Is the driving for exercise distance vs exercise a thing?

[PeanutbutterJamSandwich]

I’m getting proper cabin fever! I have a favourite spot I like to go and it’s 12 miles away.
I’ve read recently from the police reports that you can drive as long as the journey is shorter in time than the exercise.

Have I made this up?

Their = there.....

The poster said it felt like a big day out, it wasn't though was it

Well it was, it involved an hour of driving and a few hours larking about and having picnics. What's that if not a day out?

All rules were adhered to, so up your bum an hour round trip for a walk and a picnic isn't in the spirit of the rules. Is it. That's the point I was making originally which your original post and additional comment proved nicely.

"An hour round trip for a walk and a picnic isn't in the spirit of the rules. Is it. "

Yes it is. An hour round trip, is half an hour each way, and doing that and walking for longer than the journey of half an hour is allowed. So is a break for lunch.
Also, depends where they went. If literally noone is around, what does it matter.

half an hour each way, and doing that and walking for longer than the journey of half an hour is allowed

Sigh

Yes I know it's now 'allowed' due to some badly worded guidelines that were intended to give some people a small amount of flexibility to drive somewhere a bit quieter for their daily exercise.

My point continues to be that driving 30 minutes away (so easily could be 20miles plus away depending on the roads used) isn't in the spirit of what those rules intended. Even if TECHNICALLY it's allowed. Where do you draw the line, an hour's drive away, 2 hours drive away?

The police in my area continue to take a very dim view of anyone travelling to the area from elsewhere and will turn people back if they are stopped and found to be travelling to the area for a day out.

Scrowy fgs, the poster hardly packed her campervan and drove 5 hours down to Cornwall did she? Clearing out the local supermarket en route and potentially clogging up a hospital bed . I do feel a bit of common sense needs to prevail when people make a sensible, local assessment

They weren't 'badly worded guidlines' either, they were clarifications from the police.

The police in my area continue to take a very dim view of anyone travelling to the area from elsewhere and will turn people back if they are stopped and found to be travelling to the area for a day out.

If you live in the Lakes or somewhere then I totally understand that, if the area is just an unremarkable bit of open land where the masses aren't piling to and never likely to, then it's a very different consideration.

I've taken the attitude throughout this that I'd only take the car out locally for essential journeys, as it's not fair to expect someone else to come out if I break down/have a puncture and put them at risk, no matter how small that risk is.

The police can only enforce the law. Which doesn't exclude driving anywhere for exercise.

@Scrowy the NFU have some good signs you can print out and laminate to stick up on gates, by footpaths etc, they won't stop the terminally stupid but they will work on the many people who genuinely don't know the Countryside Code.

I’m now driving to a huge field on the outskirts of town and walking there. It’s a massive field with a small Cemetary in one corner, a view of the town, and maybe 4 people max there at any one time. Plus you can sit on a bench for a rest without being stared at like you’re a potential mass murderer. It’s much better.

We have a field opposite our estate, but it is currently being used by the masses as it’s probably the nearest field to around 2000 houses. I don’t like the stress of keep having to jump out the way of a lot of people all using one field. It may be more within the spirit of the rules as we wouldn’t be driving there, but the masses of people make it a nonsense.

The guidance from the government remains that exercise should be done locally, using open spaces near to your home where possible and people should travel only when necessary and for a short distance.

I understand people are fed up and want/need a change of scenery and are looking to stretch the guidance as far as they can. I do understand. But as I keep saying, travelling for 30 mins isn't in the spirit of what the government and police are asking people to do however much people try and justify it.

It's not just about how many other people are there when you arrive or how long you are there for, every non essential journey creates extra risks for you and people you come into contact with directly or indirectly.

Lots of people have seen the police's clarifications as a green light to day trip as long as they had a walk while they were there. It is noticeably busier on the roads and local beauty spots.

For the last two and a half years, since my DH sold his business and retired, we have tried to take a daily local walk of about 45 mins to an hour. Now it's nigh on impossible with kids, bikes, dog walkers everywhere! Impossible to pass 2 metres away in places too.

We have been getting out of the way of others all the time but are fed up with some people not even acknowledging what we have done. Lots of the bikers continue in the middle of the path with no attempt to ride along the edge to give as much space as possible.

