What's wrong with going out more than once?

[Oscarthegrouch47]

An expecting a flaming here but -

What's the issue with going for a walk twice a day? The government have said once for exercise but i like to take my dog for 20 minutes in the morning and a slightly longer route of half an hour in the evening. I live rurally and rarely see anyone at either time.

I am taking the rules about isolating and mixing between households very seriously and haven't seen anyone or been anywhere other than shopping or walking since this began, but taking two walks a day is something I really can't get het up over.

What is the actual reason that our exercise has been limited? Presumably because it increases the likelihood of contact in busier, more urban areas? I'm sure a few of my curtain twitching neighbours have noticed me going out more than once a day but I genuinely can't see the additional risk when I see nobody and come into contact with nothing (gates, stiles).

See I think that many people on MN who live more rurally want those who live in cities to stay right there all cramped up together and not come cluttering up their view by trying to exercise and get a proper walk and fresh air.

On the contrary, threads on here are normally full of people saying they'd hate to live rurally because it's so boring/there's nothing to do/there aren't enough people, but now they're stuck in cities that are closed down, they suddenly want to live rurally!

I'm happy to follow the guidelines of my government even if they do not have the weight of law. Well not happy (!) but willing to do what it takes. When my place of work closed down I followed guidelines - I didn't wait for a police officer to tell me to do it.
I can see there are some cases where we need to know the exact legislation but for most of us we really don't.

I’ve lived in many cities (central London, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Valencia), I now live semi rurally. We gave up a lot of things we enjoyed (bars and restaurants on the doorstep, constant entertainment, better paying jobs etc) to move here because we decided that space was the most important thing for us at this stage of our lives.

On the contrary, threads on here are normally full of people saying they'd hate to live rurally because it's so boring/there's nothing to do/there aren't enough people, but now they're stuck in cities that are closed down, they suddenly want to live rurally!

No they don't. They just want to be able to walk there occasionally.

And they’re more than welcome to. But no one has come to walk in the beautiful countryside near me in the past 3.5 years, so the desire obviously isn’t that strong!

No they don't. They just want to be able to walk there occasionally.

Which is fine during normal times, but not during a global pandemic.

The advantage of living rurally is having the countryside on your doorstep. Locals should absolutely be able to take advantage of their local area by going for a walk there. But that's not the same as people driving to come here.

I'm in the Lake District and we've been really hard hit by the virus. Just stick in your local area. If that means you have to walk along pavements then so be it.

Ha, well said vanillahoney.

I'm out several times a day. I live very remotely. I don't see anybody.

You've confirmed exactly what I said @vanillandhoney so thanks for that

We are allowed to drive to exercise sadly for you so you're just going to have to put up with those annoying city dwellers entering your domain for a couple of hours.

But no one has come to walk in the beautiful countryside near me in the past 3.5 years, so the desire obviously isn’t that strong!

Exactly! They only want to come here to walk because they can't go to the cinema/go shopping/go bowling/go to the local swimming pool. If the cities were open as usual, they wouldn't be the least bit interested.

If you live in a city then unfortunately you need to walk in that city. It's not permanent. It's not forever. You'll be able to come and enjoy the countryside again in the future if you want to, but for now, just stay at home. You won't combust if you have to walk around your local housing estate for a few weeks.

If you've chosen to live rurally then you get the advantage of having nicer places to walk at the moment. That's just how it is.

@Watertorture

And that's fine and great. But it seems yoy weren't one of the people shouting at others and calling them every name under the sun because they went for a walk twice a day 'because it's against the roolz'.

There's nothing wrong with using common sense. If you don't come into contact with anyone physically and you are not touching anything on your walks, there's no problem.
It's just a guideline.
Also, depending on what dogs you have they need to be out and doing hours of walking most days in the cool morning/late evening anyway.

We are allowed to drive to exercise sadly for you so you're just going to have to put up with those annoying city dwellers entering your domain for a couple of hours

But that’s my point! I am surrounded my beautiful countryside. I haven’t seen a single visitor here in the 3.5 years that I’ve lived here. I only ever see locals. So why now? That countryside has always been there. That fresh air has always been there. And people from nearby cities have always been welcome to use it!

We are allowed to drive to exercise sadly for you so you're just going to have to put up with those annoying city dwellers entering your domain for a couple of hours.

