Why? Why oh why are people still coming here on holiday?

[Jux]

Devon. We have seen caravans and motorhomes and people obviously on holiday (canoe and suitcases etc on car roof, all that stuff; it's bloody obvious), bikes loaded with camping stuff....

We live 20 miles from the beach and none of us have seen a wave for weeks. DH spends half the day complaining because he can't go to the beach in this lovely weather as he normally does.

Thank goodness the market is not on, or we'd be over-run. Really worried as both dd and I are vulnerable (not extremely vulnerable) and dh freaks out every time he has to go out as our Designated Shopper that he'll bring it home to us.

Why are people such arseholes?

We're going to need road blocks!

We are seeing it all over England. People think this is a holiday. People are gathering in gardens or sitting around in the outdoors in the sun. I am ashamed of the people here sometimes & you don't see this happening abroad :(

nanalisa60

He was already at his holiday home before lockdown so I suggest you look up the facts before posting complete nonsense.

It's been reported all week that police in Gloucestershire will be stopping all cars towing a caravan and particularly looking for evidence of people going on holiday during daily stops. It's now been announced this is Operation Stay at Home, and a small number of people have already been fined. It includes things like having a picnic, day trippers.

Perhaps all those visiting their second homes thought if it's good enough for Scotland's CMO (who was on adverts telling the rest of the population to stay home), it's good enough for them. Nicola Sturgeon didn't ever sack her for this. She did it two weekends in a row, people are selfish arseholes.

It did happen in other countries. It’s not just a UK thing.

Lockdown is much harder for some than others. If you’ve a garden and don’t live in an overcrowded situation us much easier. We’re not “in this together”, it will disproportionately impact those who get public transport, can’t work from home, have no outdoor space and little technology to stay in touch with friends.

I took the “London germs” comment as a joke, playing to a “yokel” stereotype rather than an anti-London sentiment.

I suppose it's a bit too late now, but it would be interesting to do some sort of survey in an attempt to understand why it is that these people think that the rules do not apply to them.

I'm Devon too. Dropped off shopping to my mum and dad yesterday and a large (I'm assuming) family wondered past with their map discussing where they could go. They were obviously holidays makers. I'm equally cross with who has allowed them to stay. The way they were talking they're not at a second home as they clearly didn't know the area at all What is so tricky about stay at home. I know it's hard. I'm struggling with my DC at home and working trying to work and not getting go out like we usually do but ffs. We have 11 icu beds in the whole of North Devon. Several already in use.

I'm surprised at all the closed beaches, we can still go for a walk on our beach (hampshire)

There aren’t any beaches round my way (S Devon) that are shut. They’ve closed all the car parks though so you have to walk there.

`So to you I say replace Devon with the UK because we are an island and Devon is not. It is too late by far to protect you and Devon alone. You need to think of the country as a whole and be less selfish.

The rest of the country has enough beds and ventilators, or will soon, Devon and Cornwall don't.

The same with parts of Scotland and the Lakes. Hospitals, even the Nightingales are all based in cities. Overwhelming places without the infrastructure is both madness and irresponsible.

I hope they are stopped from returning. Force them to stay in campsites for the duration of the lockdown.

I think a lot of the bad feeling this has brought out is the resentment caused by second home owners in rural locations. Lots of lovely rural places are slowly turning into rural theme parks because house prices has been over inflated by second home purchases which has priced out villagers from their homes and changed the landscape of shops and amenities in the area.

Great example- a new housing estate has been built in my village. We tried to get a high court injunction to stop it because it contained yet another set of retirement properties- there are already ten in the village and it was priced towards second home owners.

Totally defeated by the night of the developer. We were promised they would provide amenities as a sop to the villagers. But all they have done is create a small park in the middle of the development that is residents (of the development) only.

They haven’t produced the new buss stop, funding for a bigger doctors office or the extra paving they promised.

And now the development is fully sold it is obvious that almost all the housing is retirees or holiday lets.

So the village has almost doubled in size but to the detriment of the village.

This is why people in pretty rural locations get narked when in the middle of a pandemic the second home owners are suddenly clamouring to come join us in the ‘safe’ countryside. It is obvious none of them give a blind fig for anyone in the village. They’re just see it as their playground.

The thing is, you can flee to your second home in the countryside, but if you've never been in the village shop and regularly complain about the smell of chickenshit on the fields, the neighbours you've never met before are wont to shop you to the Daily Mail. Particularly if you're an MP or a high profile Scottish health advisor.

So true unfortunately

My advice to all when this settles down is to think long and hard whether living in a city is good for your health, physical and mental.

Job, schools and nurseries all fantastic, for me and my Dds, so are (were) outdoor activities, transport, recreational play, sports centres......obviously all irrelevant now. Had the opportunity two years ago to move out of the city- believe me I'm regretting it now, I dont think I'm alone in that one....

(Crystal balls still not available I see....)

I rarely post on here but I feel I have to on this one. There is a minority who aren't taking this serious but I've seen shops selling plastic toys, deck chairs and artificial plants in my local inner city ...so if shops aren't refusing money for non essentials then people aren't going to take the whole lockdown guidelines seriously and are going to take chances wherever they can because not enough enforcement is/can take place as police resources are limited. I believe the police are doing their best but the rules need to be tightened up all over then people and businesses will have no choice and feel the full force of the consequences.

Why can’t people buy deck chairs and plastic toys?

Some people are wankers, I get so cross. I’m a frontline nurse redeployed in an unfamiliar role. I had a family Easter holiday to cornwall booked, I am knackered I really need a holiday BUT I wouldn’t dream of travelling anywhere because I want this to end SOON. I want to go back to my lovely normal nursie job. Why can’t people get that?

I’m getting a strong sense from this thread of an pre-existing hatred of second home-owners and “city-dwellers” masked by concern for ICU beds.

Take down their car reg! Then pass that to the police! They are putting everyone in danger. The police can check at the click of a button if the car belongs there or not.

its very difficult to get in the minds of these people , most of us are staying in , struggling to get someone to do our shopping and its not easy especially when you have always been independent, yet these morons , selfish people still dont get it, in an ideal work i would like to lock them all up together so they cant only harm each other

Dont hate second home owners, airbnb, or hotels our area depends on them, but our NHS is crap, anyone with two beans to rub together goes private, two years waiting list for orthopedics.

I assume that, for people who have already bought their second home away from the city in which they reside, the assumption is that they are now one of the locals, with as much right as permanent residents to use the services? If so, the only solution is to make sure they are taxed enough to cover the over-burdening of those services when they are resident, and to allow for the periods of non-residence which are of no benefit to the community? Anyone who likes the community enough to move there part-time should be happy to pay a fee for the privilege...

We have a holiday booked in Newquay, we won't be going as everything you want to visit is closed, no tourist sites, no restaurants, might as well stay home at least I have every thing I need at home

@janj2301 ideal. Thanks for not coming!

That is the rub, everything is closed wherever you go. I can cook at home with everything local known to me. Elsewhere I would (and it would be me) be scratching around trying to find food etc. for the family, too much effort to be a fun break. When I go away want someone else to cook for me at least some of the time, even if it is fish and chips.