I now have a plan for passing other pedestrians. We shall move aside if they are older than us [yes I know it's judgemental!!!] but not otherwise.

"My point continues to be that driving 30 minutes away (so easily could be 20miles plus away depending on the roads used) isn't in the spirit of what those rules intended. Even if TECHNICALLY it's allowed. Where do you draw the line, an hour's drive away, 2 hours drive away?"

If its technically allowed.....that means it is allowed, therefore it's well within the spirit of it!!!
You cant have rules, then explain them in more detail, then say, well, that's not in the spirit of it. I'd say a half hour drive is well within the spirit of it. An hour or two, not. It's not that hard to understand.

"The police in my area continue to take a very dim view of anyone travelling to the area from elsewhere and will turn people back if they are stopped and found to be travelling to the area for a day out."

Well perhaps they need to get over themselves and stop changing the rules. And actually the main police body reiterated that a drive to a walk was fine, and that a picnic was fine, so if they stopped me, I'd show them that on their own website

"I've taken the attitude throughout this that I'd only take the car out locally for essential journeys, as it's not fair to expect someone else to come out if I break down/have a puncture and put them at risk, no matter how small that risk is."

I've wondered about people saying what if they breakdown and have to call someone out....well that's their job isnt it. They are probably bored stiff and desperate for people to call them out. The aa cant work from home, so they will be out waiting for calls. They can practice social distancing when they get to you. Weve become a nation of worriers ..what if my car breaks down, what if I crash, what if I get a flat tyre are these things really likely to happen? If you dont run your car every so often, there is more probability that it will break down when this is all over.

OP, I think it would be fine to do this. The main objective of the rules is to prevent people from different households gathering in groups, isn't it? I think that is what the police are most concerned about. We each just need to use common sense and do our best not to put ourselves and others at risk.

"But as I keep saying, travelling for 30 mins isn't in the spirit of what the government and police are asking people to do however much people try and justify it."

In your opinion.

We get an influx of cyclists and walkers every time the sun shines. We have a significant majority of very vulnerable people we would not want dismissed as ‘having lived their lives already’.
Mostly we’re fine with that as people are generally considerate and we don’t want the National Park to be a total ‘no go’ zone. People parking sensitively and doing a four hour hike or a couple out on a thirty mile bike ride aren’t the problem usually.
The problem is the bored and inconsiderate who think they’ve found somewhere to breach the guidance without being caught red-handed.
Parents driving their children to walk two hundred yards into a privately owned field to picnic for two hours, fly kites or throw frisbees around. Sometimes with a yapping dog as well. Some think it’s acceptable to let their children chase livestock or leave litter everywhere. Those are the unwelcome ones. They seem unhappy when the shepherd gets a bit grumpy and sends them packing with a flea in their ear.

We have sealed off communal areas, closed the seating, locked the church and put up no parking signs inside the village and sent out general stay away messages delivered by the farmer and shepherd. The trouble is, the few inconsiderate oafs spoil it for the many.

Also to clarify, I have ordinance survey maps, so I did not go to some local packed out scenic sight, but rather a footpath that frankly looked like it very rarely gets used in the middle of the countryside.

I made a risk assessment, and decided that a change of scene would be worthwhile. I did not park in front of some locals house, fencing in their car. Although, give me your post code @Scrowy and I'll see what I can do.

OP, we are also cyclists (mtb), a couple of times we have driven twenty minutes away to ride for a couple of hours. We do know that our favourite spots will be deserted, they are not really the sorts of places that dog walkers and families like. Social distancing is not a problem, and we ride sensibly, so on balance we think this is within the rules. If we were trying to dodge families and dog walkers it would be different, but then it would be a rubbish ride ! We are happy with no gnar and not far, but we do take the car !!

@redwoodmazza this is exactly like our surrounding area.

@WanderingLost167 I always carry a map with me (well trained from being a qualified mountain leader) so also don’t rely on ‘honeypot’ carparks and can quite easily ride/walk on a bank holiday and not see a soul... if I choose the route carefully. But because I’m stuck locally I feel at more risk from Covid than I would have done previously

@Mumtofourandnomore thank you, this is what I’m considering... riding locally seems more risky as I’m coming in to contact with way more people than my normal rides

Not in scotland, no.