How are you interpreting ‘local travel for exercise’ ?

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

If you’re in England’s lockdown, how are you interpreting the guidance that we are allowed to travel in the local area for exercise?

We live in the London suburbs - all that is around locally are a few parks and playgrounds which have been pretty busy. But if we drive for about 30mins we’ve got access to huge amounts of outdoor space - woodland, national trust parkland - that will be much quieter and easier to get fresh air away from other people.

I’m just not sure what is in the spirit of the new rules?

The country parks, national trust and forestry commission stuff we like is all between 30 to 45 minutes drive away in the same county, I would still visit them but my kids are 11 and 13 and would rather stay home so not sure if we will or not! I would visit the places you suggest though OP risk of transmission is low outside and getting fresh air in scenic places is great for your mental health.

I saw something after things loosened last time that suggested your travelling time should be less than your exercise/leisure time. So if you are driving 30 mins to walk for an hour or so that reasonable. Driving 4 hours cross country to test your eye sight by looking at a castle less reasonable.

I'd say what you are proposing is ok, maybe do a mix of local parks with slightly further afield to break it up.

Ah yes I remember that idea that travel time should be less than leisure time. Seems like a reasonable rule of thumb to adhere to this time round.

Another rule of thumb might be, somewhere local enough you know if there's likely to be parking at the time you go, and it's not so far you'd be tempted to park illegally rather than giving up if you couldn't park properly.
And the other factor is whether the trip can be done without needing the loo.

We will be going to where we go all the time so 30min to an hour away.

I will be driving 30 minutes away to a national park once a week like I have done every weekend for years for a 2/3 hour walk.

The rest of the week I will walk from home or drive 10 minutes to get a bit more space from people.

In the first lockdown I always walked from home as did everyone else. I'm in a city so that led to crowded paths and much jumping into the road to avoid people. Fuck that for a game of soldiers!

www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november#travel

11. Travel If you live in England, you cannot travel overseas or within the UK, unless for work, education or other legally permitted reasons, and you should look to reduce the number of journeys you make. However you can and should still travel for a number of reasons, including:

travelling to work where this cannot be done from home
travelling to education and for caring responsibilities
to visit those in your support bubble - or your childcare bubble for childcare
hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
to buy goods or services from premises that are open, including essential retail
to spend time or exercise outdoors - this should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)
attending the care and exercise of a pet, or veterinary services
If you need to travel we encourage you to walk or cycle where possible, and to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport. This will allow you to practise social distancing while you travel.

You must not travel if you are experiencing any coronavirus symptoms, are self-isolating as a result of coronavirus symptoms, are sharing a household or support bubble with somebody with symptoms, or have been told to self-isolate after being contacted by NHS Test and Trace. The fine for breaching self isolation rules start at £1,000. This could increase to up to £10,000 for repeat offences and the most serious breaches, including for those preventing others from self-isolating.

If you need to use public transport - to travel to work for example - you should follow the safer travel guidance. This includes the rules on wearing face coverings and advice on car sharing.

Is it possible for you to safely exercise and spend time outdoors in your local area, or is it necessary for you to travel?

It’s a judgement call - personally I’m comfortable driving ten minutes to our nearest woodland, which is our nearest space that’s not just pavement or busy children’s playground. I would have described it as being in my local area, I can park in a large car park without inconveniencing anyone and the toilets are open. I’m not comfortable driving an hour to the beach - clearly for me that isn’t necessary and I wouldn’t define it as local to me. Others will do things differently.

I think they idea is to avoid people crowding onto beaches or having 100s of people using the same public loo on the same day etc

Access to open spaces is important to our MH. I'm still going to drive out to the woods or lake occasionally. Probably no more than 20 mins.

I know it isn't what you asked, but here in France the parks/beaches etc are remaining open (unlike the last lockdown) but the exercise restrictions are limited to 1km from your home so you can only go there if you live within 1km.

End of the street. I would say end of my path but I'm a rebel.

@canceltheonioncheque

I know it isn't what you asked, but here in France the parks/beaches etc are remaining open (unlike the last lockdown) but the exercise restrictions are limited to 1km from your home so you can only go there if you live within 1km.

Do you mean you have to start within 1km of home or stay within that radius? Either way, it sounds daft to me - urban populations having to stay clumped together instead of being able to spread out a bit.

