected to show the appt letter or prescription. It is pretty clear and very little is left to “advice” or “interpretation”,

The gift here learned quite quickly that advising people wasn’t enough. Once word spread or people saw 1-2 people doing something, they all assumed it would be ok. Because that’s the other effect: the more people are seen, mention, post about, etc driving somewhere to exercise, the more other people think “hey we can do that too” and we will be back at the situation of packed carparks and picnics.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52101040

Some of police behaviour has been dreadful. I saw PP on tv bragging re what she and the police would do. I wouldn’t be surprised if this has been encouraged by her.

It has been incredibly scary how some police have been abusing their powers and how militant a section of SM gets, as if all common sense goes out the window in the line of enforcement.

I also think this has turned into a rich man/ poor man lockdown. Come ride your expensive bikes and ponies for miles with all the gear. Those of you unable to afford the above do not get in your car and drive a fraction of the distance for safer walking. We will not share our green spaces and want struggling families who shun their cars after being shamed into it to not even use public footpaths as we don’t want their dirty germs. We can’t possibly think of others and use sanitiser or gloves. It’s ok for us to do the reverse journey and shop further than we need to as we are the elite land owning country folk.

This has really shown an unpleasant section of society. We are a country with 2 extremes.

I must admit I'm surprised how many people don't use a sleeve or coat or plastic bag etc to open gates with.
I've always tried to avoid touching these frequent use areas without covid!

But then we've never shared drink cans, water bottles, etc lick fingers....

We are however a shoes on house...

LEMON

^^, hear hear.

I've toyed with buying bikes so we are free to go anywhere! The sheer hypocrisy.. Over seen cyclists on social media defending cycling miles but dead agaisnt driving a short distance for a walk.

Where I live they’re still going out in cycling groups from different households, bike shops are booming. Not a sausage of shaming. Encouraged by the government. JW came off his bike last week and broke his hand but no let’s shame 5 minute car journeys as they are somehow more dangerous.

Many families can’t afford bikes, bike gear or ponies. For some lockdown is a completely different experience to others. Some barely have enough money for food and were struggling with issues before. They do not have the cash for a sold out running machine, puzzles or anything else. Some don’t have gardens and are living in over cramped housing.

Empathy is what is needed not shaming.

I am a farmer's wife, I am also a part-time supermarket worker. I'm in the position of seeing two completely separate worlds at the moment. I know how farmers feel about footpath walkers, I have certainly had words in the past with some who blatantly ignore the rules. I also understand what is going on at the moment outside the farm gate. It is a very busy time on farms now with lambing and spring calving and most farmers will not have really noticed much difference in their usual lives as they are fully occupied by their work. I have been falling out with many on some farming forums where they are banging on about more people using their footpaths. As a shop worker I certainly feel more in danger in the shop than touching one of our gates, and there are always gloves. Sorry farming world, I've been one of you number for nearly 6 decades but I also think the call to close footpaths is mainly due to the usual, trespassing, not controlling dogs issues with maybe just a bit of fear thrown in.

Why shouldn’t people drive for a walk? Or walk twice a day?

We need to keep this virus at low levels in non vulnerable people, not zero. It’s not going away. It will have to infect us all at some point.

I live rurally so can walk from my door. If I lived in a city I would be so depressed that I would be out driving to the woods, yes.

If I had mental problems, I would walk the dog then then the kids and then run.

I would be meticulous in the supermarket which is where this thing will spread.

I give this lockdown a few months and then there will be anarchy.

Calls to close footpaths😱That’s just awful. What are people supposed to do, it’s hard enough as it is. Farmers have food, jobs and green spaces. I’m amazed some want to make life harder for many who now are losing some if not all of the above, if they had them before.

@Devlesko
You have cited 250 thousand people died from the flu. Where have you got those figures from? I asked you on the same question another thread. The figures I found were wildly different.

I wouldn’t drive to go for a walk, but what about my neighbour wanting to drive to her allotment? I can see more sense in driving to grow/harvest food.

