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Covid

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Original poster

RHS is Open for Exercise - How can this possibly fit with Gov. Guidelines

61 replies

BigWoollyJumpers · 10/01/2021 11:37

Following the upgrade of the UK’s coronavirus risk to the highest level and the latest Government guidelines announced on 4 January 2021, the RHS is pleased to confirm that the four RHS Gardens, RHS Garden Wisley, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, RHS Garden Rosemoor and RHS Garden Harlow Carr, can remain open for exercise.
Given the significant rise in cases of coronavirus across the UK, we ask that everyone considering visiting the gardens does not travel outside of their local area, defined in the latest Government guidelines as the village, town, or part of the city where they live

All sounds reasonable. However, you cannot access Wisley without your car, and no-one apart from the handful of houses in Wisley village, could possibly be defined as local.

The government need to define better what "reasonable" is. I would have to leave my village, and bypass my town, to get to Wisley, but it is only 10mins up the road, about 6 miles. This would apply to the many NT places also open in and around Surrey. If they are open, they are open to visitors from the surrounding area, but you HAVE to leave you village or town to access them.

OP posts:

Haffiana · 10/01/2021 11:43

Only Derbyshire Police have incorrectly defined what 'reasonable' is.

You can go to Wisley.

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 10/01/2021 11:56

I'm struggling with this one too.

I am an NT member and I love a proper walk. There are several within a 10 min drive of me. NT properties grounds are open and you have to book so that means they can't get overcrowded. I can't see the harm in booking for me and the DC to have a proper 1-2 hrs walk for the sake of 10mins drive.

Our only other choice that we could walk to here in featureless suburbia is a wind swept playing field or just around a housing estate. We could certainly march around the perimeter for a few circuits but I can guarantee DC won't want to do that and nor would I really.

This is pretty much my only pleasure and going for a walk in nature is the only thing that's lifted my spirits a bit and succeeded in distracting me from my thoughts after a week working long hours on a COVID ward

But DC and I would be mortified to get stopped by police. We are law abiding citizens.

The NT places aren't in my 'part of town' or indeed anyone's but I can't see how this is a risk with the booking limiting numbers and the benefit to us is very real.

Feathersinthehead · 10/01/2021 12:01

It’s why ‘local area’ needs to be defined by the government.
Like many others, I’ve got numerous lovely places, NT and the like, within 15 minutes drive. Bookable, suitable for walking...
But this nebulous, waffling terminology just adds to the stress.

Moondust001 · 10/01/2021 12:04

You'll be fine provided you don't sit on any benches.

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 10/01/2021 12:06

We wouldn't even be meeting anyone. It'd just be our own household. We had no difficulty staying away from others when doing similar walks in Tier 4 post Christmas before lockdown and it really helped me and is the only thing I have actually enjoyed in recent weeks.

PhilCornwall1 · 10/01/2021 12:07

@Moondust001

You'll be fine provided you don't sit on any benches.

Or walk around with a drink on your hand, as that's apparently a picnic. 🤔

yearinyearout · 10/01/2021 12:07

Six miles is fine OP. I really feel that the police need to get a grip at the moment though. In our local area they posted photos of themselves doing a roadblock to check where people were going...how can that be a good use of resources? The list of places people can go/reasons they can be out is pretty lengthy, and surely if anyone was just "out for no reason" they'd say they were on their way to tesco or something. I have no problem with the police going to sort out house parties etc, but what they are doing now is nothing short of ridiculous.

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 10/01/2021 12:07

I'm going to book for next week and just hope the police don't stop us. DS would not agree to come if he thought that was even a possibility so I won't be mentioning it.

Oblomov20 · 10/01/2021 12:09

Friends of mine are going to wisley today. I can't grasp how it is allowed to be open. And garden centres, and the like. Doesn't make sense to me.

DishedUp · 10/01/2021 12:10

Surely you can just use some common sense? I don't really understand why people can't just think and need to have local defined to them

10 minutes down the road to an open garden like Wisley is fine. You can always turn around if it seems busy. 10 minutes down the road to a very busy small park probably not.

