What is local?

[Ifihadapoundd]

What do the government class as local? We live 6miles away from a national Trust (would have to drive there) would this be allowed or not?

I've been driving for about 20 minutes (10 miles - I just checked) to meet a friend who does about the same. This is so we can go for a long walk around the parkland of a large NT property, which is roughly half-way between us. There's loads of space, so its a safe place to walk. I'd consider it to be a reasonable distance to drive to go for a walk.

I am wondering the same. My mum is my support bubble and travels 45 miles to see me. We intend to go to the country park in my town at some point (both me and my dog sick of the local park) and will be going in her car. If a cop stops us, her car is registered to an address 45 miles away, yet we would be exercising together in a place that is local to me. So confusing!

It doesn't matter if it feels local to us at the moment or our logic or habits in normal times tell us it is. If it isn't in our village, town or part of city it isn't local. We can all think our way around the guidelines or law to suit ourselves, but it isn't in the spirit, is it, of what is expected and needed from all of us?

The problem for the National Parks, their residents and small, stretched services is the millions of people from surrounding towns and cities who consider them to be local.

We have family in the Peak District, for example. Covidiot visitors from out of their local area have very recently had to be rescued - some because of ice and snow, some following a multi-car crash. This involved their ambulance, police and hospital services, mountain rescue volunteers and others including car recovery businesses, putting all at increased risk and taking them away from helping the more deserving.

I'd say 6 miles is definitely local, in my opinion anyway.

@OHolyTights But you’re making up that definition of local in this context. I don’t think anywhere in the world has used it. It mostly seems to be 5-15km. Local can also refer to an entire region And the OP isn’t talking about a national park, she’s talking about a national trust property.

It seems like you haven't read the latest guidance @CabinClose ? Not made up at all.

It also seems like you haven't RTFT? The discussion has widened out from the OP.

People should use their commonsense. We have been driving to the same places that we always have ( ds is autistic) throughout lockdown. Even in the height of summer we saw few people and since November we frequently see no one. People deciding to drive 2 hours to do Malham Cove on a nice afternoon may be causing problems but people keeping away from other people including in local villages are not.

There are exemptions for people in your situation, @Underhisi - you are doing nothing wrong.

And yes I agree people should be staying off the high routes at the moment and on the lower ones keeping to well within their experience.

@OHolyTights Apologies, I did read the guidance when it first came out and I’m sure it didn’t have the local definition in. That is a very strict definition!

No worries at all @CabinClose

If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live

If this is the guidance, then the national trust place in the next village is not in line with this.

What does 'part of the city' mean in London?

It's totally open to interpretation

@dreamingbohemian

What does 'part of the city' mean in London?

It's totally open to interpretation

I guess it is open to interpretation, but presumably the area around your home.

"Local" is relative. The majority of people live in towns or the suburbs and therefore a 10 minute drive won't seem local. However, for those of us who live rurally, local is much further away. I would consider a half hour drive to be local, it takes me 30 minutes drive in one direction to get to a food store and 20 minutes drive in the other direction just to get milk and petrol.

When I go to work, it's 25 miles away down winding country lanes so takes me 36 minutes....which I consider to be "just down the road".
Therefore 6 miles from an NT property, here, would be considered 'on the doorstep' and a perfectly reasonable place to go to. But then, out here, we'd probably walk to something 6 miles away in any case.

The government is now allowing fishing locally so DH will be driving about 5 miles to fish the local fishing lakes. I would consider that local.

“local area” is defined as “the village, town, or part of the city where you live

I live in a town, there is no supermarket, there is a butcher but only 2 corner shops which don't have enough for a weekly shop. I travel to the next town which is a few miles away, I feel rebellious now.

I think that's fine. I live in a very urban area, our only woods had been taped off and blocked by police tape for two days and this happens a lot due to crime so I have been travelling to a forest on the edge of the city to go walking.

Police were fining people turning up at National Trust Calke Abbey - some apparently from just 7 miles away (though that distance isn't mentioned in the article).

www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/confusion-over-lockdown-law-police-4866733?fbclid=IwAR3kHNex-vflJDF-01_7QVpmS2hhZlWwfSL7I1aj7_xQF7iNDdn8ZXHDH3c

There is always a chance you will get fined by an over zealous police officer whatever you do, I have lost all respect for the police now, I didn't have much anyway before this as they ignored a burglary a relative had, this was before covid. Last March our CC was wanting to check shopping bags. You either pay it, I think it is £100 if paid in certain amount of time, if not £200, or not pay it, lots of people didn't have to pay last year and they were rescinded.

It looks like popular touristy places are being targeted by police so we won't be seeing any near where I live then, no change there then. Nearest police station is about 8 miles away and police in our town are noticeable by their absence as usual.

Would you say this is local?

We live on a suburb at the edge of town. There are woods 8 miles away (10ish min drive) between our suburb and the next town. Are those woods okay for exercise?

There is some small green space closer to our house, but it often has lots of people. We never see anyone else in the woods.

Eight miles doesn't seem local in that situation. As there are options closer to your home then that is where you should exercise, unless covered by a medical exemption. They might well be quieter at a different time.

The chance of an accident or breakdown also needs to be considered, as mentioned upthread, as services don't want to be called out for non essentials.

But you are a rebel with a cause Backbee because you can travel to the nearest shop for your essential supplies if you can't get them in your own shop - often further in rural areas, as WanderingMilly points out.