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Covid

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Original poster

Travelling to Walk

41 replies

GinJeanie · 21/03/2021 07:39

Am in England. When are we (officially) allowed to travel in order to go for a walk? I know lots of folk are already doing this anyway and tbh I don't blame them. Am a bit confused about timing of restrictions being lifted...

OP posts:

Abraxan · 21/03/2021 08:47

The stay at home bit already means stay local.

We have never been told legally not to leave the house, or only to stay in places that involve a short walk from your door.

Stay local (for walks, exercise and recreation) is already open for debate - it isn't laid down in law what it means, just a vague statement about it being your own village/town part of the city. But there are also exemptions for when you can go further.

This stay home rule finishes on the 29 March.

Which must mean you can travel further, and beyond 'local.'

LegendDairy · 21/03/2021 09:09

and it's never worth getting in to an argument with police at the scene at the time.

Why Not?

UntamedWisteria · 21/03/2021 09:14

Rural area. We've been travelling regularly for up to 30 minutes to take the dog for a walk on the downs at the weekend. Very few people around. We have muddy fields close to home where we go on weekdays, but we all benefit from being out in more open space occasionally.

I wouldn't go to a tourist hotspot or anywhere I expected to see a lot of people.

I think a dose of basic common sense is required.

EdithWeston · 21/03/2021 09:23

I think a dose of basic common sense is required

One thing I've learned from this pandemic is how uncommon common sense is, and I was astonished at how many posts there have been demanding that everything be defined in law to the nth degree.

I expect there will be a 'stay local' condition, and it will be undefined, and many peiolemwill apply common sense. But all the online chatter will be from those who are 'confused' or who like a good nitpick.

And icw NT places, you need to check online, as some are operating a ticketing system to prevent overcrowding (including members and for outdoors only) and you will get turned away have not booked.

yeOldeTrout · 21/03/2021 09:32

Covid controls have made me quite afraid to drive 5 miles to local beauty spots.

Fact is police have repeatedly hassled people for any sort of driving to merely take a walk. England govt were forced to issue specific clarification in April 2020 to say driving to exercise might be ok. If we were merely supposed to use common sense then I wouldn't have nearly as many controls as exist - obviously my common sense isn't useful to tell me what to do. I Hate the Govt for keeping the rules so Wooly & making me afraid of the police.

Original poster

GinJeanie · 21/03/2021 09:38

@edithweston, I rarely bite but you've taken time out of your day to do exactly what you're criticising in others. Add to "online chatter" and "nitpick". Totally agree about common sense though.
However, we're all different and that is just fine. I don't get particularly annoyed if people "make their own risk assessment" or whatever and I make my own decisions. However, I've been quite careful because I work in a school with vulnerable kids. My choice I guess.

OP posts:

UntamedWisteria · 21/03/2021 09:40

France just gone into a 3rd lockdown and rules are very specific about how far you can travel - to walk the dog, visit a supermarket etc.

Clearly the French government assumes no common sense.

NeedSomeInfoAgain · 21/03/2021 09:53

Everyone's 'common sense' is different though. That way Barnard Castle lies!

Vanillaradio · 21/03/2021 10:03

You are allowed to leave your house to exercise and there is no distance set out in law and only guidance to keep local. The trouble is there is no definition of local and the law only says that you have to have a reasonable excuse I.e exercise to leave your house. Which leads to all sorts of anomalies like the police issuing penalties for people driving a few miles to exercise and is the reason why people are using their own judgement- there's no definition so they have to.
Its been badly thought out and ill defined like a lot of the coronavirus legislation.
Op if you are concerned about this then I agree that 29th March is the date to go for- the stay at home will be removed (there will still be guidance to stay local but unlikely to be any definition of local) and there will be no need to have a reasonable excuse to leave your house.

OrangeBananaFish · 21/03/2021 10:21

I live rurally and most walks and runs have started and ended at my front door. However, I have driven the 8 miles (15 mins or so) to another beauty spot 3 or 4 times in 2021. I have also had a friend who lives in another rural place about 6 miles away come to visit me to go for a run together.

We were talking the other day about places we can go for a family walk soon and planning out our weekends at various places all 30-45 min drive away. We were thinking we could do this from 29th March too. I would imagine from 12th April you could 'get away' with going anywhere in the country for a nice day out.

I'm not bothered if people are driving a little bit to go to a nice beauty spot and really couldn't care less as long as they are applying common sense. I do have a friend who had a rant on her FB about someone taking a 20 min drive to near her (which is not a very well known place) and she was saying people shouldn't leave their home area etc. I don't understand how that stress helps anyone TBH.

EdithWeston · 21/03/2021 13:00

One person's general comment is another person's nitpick

I'm describing what I am seeing, which includes a lot of quibbling about what regulations mean, and which are law (see many, many threads pain).

In that post, I was not nitpicking at any of the regulations. I fully accept the need to stay local, and hope that people will apply common sense.

And I hope was useful to pp who was asking about what the NT is doing at least for now (I expect they will continue with booking system until they announce otherwise)

WhentheDealGoesDown · 21/03/2021 13:12

DH and I will be going to NT gardens from 29th March, our 'local' ones, the nearest are 30 - 40 miles away, DH has also booked a running event about 40 miles away.

CuthbertDibbleandGrubb · 21/03/2021 13:15

Unfortunately yes. I think the five mile guidance in Wales or the no travel to exercise unless walking or cycling which the Belgians have made more sense.

Original poster

GinJeanie · 21/03/2021 13:28

@EdithWeston - no-one is making you read all these duplicate threads... or police them! Maybe I was being lazy and should have done a search first. I promise I will do so in future so as not to annoy you unduly. Jeez!

OP posts:

WhentheDealGoesDown · 21/03/2021 13:31

NT is still using the booking system, I suspect it will be very busy next Friday morning

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 21/03/2021 13:35

I drove 6 miles for a walk last weekend. No idea if it was classed as local or not but I walked much further than I would have done if I'd walked from my door to do the same route yet again!

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