Covid-19 Travel for exercise - Reasonable distance

[Woody girl]

We have also had a lot of people moving into our area from london /Bristol, and further afield who have no idea about country life,pushing up already high house prices, so locals are pushed out, and into the covid riddled places they have vacated, and destroying trees and hedges that "impair their view" with no idea what they are doing, and the impact that has on wildlife.
Stay away townies. You chose that life, deal with it!

 

[Wander]

You mean they have to eat as well? Shocking behaviour

That's the best you've got, is it?
So you think that if they're hungry, the only answer to that is, during a time of a pandemic when being indoors with lots of people, to go indoors and sit down with a group of people? Especially when their job is to prevent other people doing just that because 'that's what they've been told to do'?

I doubt any of the high quality news sites bothered to ask, but it’s possible that if the local station has no canteen there’s an agreement to allow officers to eat.
A place I worked used to do that.

If the local staion has no canteen then I would hope the local station would find alternative arrangements (packed lunch, anyone?) rather than point their staff toward the one solution that contravenes everything we've been told, that said staff are meant to be preventing others from doing, and that antagonises the spread of the virus. Wouldn't you?

if they were nurses or soldiers would it have been an issue?

Yes.
If it's that much of a risk then joining other strangers indoors to eat yoru egg and chips is a bad idea for everyone.
Surely that's the point, isn't it?

 

[Fadcode]

Be interesting to find out how far people think cyclists should go for exercise, as opposed to drivers.
The cyclisst I see never seem to be wearing masks which is understandable as it may impede breathing adequately. To some extent the same with joggers, as they are breathing heavier because of their exertion and the need to take in more oxygen, are they more likely to spread the virus through air droplets etc.?

 

[Toddy]

Be interesting to find out how far people think cyclists should go for exercise, as opposed to drivers.
The cyclisst I see never seem to be wearing masks which is understandable as it may impede breathing adequately. To some extent the same with joggers, as they are breating heavier because of their exertion and the need to take in more oxygen, are they more likely to spread the virus through air droplets etc.?

I admit that I have wondered that too. A decent cyclist will easily do 20 miles.
An hours walk will only do about three.

To be honest, if we are to be locked down, then do it right, and make it clear and limit things like the Welsh have or the Scottish Government did the first time.
I think that as things stand too many people decide that, "I'm alright" and just do as they want.
No wonder the plague got out of hand

 

[John Fenna]

During the first lockdown I cycled from home on a circuit that used minor roads and lanes and avoided all chance of meeting people on the way (as much as humanly possible). I stayed within walking distance of home so that punctures (endured only once) or other problems were not a big issue and did not involve other folk having to rescue me. Cycle in the morning, walk in the afternoon was my routine. It is too cold and wet for me to want to cycle at the moment!

 

[Fadcode]

naughty naughty, cycle in the morning, walk in the afternoon , Only allowed one exercise time per day young man....tut tut tut ...............

 

[C_Claycomb]

Wander,
Regarding the police, and to borrow from your reply to TLM, please try not to stigmatise a whole professional group

It used to be said that venting ones frustration was good, that it helped to bleed off stress, but I have seen multiple references of late to research that shows the opposite. To quote a piece from one source,

"Venting. Catharsis. Can feel good right? Actually, more and more research shows that venting isn't all that good for us. In fact, it can perpetuate problems, anger issues as an example, by reinforcing negative responses to situations. And when we enlist friends or coworkers in our rants, it can reinforce our position all the more. You vent, they agree. They share a story in return, it reinforces your story. The result is even more ammunition for getting angry next time...."

Whatever ones usual views of the police, it is undeniable that right now their jobs have got a lot more unpleasant and dangerous. Stress like that can certainly make people less patient among other things. I dread to think what worry about catching Covid does to their general mental health.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I have decided I am not going to drive anywhere for exercise. I try to get out for a walk around the streets here, but the last such one left me a little uncomfortable. Its town, so there are often others out walking or jogging, and most give each other a wide berth. Yesterday on a narrow bit of pavement, I was over taken by a jogger who didn't move over and passed close enough that I could smell them (perfume, fabric conditioner, whatever) for several paces afterwards.