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 10/01/2021 12:11

We took hot chocolate in flasks and some biscuits on our last pre lockdown walk in a wood. Little treat thing that DC like and again I really cannot see the harm. There were no benches, we drank it in our own car. If we had sat on a bench in the open air just our family how is it hurting anyone?

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 10/01/2021 12:12

I can use common sense and my common sense says it is OK but it really does appear the police think otherwise and I don't want to get stopped by police with my young DC who would be scared and upset and probably put off walks in future.

DishedUp · 10/01/2021 12:12

I don't see how Wisley is any different to a large park @Oblomov20. Its just owned by the RHS.

Lemonpiano · 10/01/2021 12:13

I really feel that the police need to get a grip at the moment though. In our local area they posted photos of themselves doing a roadblock to check where people were going...how can that be a good use of resources?

Considering I was told the reason they fucked up my rape investigation was "lack of resources", I sure find it heart-warming that the police suddenly have the resources to deploy officers en masse to staff roadblocks, patrol NT sites and parks, and harass people returning home from hospitals.

FindHungrySamurai · 10/01/2021 12:16

Presumably if people are only coming from a 10 minutes radius that’s a pretty small catchment and it can’t get too crowded - if it did then prebooking would deal with it.

Looneytune253 · 10/01/2021 12:21

Personally I would say as long as you're within your own local authority area the police won't be able to come you as that is local to your home. No borders crossed

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 10/01/2021 12:22

I just checked our local forces Twitter. Still clear as mud. If you judged on what they Tweet about they seem mainly interested in traffic violations

MrsBennetsnerves · 10/01/2021 12:25

They let too many people book a slot. When I went to Wisley a couple of times last year, it was more crowded than usual and the car parks more full. Since then I have decided to let my membership lapse. Large parks are generally areas you can walk to.
You have no choice but to drive there and due to its position most visitors won't be 10 minutes away. If people can get fined for driving 5 miles then it makes no sense that this venue and the NT are allowed to be open.

AcornAutumn · 10/01/2021 12:26

@CovoidOfAllHumanity

People genuinely think they will die because someone sat on a bench.

I haven't been to the park this lockdown, but last time, the benches were all taped off so the people in my block of flats, with any mobility issues, were obliged to stay in. It certainly didn't help anyone's health.

AcornAutumn · 10/01/2021 12:26

@MrsBennetsnerves

They let too many people book a slot. When I went to Wisley a couple of times last year, it was more crowded than usual and the car parks more full. Since then I have decided to let my membership lapse. Large parks are generally areas you can walk to. You have no choice but to drive there and due to its position most visitors won't be 10 minutes away. If people can get fined for driving 5 miles then it makes no sense that this venue and the NT are allowed to be open.

The fine for driving five miles was not legally valid.

AcornAutumn · 10/01/2021 12:28

@Lemonpiano

Indeed.

They even had enough resources to circle our park with a megaphone, saying, "do not stop, you are only here for exercise".

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 10/01/2021 12:31

NT places did get too crowded in the first lockdown so they responded to that with booking limitations. That seems very sensible to me. The places I want to go to I really just want to park in their car park and then walk in the huge area of parkland/ woodland surrounding them. I don't want to just walk around a fairly small garden.
It seems to me looking at the NT website that only places that have good walking routes are actually open. Certainly nothing indoors and no cafe even for takeaway.
I think they've done all they can and it is safe.

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 10/01/2021 12:32

Wow. A megaphone in the park. See it's stuff like that and the bloody drone that scares me.

That is enforcing made up rules for the sake of it and not actually managing risk.

Frazzled2207 · 10/01/2021 12:35

totally agree that 'local' should be better defined ,and I would say travelling up to 10 miles or so (as long as it's not all the time) is ok.

But I think there's an inherent unfairness to it all. I live on the outskirts of greater manchester where I have easy access to the peak district for walks. Relatively easy to find walks which are really quiet and safe. It seems inherently unfair to say to people that live more centrally in Manchester can't do that, especially as green spaces in the city are very few and far between and the ones that there are will be heaving.

peak2021 · 10/01/2021 12:37

Being open, that is clear. Whether you can travel there is not and should be more closely defined.

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