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!

@Quetiapina You are very very lucky. People are generally only being taken to hospital with the virus when already very ill. Only really people that need intensive care. I don't know what you mean by clean. Do you mean safe and protected from the virus. I agree the government has protected only rural areas instead of everywhere. No change really because the one rule for them thing applies to housing too. People like you come to cities not caring about the effect on large numbers of impoverished people there, and expect it to be one way traffic.

@Arnoldthecat

It's not about people that are not from Cornwall, moving to Cornwall.

It is about people that are not from Cornwall, buying a house in Cornwall to stay in a few weeks a year. And now a pandemic has hit, running off to said second home and risking spreading infection because they want a stroll on the beach.

As for Gordon Ramsey, where exactly is he spending his money at the moment? Tesco? Waitrose? All he will be contributing to the locals at the moment is adding to the burden of their local hospitals.

Cornwall isnt good enough for these people to live in and contribute to full-time, but it's good enough to flee to when the going gets tough in their home cities.. 🙄

arnoldthecat people sold their homes to the person willing to pay the most. What on earth has that got to do with idiots travelling to stay in second homes when explicitly told not to.

In Australia, we get fined $1600 for non essential travel. $5000 for coughing, spitting on essential workers and $10000 for businesses that break the rules.
What are the fines in the UK?

@helbels100

"Or do you just want second home owners to come buy houses pay stamp duty, council tax for your facilities etc and not be allowed to use them ??"

Actually pretty much everyone who lives in Devon and Cornwall would rather you didnt buy second homes down here at all driving houses prices up completely out of line with local salaries.

Seriously how out of touch with reality are you!

Are they they cunts that you lot are talking about ???

You know fine well they're not, it's the second homeowners who have travelled to their second homes AFTER LOCKDOWN that people are pissed off with. Why is that so difficult to understand?

All those saying it's more risky in cities, rural areas have been protected well I've got news for you.

Cumbria has one of the lowest density populations in the UK. But we have one of (if not the highest) number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 outside of London.

Our hospitals are already transferring patients over to Newcastle because we are running out of ITU beds and we don't have any Nightingale hospitals.

Still want to gone here for your Easter break?

Second home owners in Cornwall are a blight on the community, no matter how much they spend in local shops. How bloody patronising.

You are a cheery rainbow of joy plantlife. FYI I live in a working class city and my work was with the most troubled children. So I couldn't afford to live in the area that was familiar to me and trained me, and came to a city I now love to use skills to help others and buy a very modest terraced house. My adopted city has given me brilliant health care and friends. You however seem to be an embittered twerp.

I'll accept I'm a twerp if that means pointing out some, not all, people have double standards, rely on stereotypes, and judge whole groups by the behaviour of a minority. I don't think I'm bitter and at least I've not resorted to personal insults. I was upset seeing the nasty comments but now I'm glad they're out there for everyone to see exactly what some people are like. I don't begrudge you a good life. I do want people to know that your experience of a city isn't representative of everyone's. Very few cities are only working class. Most are very diverse in every way, class, ethnicity, and everything else. Not every rich person is horrible or a snob either. There's nasty people, including inverted snobs, everywhere.

I hope your parents stay safe @helsbels100 A local chose to sell to them. If locals felt that strongly about second homes they could choose to sell at a lower price.

The prime minister’s ‘much loved’ father had decamped to his holiday home in south west. So, that’s a great message to send to all. Son, the f-ing PM in serious disorder with illness. But hey ho, I’m off to my holiday home. Why would anyone listen to this shambles? I am staying home btw as I prefer my manor!

Or do you just want second home owners to come buy houses pay stamp duty, council tax for your facilities etc and not be allowed to use them

The simple answer is NO! Why do you think we want people to buy houses in our area to stay in a few months of the year?

@helsbels100 Despite all your patronising "I bring benefits!", you sound like a typical selfish second homer.

plantlife, you know that I will support you whatever you do - I am really hoping to see those buds growing!

I started this thread, and it is about couples, families and groups of friends who have decided they'd like to get away from London, either because they're WFH and feel that they can therefore do it anywhere and they'd rather do it in Devon/Cumbria/Scotland/wherever than at home in London/Manchester/whereever. They're leaving the urban/suburban home on a whim, because they feel like it, because their holiday home has a bigger garden or whatever.