@Changename5000 You might wish what you 'quoted' is the law, but it isn't. The law says nothing about exercising once a day for one thing.
The whole point is that the police have created laws and offences where none exists. If by pointing this out, you automatically assume I (and others who make this point) am going to do whatever I can within the law and sod anyone else, you are wrong. I want this over as quickly as possible, like everyone else. However, the police have overstepped the mark alarmingly, it is this that people object to.

I like the fact that the government advice is not draconian and allows for an amount of logical interpretation. I'd like to drive somewhere nicer for a walk but it isn't necessary for me to do so, so I don't. I'm in London and streets and roads are quieter than normal. I pass quite a lot of people but everyone makes way for each other.

I really believe that for the majority of people it's possible for them to walk/run from home. Some just don't want to. I see several posters on Mumsnet trying to justify why they need to go somewhere else when it's probably just that they want to. But there are genuine cases where people need to drive a short distance - someone on another thread lived on a hill and wanted to drive her disabled husband a short distance to a flat area. I'm glad that the law allows for this and treats us like adults and allows us to make sensible decisions and evaluate risk. Sadly some just see it as an excuse to do what they want.

I wouldn’t drive to exercise but I understand that some people need to.

The police have been a disgrace. If you live very near the sea, walk to the sea, you get yelled to get off the beach! Same with coastal footpath!

So the thing is the police can;

1. Be nice, respectful and explain why their walk is not allowed (they are allowed)

2. Or shout at adults, scare them & lose trust

Unfortunately where I am - most interactions have been number 2.

@Lumisade well said.

There aren’t any calls to close footpaths where I am (rural). The Farmers I know are happy to see people.

Just because a group of farmers are getting territorial doesn’t mean they all are!

Although I just googled it, found an angry article

“I find it astounding that the government has not closed public footpaths through farmland. We are classed as ‘key workers’, yet they are prepared to take the risk of us coming into contact with potential Covid-19 carriers. No farmers, no food”

So what do farmers want? No footpaths & no people?

Or volunteers to help picking fruit & veg to feed the nation.

Which is it? Locally at least, the farmers here don’t have a territorial issue

Most key workers are at huge risk and just suck it up. Think I’d rather have the risks of open fields and gates to working in a supermarket, hospital or school.🤔

Not all countryside is farmland. We have hundreds and hundreds of acres of Council owned land dotted around our rather suburban commuter town. Some of it is semi-maintained and some of it is just open expanse of fields (no gates or stiles). At the moment I can walk 5 minutes from our house to the river where the paved pathway is heaving with walkers and cyclists, but I can go into the woods by the river and then up the fields where I am pretty much on my own.

If that changes, and the walkers discover the fields, I’ll switch to driving two miles to our regular walk where even with a full car park, you can walk for 90 minutes and maybe run into 2 other dog walkers. It’s about using common sense and working out where you can best social distance. I suspect, though that a lot of it is the newness of the situation and it’ll start to get more weather dependent for a lot of people.

Farmers can’t wash their hands while out checking stock. The gates you use will be touched by them. The stiles you use will be touched by them. Their sheep may be in lamb and at risk of losing their lambs when you and your dogs run over their land.

That risk is all there whether people drive to the area or walk. Farmers need to take the same precautions that the rest of us do.

I think it’s far more sensible to filter out and move away from others continuously than to herd everybody into the few available spaces. It’s nuts.

Well I think it’ll be rainy next week so at least footfall will reduce!

Doubt it I’ll be dragging myself out regardless. Most people I know aren’t enjoying being locked in 24/7 with family and find fresh air the highlight of their day.

Farmers can’t wash their hands while out checking stock. The gates you use will be touched by them. The stiles you use will be touched by them

Sounds like we have more a chance of catching coronavirus from them if their hygiene is so poor. 😷

I hope the police take notice of this. I've never seen anything so pathetic as that drone footage of a couple out walking their dog miles away from anyone else with a massive big arrow pointing at the oblivious pooch. Really, that's policing now, is it? What chumps.