Spoken to by the police

[Foldinthecheese]

This morning my husband and I took our three children on a long walk/scoot to a local park that is probably two miles away. We had seen the recent police guidance that said stopping for a snack during a long period of exercise is allowed, so we packed some crisps, fruit and our water bottles, intending to have them in the park before heading back home. We have twin DSes, four, and a one year old DD.

While sitting in the park (in a green space, far from any paths, with no one nearby) two police officers approached and said we needed to move on because what we were doing was against guidelines and someone had called to report us. It wasn’t a problem to leave, but I was a little annoyed by the situation. I mentioned the guidelines regarding a snack during long exercise and they seemed unaware of this, and asked to see it on my phone. They then said that it was an issue of public perception, which I understand, but I’m not sure why that would impact the legality of our actions. One officer suggested that we should have gone to a park closer to our house, but the space isn’t really comparable and it’s more of a play park: lots of equipment that is currently covered in caution tape.

I don’t know really why I’m writing this, except I feel frustrated. We’ve followed all the guidelines for the past month and it’s annoying that the police seem unaware of the guidance that has been made publicly available that says what we did was acceptable. It was also just really nice to go slightly further than the one mile radius around our house and enjoy seeing the flowers in the park, and it feels like it put a dampener on the morning.

Exactly, Aesop. We go out later in the day, usually when families are home preparing dinner. My dh and I ate a bag of crisps , yes one each, as we aren’t joy suckers, in the car at the harbour. Only car in the car park. He went for a walk about 6 pm and I stayed in the car.
Shoot me now.

@LolaDarkdestroyer I really don’t think I’m special. I read the guidelines and thought that what we were doing was fine based on what they said. The police officer said that one guideline said you could drive five hours to the beach as long as you stayed there for ten hours. I thought that would be quite a broad, piss-taking interpretation and it certainly wouldn’t occur to me to do anything like that. I just thought that what we were doing was very much in line with the guidelines. I promise I wasn’t trying to take the piss or that I consider my family to be somehow exempt from the rules. I thought we were following them.

@ErrolTheDragon and if those people who have driven or walked from high rise flats , living in cramped conditions can’t get a space because every Tom ,Dick and Harry think it’s their right to have a picnic and look at flowers , is that fair?

If you have a garden use it- leave the green spaces for those who don’t.

Exactly Errol
We could be in this for a really long haul, we need to squeeze every drop of joy we can from this interminable situation.

You were following the guidelines and being reasonable, OP.

If you'd got there and it had been busy presumably you'd not have stayed in the park.

@Foldinthecheese You haven’t done anything wrong & the police haven’t done anything wrong either.
However you haven’t acknowledged what would happen if everyone did it.

I just feel very conscious that there are elderly people , sick people, people who move slower and they may need a rest.
People who have no space what so ever .

We have to be considerate of others .

OP you were being totally reasonable and I'd be equally pissed off. We went on a bike ride with the kids the other day and got in the car to do so because it's nice for the kids to feel like they still have some freedom and can go somewhere. Not against the rules either, we also stopped for some food (out for 3+ hours) and we didn't get stopped at all.

@sauvignonblancplz I don't think people should drive out of their local area if they're going to impact on the availability of space for the people who live there.

Anyone who drives far enough from home that they can't predict whether it's likely to be busy, and whether they can park sensibly when they get there is probably being unreasonable.

And sure, don't drive for a brief stroll and a picnic. That would fall into the 'likely to be unreasonable' side of the balance.

You're not remotely describing what the OP and her family did.

So you congregated you’re family at the park to have a picnic? Exactly what they’re saying not to do. You can’t justify it as ‘took a long walk and had a snack’

You packed a picnic. Just go for a local walk then stay home for crying out loud. We’re all feeling the strain of lockdown. More so when people like you try to bend the rules.

You’re the most ignorant type of person.

@ErrolTheDragon
I wasn’t describing what the OP did .

I was responding to you .
Isn't it obvious? If you get there and there are too many people to allow for appropriate distancing, then if you've driven there then you drive home again. If you've got there under your own steam then you'd have to eat your snack on the hoof if there's not room to sit, and those sitting do so for as short a time as possible.

As Errol says, if we had got to the park and it had been very busy, we would have found a quieter spot or left. I guess I consider the chances of everyone doing the same thing that we did at the same time to be very slim. We’ve done it once in the past four weeks. Well, more I guess, but I haven’t been keeping track.