What are you on about - "entering my domain"?!

Yes, people are allowed to drive a short distance to exercise, I've never said otherwise. But there is no need to drive to the Lake District/Peak District/Dales to get your exercise unless you live there. That's just taking the piss, whichever way you look at it.

Generally people who live in cities are really keen to point out how wonderful it is - public transport, theatres, cinema, shops, restaurants on their doorsteps. Now it's all closed down, they're pissed off because they're stuck wandering the pavements or the local park along with everyone else.

Around here, practically nothing has closed because we have nothing anyway

If you live in a city then unfortunately you need to walk in that city.

But we don't though. That's what the whole thread is about isn't it? That we actually don't have to stay and walk cheek by jowl with other city dwellers. You do realise that the cities always used to empty out at the weekends don't you? With many families and people going to second homes or to do outdoor pastimes. I live in London so I know this. You're just seeing more people more often now because people now have more time on their hands what with losing their jobs and being furloughed, not because they're trying to "break the roolz" and selfishly ruin your perfect view. I'm really glad of these guidelines so that the selfish NIMBYism of such as yourself, dressed up as concern, can be dismissed.

And as I see no one on my walks (now, or in ‘normal’ times), my own risk assessment (and police guidance) suggests that I may take more than one walk. If I lived in a city that risk assessment would be different.

But we don't though. That's what the whole thread is about isn't it? That we actually don't have to stay and walk cheek by jowl with other city dwellers

You can drive to a quieter area to exercise, nobody on here is disputing that at all.

What they are saying, is driving from London to the Cotswolds just go to for a walk somewhere pretty is taking the piss.

I'm really glad of these guidelines so that the selfish NIMBYism of such as yourself, dressed up as concern, can be dismissed

Whatever makes you feel better

Although I suspect no one comes to walk here because it’s not the ‘fashionable’ countryside. People are more than welcome though .

I wonder where all these rural dwellers live. AFAIK, don’t people still need to stick to (relatively narrow) public rights of way by & large?

I’m right on the edge of a large town, the outer limits of suburbia, plenty of green fields down the road from me, I can’t just go walking willy nilly over them though - I have to stick to said paths, thus when (rarely) passing people, occasionally and fleetingly I’m sometimes within 2m.

So I only go out once a day personally.

Or it’s possibly because non locals don’t know how or if they’re allowed to access that bit of countryside. I often see nice looking areas from the car, but I don’t have a clue if they’re private land, where to park or if they’re even actually accessible for walking.

Yes we have to stick to public rights of way MummyPop00. But as barely anyone else used those public rights of way, I rarely see anyone.

I like that @vanillandhoney, "practically nothing has closed because we have nothing anyway", same here. In fact our lives with lockdown are really not much different, especially as we are retired. I think it's quite funny that I have often seen posters almost recoil in the past about the realities of countryside living (no gas, frequent power cuts, no fast food delivery, no coffee shops, no cinema, no buses, no uber, etc etc - I could go on for ever) but now they are feeling a little irked that rural dwellers for once have it better. We moved here because we don't like being cheek by jowl with other people, enjoy peace and quiet and like being rather solitary. I have been carrying on as normal really re walks and things since the beginning.

BarkandCheese buy an OS map. Tells you all you need to know.

MummyPop00 you’d be surprised how quiet some rights of way are, even in London.

I did the London Loop and the Capital Ring on maternity leave, and rarely saw anybody once I was off the residential streets (weekday mornings).

There is a whole series of circular walks on the Bromley Council website, presumably created to keep rights of way in use (because they are fucking weird walks, over open countryside then doubling back past people’s garages and across golf courses). We’d see maybe 2-3 dog walkers on a ten mile walk, on a Sunday afternoon.

I have no difficulty believing people in Shropshire or Norfolk can walk without meeting anybody.

Nothing. Generally country folk have common sense. It's the townies and city sheep who dont understand infection control.

BarkandCheese that information is easily found out though with a quick google and an OS map. People drive past the lovely countryside where I live to get to the Peak District. If people are genuinely just looking for some fresh air and nice countryside close to their houses then it’s fairly easily found, without driving miles to the Cotswolds or the Peak District. Our fresh air is the same.