I am not talking about DV situations, nor about key workers who are having to isolate themselves away from their normal homes. Those situations occur through necessity.

FWIW, there is a refuge very near me, and our town has opened its doors happily for the women who escape there, and then come to live here. Really, they're very welcome. With or without urban germs! We re not so yokel-like that we don't understand.

Usually tourists are welcome too though there are some who are utterly snotty about what they see as country bumpkins and are rude and inconsiderate and thoroughly disrespectful of us, the people, and our locality - why do they come when nothing's good enough? I have asked myself often, and I think they do it to make themselves feel big. But aside from twats like thaat, tourists are welcome. Just not at the moment.

Please don't think that any of that negativity would be directed at you because I am confident it won't be. We take care of our women and families who are escaping from awful situations, we want people who live here to feel safe and comfortable..

Thank you for being so kind @Jux. I know I've been oversensitive and I'm sorry. It's something I've been nervous about for a long time. I know it's hopefully a minority but some rural people seem to think everybody in London is rich and that being priced out of housing only happens where they are. I know the sort of people you're talking about. My old boss is one of them. The stereotypical rich snob (lots of wealthy people aren't like that though). She was like that about London too. Really nasty comments about the areas with lots of deprived communities. I feel so worried people will judge me by her behaviour because of my regional accent.

The irony is I agree with posters about London being full of germs at the moment. So I wouldn't travel because I think stepping outside my front door is too dangerous. I hope you and your family stay safe and Devon stays low in cases. I don't blame rural areas for wanting to stay safe. It's the government that chose not to protect cities, not rural people, and it's MPs and Medical Officers that have been travelling to their second homes even after lockdown so I suppose some other people are following their example.

I think the way this message is delivered needs to change. Of COURSE people need to stay at their own homes and not bugger all over the country, putting small communities at risk, but I understand the reasons why they do this, and it's only by tackling this will we actually succeed in stopping people from trying to travel.

From a city-dweller's point of view, all we see of fresh air is often the lovely pictures on twitter and FB of people going on their lovely country walks. Meanwhile city parks are being shut and even the government-allowed one walk a day is under pressure.

So, when people in rural tourist hotspots post messages saying "stay away, we don't want you here", it often reads as "I'm alright, Jack, and having lovely country walks, and you can fuck off, you disease-ridden urban scum". (Note: I KNOW THIS IS NOT WHAT IS MEANT, AND I AGREE WITH THE MESSAGE THAT TOURISTS SHOULD STAY AWAY. It's the way the message is phrased that needs changing, not the "stay away" content of the message.) I haven't read the whole thread, but there was a post here where someone complained that their dad wasn't getting his walk on the beach because of all those other bastards who were wanting to walk on the beach. You can see the communications problem...

And we are getting into nice weather, and we are looking at months of this. Of course people want to do the best for their own families, and they look at the lovely pics, and they sit in their flats, and they come to a completely terrible decision, and they climb into their caravans or whatever.

What we need are compare and contrast pics of the relevant medical centres, rural and urban. The messaging needs to change from "fuck off and let us have our paradise in peace without you pestilential city dwellers" to "if you come here you are in serious danger of not having any access to adequate medical care, because there simply isn't enough, and you will take others down with you, too". We really need to bang the drum that moving to the country for lockdown puts their families at more risk, not less. That, if/when it sinks in, is what will change behaviour.

Arnoldthecat
The Police can move people on for hanging around Beaches actually. For example in my seaside city, you can go for exercise which means you are moving. This clearly doesn’t include having a BBQ on the beach, flying a kite in the park or sitting on a bench with a coffee watching the waves, which are all examples of things they are having to deal with (and the abuse that goes with it).So your little ‘dig’ at the Police is unfair. The problem is that everyone is flocking to the beaches for their ‘exercise’ due to the weather and it is therefore difficult to police so I’m hoping they close the beaches this weekend.