I live about 20 minutes from a country park and hills and believe that to travel there is within the Govt guidelines.

With the weather being cooler than last time I’d be amazed if places were overwhelmed like last time

I would include driving to access to open spaces 30 minutes or so totally fine. Nature is important for mental stability! If they ask...

The guidance is not the law so if you do not follow it but follow the law you are fine. The law www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1200/pdfs/uksi_20201200_en.pdf allows you out as many times a day as you like for exercise and for recreation. It does not limit that to any distance so eg if you want to take a 4 hour drive and never leave the car or take a 4 hour drive to sit by the sea for an hour that is not unlawful as far as I can see.

@ErrolTheDragon

You have to stay within a 1km radius of your home address.

[quote canceltheonioncheque]@ErrolTheDragon

You have to stay within a 1km radius of your home address.[/quote]
Just to be clear, this is France, not any part of the UK. There are no legal restrictions in England, and the guidance says "local" but does not define it, so just be sensible and don't drive hours to somewhere you know will be overcrowded.

Well I’ve booked a slot at one of the “local” (30min drive) NT places this weekend. They control numbers so I can’t see how it can really be a problem. We had a lovely walk round national trust woodland last weekend and it was such a mental health boost.

Yes - definitely France (I did say this in my original comment) - didn't mean to derail the thread

It is important to stay within your local area and risk level to help avoid viral spread. For example, if you live in a high or very high risk area, then you should not travel to a lower risk area and vice versa. We live in a National Park which, understandably, attracts vast numbers of visitors at the best of times. During the first lockdown this was worse than usual, with people who would normally shop for leisure rather than walk and people who would usually be at work bolstering the numbers. We really suffered with littering, anti-social behaviour, bad parking, livestock and wildlife worrying, a lack of social distancing, stock being stripped from village shops and fouling by people and dogs. Some residents became understandably frightened to leave their homes for a short walk or go to the local shops for essentials. We are surrounded by higher virus risk areas, have a large elderly and vulnerable population and limited medical services. I hope that this time around more people will be considerate to the National Parks, coastal areas and beauty spots, and to their residents. To me, local is a walk away, or a 10-20 minute cycle or drive, not driving for 30 minutes or an hour or more. Stay at home or stay local and within your own viral risk level. I think that is in the spirit of what this lockdown needs to achieve. When we're not in a global pandemic, considerate visitors are very welcome.

I hope that this time around more people will be considerate to the National Parks, coastal areas and beauty spots, and to their residents. To me, local is a walk away, or a 10-20 minute cycle or drive, not driving for 30 minutes or an hour or more

If NT sites etc are allowed to remain open, then people must be allowed to visit them. Many are in quite rural areas and will have insufficient people living locally for it to be worthwhile opening.

Just because you think that the outer reaches of 'local' means 20 minutes, but 30 minutes is a step too far doesn't mean that everyone will agree or that it is practical for most people, eg people like the OP who live in a densely populated area - if everyone is forced to stay in the immediate area, it will be crowded and the risk of transmission increases. Better to go a little further out, where there is more space for everyone.

Littering, bad parking etc is a separate issue. Many people can go out into the countryside and never behave inconsiderately, but others will do this whether they are in their own garden, the shopping centre or out in the wilds.

I live a few miles outside the Lake District National Park. There are plenty of beautiful places to walk from my front door, but we will also probably sometimes go further afield (maybe 30 to 40 mins drive) for a longer walk.

It's obviously true that the Lake District attracts lots of tourists, and did so during the first lockdown. I didn't see the crowds though, because the tourists all seem to stick to the same few famous, popular, easy-to-access beauty spots, whereas we don't. There are gazillions of fells, lakes and tarns where you barely see anyone, even in the summer holidays.

@canceltheonioncheque

Yes - definitely France (I did say this in my original comment) - didn't mean to derail the thread

God, Macron really is acting like a little dictator. He's definitely getting Chirac syndrome - thinking 82% voted for him rather than against the fascists...

The furthest I would drive at the moment is a park near town (10 mins) where I'd spend an hour walking. In your case you haven't got that privilege, so if you can travel and don't need to be close to others or use local facilities I'd say it's fine for a change.