People driving far away to beaches/beauty spots

[Fluffyglitterystuff]

Just wondering what people opinions are on this.

I'm not a doom monger/dementor, I was overjoyed when Boris said officially we can take unlimited exercise and drive for exercise as well as stop for picnics and I hate the way people have complained about joggers or people going for walks.

It's made a world of difference for us as a family just know know that I can take youngest for a stroll and still go for a run later on, or drive off to the woods or another park for a change of scenery, or sit on the grass while the kids run around with a ball or a frisbee.

But, I don't think I'd feel comfortable driving off to a beach miles away or to another touristy town or anything like that. When I see people on the news piling onto packed beaches that they've travelled far to I do feel a bit disapproving.

The reason for this is we've still got to be very careful at this time and I just feel that we should leave the beaches and beauty spots for the locals to enjoy for now. There could be issues with toilets or people breaking down on the motorway it just doesn't seem in the spirit of things.

We live an hour and half from a beach.
The one we go to is just beach, no amenities, its so vast, social distancing wouldn't be a problem.
I know a lot of people disagree, but if we packed everything we needed for the few hours, socially distanced, I don't see the harm.
We've been stuck so in land all of this year so far, and I hate it. I feel myself getting more and more anxious.
The sea calms me, so we are planning to go soon.

It’s just an excuse for locals to have a go at tourists basically

To be fair he didn’t tell people they had to drive hundreds of miles to sit with hundreds of other people, park illegally and shit on the beach. Even he thought the English people weren’t that stupid

Various stories in our local news about people travelling to the beach here on a day trip from London (Which is 2-2.5 hours each way by car). Some of them decided to sleep in a gazebo overnight on the beach .
Another story of a man from London who was reported missing for 5 hours by his wife on the beach here, had rescue team out looking for him and it turned out he had gone and got the train back to London

I don't care.

It’s just an excuse for locals to have a go at tourists basically

This^^

I think there are some in Cornwall/wales etc who hope they will just never reopen for tourists/second home owners. This pandemic has been the perfect excuse for the vitriol to come out.

Luckily I think the majority probably want things to get a bit more back to normality - it’s just that the dementors generally shout the loudest.

For what it’s worth though I wouldn’t be driving anywhere there wasn’t the guarantee of a toilet - after 4 dc’s my pelvic floor is shot to pieces!

Yorkshire Dales have handled it well, I think. They have a live Web app showing what carparks are full, getting full or quiet and have opened up toilets and handwashing facilities.

Granted, there will always be a few idiots - there were before lockdown was lifted - but on the whole it seems to be working well.

Whilst I am staying local for the time being, I do think that the councils need to accept that people will come and keeping toilets etc closed isn't going to deter them. It's shit (quite literally, from the sounds of it) but they need to look at ways of managing it as safely as they can rather than just repeating that 'X is closed to visitors' - when clearly under the law of the land, it isn't.

exactly that @ClashCityRocker.

the seaside I go to has kept facilities open. signage all over, even on benches about social distancing etc. Its working very well! the local snackshacks are even open. all it takes is a "can do" attitude!

not an OMG we`re doomed one.

Totally agree @ClashCityRocker

It’s more dangerous not opening loos (!) and making people park on road and most worryingly no lifeguards on beach!

This is exactly why I don’t want to be too far from home at the moment, I wouldn’t feel comfortable using toilets even if they were open. But each to their own.

People were posting yesterday there was a 40 minute queue for just one disabled toilet at one beach (Skegness?) That is insanity. If just one of them was carrying the virus then that could have easily passed on to many of them.

We really don't want public toilets open. People shouldn't be out for leisure/exercise for long enough right now that they're unable to control their bladder or bowels. If there's a medical condition then stay close to home. Otherwise hold it in or stay close to home.

Filthy animals.

Agree with @ClashCityRocker

To be fair he didn’t tell people they had to drive hundreds of miles to sit with hundreds of other people, park illegally and shit on the beach. Even he thought the English people weren’t that stupid

But there's the law of unintended consequences.