I live in a Lincolnshire seaside town and the locals have seen an influx of unfamiliar faces these past few days too. Some will be 2nd home owners that think the rules don’t apply but let’s face it, ANYONE who travels unnecessarily during this lockdown needs fining more than any £60. If they’re unable to comprehend “stay home” then I think a lobotomy is in order. Admittedly, I have been to the beach, however, it’s a 10 minute walk if I was in my home but as a key worker, I have been after finishing my shift for time to reflect before collecting my son from his childcare setting or last weekend, I went out to collect some additional PPE for work and as I had my son with me we spend our hour on the beach which was thankfully deserted.
In my town, the drs is already oversubscribed and you struggle to get an appointment in normal circumstances. We have an urgent care centre approx 20 miles away but due to the road network it takes around 45 mins to get there. The nearest a&e is an hour away. Out of season, the town is like a giant retirement village. We have a very high proportion of residents aged 60+ yet those that feel they’re entitled don’t give a damn about anyone else and still turn up.
One of the locals suggested putting fuel prices up to discourage vehicle usage. Even as somebody who uses their car for work, I’d welcome that to reduce the number of cars on the road. Maybe this is something the government could put in place with a discount maybe for key workers on production of a valid id

There are different rules for rich people.
Also many are saying that their second homes are their real homes and they just live in London in term time but that London is not their primary home.

Get on the blower to your mp and police commissioner instead of Mumsnet. Far more useful.

I used to work for an estate agent in the SW. I’m afraid it was often Londoners looking for a second home. They aren’t popular at the best of times because they don’t integrate or spend locally, they bring all their own food and their houses stand empty most of the time. Ironically that might be ideal in the current crisis.

Although the SW in general relies on tourism for its economy, very many people aren’t involved in the tourism industry. They gain nothing from having hoarders of tourists and second homers descending on them. It’s a bit of a cheek expecting to be made welcome, especially in these times.

Don't worry about the little country hospitals being unable to cope, by the time they get sick they should be back home

In about two to three weeks time, there will be thousands dying a day and it will be alot of these idiots..

Why cant people just stay home....

In my town, the drs is already oversubscribed and you struggle to get an appointment in normal circumstances.

That's pretty standard in the city too, it takes about 6 weeks to get an appointment at my GPs, unless you want to class yourself as urgent and explain fully to the receptionist what your (supposedly confidential) medical condition is.....bugbear...

We have an urgent care centre approx 20 miles away but due to the road network it takes around 45 mins to get there. The nearest a&e is an hour away.

This is what's important to factor in right now- A&E here is 10mins away, 2 Hospitals, ambulance took 3 mins, 2 came at once (some complications when pregnant with Dd2, all well now thankfully, but those 3 mins were essential).

I had my son with me we spend our hour on the beach which was thankfully deserted.

This, however, is the pull. All of the above is still very much thought of as 'It wont happen to me'.

I'm in an inner city flat with my two Dd's, all the parks cordoned off, no grass/fields in sight or walking distance to have a run around, so getting out (through the busy communal entrance) just leads to a walk around the block.

No, we won't be travelling anywhere right now, for all of the reasons stated- if I could portal us to that beach however...

Some self-reflection might not go amiss @helsbels100

You have time on your hands now.

We have had so much division in this country due to Brexit. And now we have this to contend with. People turning on each other. Using the virus as an opportunity to have a go at second home owners or people from London. (I am not a second home owner myself.)

I live on outskirts of London in a flat, a mixture of rough parts but some wealthy parts. I thought I would see a lot of flouting of the rules. When I walk in the park for daily exercise, it is just people at a distance - no sunbathing or picnicking. It was great weather last weekend and I was sure people would emerge and gather, didn't happen. Same yesterday. And everyone is social distancing, and seemingly very stoical about it, I have noticed people are friendlier if anything.

It must be galling to live somewhere where the life of the place has been changed by second home owners. But it is not against any laws to buy a second property, and just because you were born in Devon, doesn't mean you own Devon. We have free movement in this country. And if owners went to their second home weeks ago to ride out a tough situation, I wouldn't blame them. I would if they just turned up now though.

I am a private person, and feel grateful at the moment that the neighbours are not in your face. I would hate to be living somewhere where you are being watched all the time, a lot of people on this thread seem to be revelling in being snitchy, pitchfork waving busybodies. (I totally get the lack of hospital beds argument but this thread is London bashing/second home bashing.) The virus is worldwide, don't turn on London, we are going through the fear and anxiety too.

Sarcelle I agree with every word.

This thread has made me sad; I've never been to Cornwall and have always wanted to go. I'm not sure I do now.