^So you congregated you’re family at the park to have a picnic? Exactly what they’re saying not to do. You can’t justify it as ‘took a long walk and had a snack’

You packed a picnic. Just go for a local walk then stay home for crying out loud. We’re all feeling the strain of lockdown. More so when people like you try to bend the rules.^

^^except they're not bending the rules. People stopping nowhere near anyone to have something to eat isn't the problem.

But the park shouldn’t be really busy because everyone should be staying home. What are you not getting about the whole pandemic thing?

What you’re saying is, because you know everyone is being told to stay home and only leave for necessities you would pack up and go for a picnic with your family, with no regard for everyone else who has to stay inside. We all want to go for a long walk and picnic, especially in the nice weather we’re having. But the majority of us have consideration for the people with real reasons for needing to stop, not just because they fancied a packet of crisps on their journey.
You do think you’re special clearly.

@WhatDoIDooDIoDtahW Except that isn’t exactly what they’re saying not to do. The guidelines say it is likely a reasonable thing to do. I am the opposite of ignorant person because I informed myself of the guidelines and made our plans. You might disagree, but that doesn’t mean I’m ill-informed or did anything wrong.

OP..I think I’ve said it before, I’m so pleased you started this thread. It obviously needed discussing if only to highlight the pettiness in society that aren’t doing anyone any favours, least of all themselves.

People are inventing scenarios including things which shouldn't be happening (the picnic and smelling flowers one for instance) and in some cases probably thinking of their own local area where maybe the park 2 miles away wouldn't be a good idea.

'Stay local' - which may include short drives - is sensible because you have a chance of predicting conditions and adapting your plans more easily if you've misjudged.

The OP knows her area including the park they went to and didn't misjudge how busy it would be.

Aesofable, I was pointing out that an onlooker could see 5 people in a park where it looks like they are having a picnic and could assume that was a gathering of more than 2 people (not from the same household). I didn't say the OP had a gathering of more than 2 people and broke the rules. That is what could have been perceived by the person that reported it.

I don't understand what is so hard to grasp for some people. Go shopping, go out once a day for a walk, jog, cycle, go and collect medicine and go to tend to vulnerable people. The limits don't need to be pushed or bent because there's room for them to be. Why anyone would want to sit and eat food on a patch of grass without any way of washing their hands first in this climate is beyond me but I guess it's their risk and not mine

an onlooker could see 5 people in a park where it looks like they are having a picnic and could assume that was a gathering of more than 2 people (not from the same household)

2 adults and 3 small children? Really?

Yanbu OP. You’ve followed the guidance and done nothing wrong.

Bloody hell, people really need to get a grip.

I realise many people seem to have zero common sense and some are getting almost hysterical, but focus on those who are actually breaking guidance not criticising those who are following it!

It just boils down to the question
Why, in the midst of a pandemic, would you WANT to go for a full family outing and sit down having snacks. Just why?!

I would take the twins for a scoot round the block/local park and later in the day DH would take the baby in the stroller for a stroll.

There is no need to all go out together - it's a pandemic, it's not meant to be fun!

@Foldinthecheese sorry this has happened to you. My DH takes our DS1 scootering to a nicer nearby area every day and as it’s quite far takes a snack and drink for him and they sit and have it. This is totally within the law and so is what you did. In the law game myself, I would have told those officers exactly what to do with their outdated knowledge!!!

@cheeseandpickledonions who says we all have to be miserable? We are just making the best of a bad situation. If there aren’t other people nearby then what’s the harm. By a household going out together you are not increasing risk as you all live together anyway.

Why, in the midst of a pandemic, would you WANT to go for a full family outing and sit down having snacks. Just why?!

Why on earth wouldn’t you? You get your dose of vitamin D and fresh air and exercise which increase your physical and mental health and help you sleep. Which in turn would help you fight off an infection if you caught Covid. Including snacks means you can go further and get away from your immediate environs. You might see new things you can talk about to your children and help them learn. And, critically, if you keep 2 metres away from people and stay in your family group you do not increase your risk of either catching or passing on the virus. And you are staying within the guidelines.

OP you were being totally reasonable and I'd be equally pissed off. We went on a bike ride with the kids the other day and got in the car to do so because it's nice for the kids to feel like they still have some freedom and can go somewhere. Not against the rules either, we also stopped for some food (out for 3+ hours) and we didn't get stopped at all.

No, you didn't go for a cycle, you went out for a family trip,.and just because you didn't get stopped, it doesn't mean it was the right thing to do.