Governments always need to factor in human behaviour. He literally announced during a May bank holiday weekend (the first of two) that people could travel as far as they want and be outside as much as they want. During what is typically among the hottest period of the year (including a hot VE bank holiday weekend when they announced it to the press) it stands to reason that people go to the beaches in their hordes.

What did they expect to happen? They can hide behind 'common sense' all they want but anyone with common sense knows how many people are.

Well, I had a lovely time at the beach. Two other families there, a swim, and no need to eat, pee or shit anywhere.

Can't imagine how grim it must be to have to queue for filthy loos and sit among everyone else's litter.

I went up to London with my family yesterday for a walk and to see a friend in the park (from a 2 metre distance). It's a 35 min drive but it was so good for us to get out to the place where we normally spend a lot of our time and just walk in the sunshine. Luckily there are public toilets there and London is basically a ghost town. I don't think I'd bother going to the beach as that is where everyone wants to go on a sunny day. I do think they should open the public toilets though - better that than everyone pissing/shitting outside?

Yes the govt were idiots. Wee NS seems to have learnt from our mistakes with her stay local mantra.

I live 10 minutes walk from the beach and we’ve had little chance to enjoy it. During lock down police were patrolling making sure no one was sat down, and since last weekend we’ve had a huge influx of visitors. I am feeling rather annoyed that my family aren’t able to visit the beach during the weekend when my husband is off work as there are too many there to socially distance. So I’ve now had to start taking my daughter during the week (not even to the main beach, but a quieter one a 20 minute walk away), and we’ll stay home at the weekend and finish her homeschooling work.
I live very close to durdle door, which is where the annoyed woman in the paper was visiting, from an hour and a half away and complaining it was too busy. A local business owner there was also verbally abused all weekend for not allowing people to park in his car park, and witnessed people urinating in hedgerows. Both of which is disgusting behaviour.
I can’t understand the mentality of some people, why the need to drive so far from home during a global pandemic, to visit a beach.
As soon as Boris announced people could travel as far as they liked we knew it would happen. He’s really made life even more difficult for being living in tourist areas.

• Governments always need to factor in human behaviour. He literally announced during a May bank holiday weekend (the first of two) that people could travel as far as they want and be outside as much as they want. During what is typically among the hottest period of the year (including a hot VE bank holiday weekend when they announced it to the press) it stands to reason that people go to the beaches in their hordes.

What did they expect to happen? They can hide behind 'common sense' all they want but anyone with common sense knows how many people are*

Boris knew exactly what would happen. Despite appearances, he’s not a stupid man and neither are his advisers. Behavioural science is not rocket science and telling the public, after weeks of half arsed lockdown that they’re allowed to do what they like was always going to result in packed beaches etc.

The real question people should be asking is why? Why did he do that? Why is he the only leader out of four nations that has done that? But instead, people are posting threads bitching about their neighbours and about there being no public loos.

Sorry, blood fail!

BOLD

The real question people should be asking is why? Why did he do that? Why is he the only leader out of four nations that has done that? But instead, people are posting threads bitching about their neighbours and about there being no public loos

I'm presuming herd immunity OR they know a 2nd wave is coming so they are giving people a taste of freedom before all hell breaks loose.

I said on the seaside thread that I thought it was a bit silly not to have any limit at all. You could have said "you can drive for up to 30 minutes" or had a limit in miles. Some people really do need to drive for exercise as I've argued from the very beginning, if you live in a country lane with no pavement it's too dangerous. And if it's hilly you may want to drive somewhere flat. But you don't need to drive 100 miles to a beach.

I just don't get it but as I've said I don't like crowds, I don't get FOMO but I don't think I am typical and most people think a crowd = fun.

I live 10 minutes walk from the beach and we’ve had little chance to enjoy it. During lock down police were patrolling making sure no one was sat down

Do you need to sit down to enjoy it? I thought if you lived locally you'd be walking on it, not sitting on it getting sand in your knickers.

People sitting on the beach I’m fine with.

People shitting on the beach I’m not.

ITonyah I’m pretty much in agreement with you, it would just be nice if Boris was honest with us as adults.