What is considered a picnic?

[xatcat]

Does it mean you can't walk and eat something outside?

Or is it when your sat down outside eating?

Just trying to clarify the rules.

Yep but we shouldn't forget that the main message is stay at home. Not go out as much as you can within 20 miles and take snacks and a friend.

I think it's loitering that is the issue. So eating a Banana while day on a bench is breaking the rules. Walking down the road eating a sandwich is not breaking the rules. Keep your legs moving
It's like being a kid in the 80s really.

This is a picnic twilight zone

DH is going to go fishing as that is allowed, I suspect he will be sitting but this will be his own chair not a public bench. I'm not sure if he will be eating, I suppose it depends how long he is there.

@RedRiverShore1 I think he'd be allowed to eat any fish he caught and maybe bring a flask of coffee as long as he used dust rather than milk, but I'm not sure he actually needs to go fishing- mind you if you could survive on fish without having to go to the supermarket that would be a bonus I suppose.

redriver well that is interesting - you can sit with a rod in your hand. And eat at the same time !
May go walking along streams and rivers with small switch rod to hand in case any officer pops up in the remote wilds as I stop for a snack.

Well, I presume you can eat though I wouldn't fancy eating as you are handling maggots and fishy stuff, there are not that many rules around the fishing apart from local, the usual not mixing ones and the usual rules of fishing, it didn't mention sitting or not. DH has joined the local water for this as he normally would travel somewhere not local. Local water is 5 miles away

Oh this is ridiculous.

Plenty of people have medical issues where they can't walk even a short distance without the possibility of experiencing blood sugar or a blood pressure dip (most easily and quickly fixed with salty food + water). I'm not even talking about exercising, but about walking home from the supermarket. So everyone going "UGH what is WRONG with people that they can't go a few hours without food greedy pigs": shove your ableism up your arse.

I have a chronic illness/disability (EDS and POTS) and have plenty of disabled friends who have to lug all their shopping home on foot since it's not always easy to get delivery spots (better now, but impossible during first lockdown). And yes if you have a serious disability or serious medical condition a walk of even 10 minutes might be too much without stopping for a break. That's assuming your supermarket is a 10 min walk away, not a 30 min walk away. I'm doing okay now health-wise but in years past I couldn't even stumble to the shop across the road and back without needing a drink and urgent blood pressure raising snack immediately after I got back.

I also have serious, life-threatening mental illness and going for very long (3 hour) walks in the forests near my home is genuinely literally life-saving. I wouldn't physically be able to go three hours without eating. Plus in the cold, having a thermos of something hot makes a big difference. And guess what? Me sitting on a log a mile from the nearest other person, or me walking with a doughnut as opposed to walking without a doughnut, doesn't make the single teeny tiny bit of difference to the potential that I'll infect someone.

The 'no picnic' rule is to prevent socialising (since people very rarely have picnics alone), absolutely nothing to do with not pausing to have a quick bite of chocolate while walking alone.

The discussion has gone upmarket since the "crisps on a bench brigade" thread of last spring with its talk of bananas.

Personally I like to stop off at mile 7 at a little corner shop, purchase a can of coke and bag of salt and vinegar crisps, and have a 5 minute break to refuel and minimise getting a stitch. The uphill back home is a bit of a bastard, so some fluids, glucose, starch and salt goes down a treat, ready for those last 3-4 miles when my calves hate me.

This is about the stage where we introduce the merits of using a bench for the excercise including step-ups, press-ups, tricep dips and squat jumps.

I'm very glad that the government has clamped down on gratuitous picnicking as around Christmas it was near impossible to pick a path through the carpet of picnic blankets covering the mud swamps of the local park as people wantonly lazed around enjoying the winter rain. Terrible problem every year

This thread is proper nuts.

Eating a banana whilst leaning on a tree is an illegal picnic..! 😂😂

And definitely do not stop for a sit down snack with your filthy germ vector child.

Fucking nuts

Well I’m just back from the gym. I’m lucky enough to have a home one. I get off my arse.

It's always rich twats in big houses who get the most angry about us proles in bedsits misusing our state designated 60-minute out-of-cell allowance, isn't it?

redriver you brought me back to my senses at ‘maggots’

If you are walking so far that you need a snack and a rest i suggest you shorten how far you are going.

Nope. I like to do really long hikes. I have no intention of shortening them.

@HeronLanyon

redriver you brought me back to my senses at ‘maggots’

There's always fly fishing. No maggots required.

Well I took a banana (a small one, fairly curvy, not too ripe) out with me on my exercise walk this morning and you know what? I ATE IT IN THE WOODS! It was a banana picnic. I even leaned up against a tree whilst doing so because I hate walking and eating. I then placed the banana skin in my bag and walked on. (Oh, and no bugger was in the woods this morning apart from me.)

I can think of half a dozen reasons why one might take a snack out on an exercise walk or run: breakfast; energy boost mid-run; child in tow who needs a snack/motivator to keep going; diabetic; dipping blood sugar; lunchtime and it's the only time you can get your exercise because gyms are closed and it gets fucking dark at 4.30. etc etc

People need to exercise common sense. No picnics on rugs in crowded city parks - but a snack whilst out exercising isn't hurting anyone. Most police forces also seem to be exercising common sense.

@rosetylersbiggun

"The 'no picnic' rule is to prevent socialising"

I didn't read any no picnic rule in the regulations. Again it is made up
As said...who would want a picnic anyway but it is being used to try and tell people they can't sit down and have a sandwich at all for a few mins

But you're allowed to get a takeaway coffee

That's not a picnic because you've left the house for another reason other than exercise. So as long as you don't try to exercise with the coffee, I think that's probably where the danger lies...

@Tyranttoddler

But you're allowed to get a takeaway coffee

That's not a picnic because you've left the house for another reason other than exercise. So as long as you don't try to exercise with the coffee, I think that's probably where the danger lies...

Running with a fresh cup of coffee is not a good idea, and for nothing to do with Covid