The areas of countryside near me that I have always enjoyed walking around (Ashridge 10 miles and Stockgrove Park 4 miles away), have been thick with people most times I have been there in the last 6 months. Visited Ashridge in November and one day in December and there were a lot of people out, as many or more than a normal sunny July day! With all the places of entertainment closed, people are going out for walks.

 

[Paul_B]

My then 7 yo nearly got knocked into the canal by a jogger pushing past him during the height of the first lockdown. Not just too close but because of his pace and the bend he came up on us too quickly for us to get out of the way. A day later we noticed the canal trust had put a sign up telling cyclists to consider other path users. As a cyclist and walker I can say that during lockdown we had more issues with joggers than cyclists. It seems with gyms closing a lot of men started running for fitness with a less than cooperative n approach to access on the towpath.

At the time everyone was taking care to step off the path to be give others distance to pass. Cyclists stopped to let walkers past with distance but joggers just ran past too close. I took that as a good reason to be change where we walked as often as possible. We then started driving up to 5 miles to take our daily exercise. Later on that the rules eased to allow travel to exercise. We did a couple of walks a half hour drive away but used it to get bike parts too. Mostly we kept within 10 miles. Mind you Arnside and Silverdale AONB is a nice place to me visit so I feel spoilt.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Here in Wales in Tier 4 we are allowed to visit a Place of Worship. Depending on where you live that could mean a drive of perhaps 40 / 50 / 60 miles or more each way to the Synagogue, or Mosque, or Mormon Chapel or other. To then congregate indoors for worship with others not of one's bubble. And maybe stopping for fuel en route.

But we, in theory, should NOT drive a couple of miles from home to hike in the open air alone, or with members of our bubble (not forgetting Dog), and being perhaps several km away from others during the whole of the hike.

For people to accept excessive constraints on their freedom at this difficult time I feel strongly that all the rules should be rational and even-handed.

Yes, the restrictions are more often than not, incomprehensible & contradictory, with little or no science to back them up but if every individual decides to do his/her own thing because it makes more sense to them, then they become part of the problem & not the solution. We are lumbered with incompetant governments & clueless medical advisors & they are destined to repeat the same mistakes over & over again. since they have no vision or strategy. There is no point in looking for, or even expecting rationality or fairness in any restrictions handed down from the-powers-that-be as there isn't any. All we get are panic knee-jerk reactions to events which everyone foresaw but governments didn't.
BUT & It's a big but.......it's all we have.
Prehaps too, those who now have an irrepressable need to drive to the country & take a pleasant stroll through idyillic surroundings, should question why this sudden urge when B.C. (before COVID) the only exercise they took was from their front door to their car.

It's a freakin' lockdown ! You're not supposed to be traipsing round the country looking for nice spots to wander,. The freedom to take exercise isn't a licence to go where you want or do want you want but walk the dog or take a few steps outdoors in your neighbourhood. If you don't have any green spaces nearby, tough !
It's no wonder governments infantilize the public when so many act like spoilt brats.

 

[Van-Wild]

I love to exercise. I love to walk, I love open spaces. To be outside is glorious.

Because of lockdown 1, I found I couldn't do all the above if I stayed within the rules. I had a feeling at the time that there would be further, more strict lockdowns.....

I built a gym in my garage. Started with a gymnastics mat that my daughter no longer uses. So I did body weight stuff. Slowly over weeks and months I added stuff. Now I have a fully equipment although rather 'ghetto' gym that fulfills all my needs. I still like to run. But I can't run long distances so now I do rather spicy intervals, over a total distance of 2.1km (from my front door, one road, out and back).

I can't go walking in the forests or hills at the minute, so I stay local. But I'm lucky that I can traipse across fields within 10 minutes of my front door. Public footpaths where you rarely see others close at hand.

If you're obsessed with exercising like me but can't afford to build your own gym, your own body is a machine that you can work out with really effectively and get a good sweat on. If you want some cheap equipment but don't have much space, buy a kettlebell and some resistance bands. They're all you'll ever need!



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[TLM]

Yes, the restrictions are more often than not, incomprehensible & contradictory,

The more they are rationally explained and the more they make sense to the general population the better they are followed. This is a fairly basic rule not included in any politicians handbook.

 

[The Frightful]

I live in a fairly urban area, we are all social animals, i guess that migration to other areas for a walk maybe simply to break the monotony. Our seafront ( Thames estuary) is a total no parking zone. Thousands of bays shut off guessing to stop migrating, we are a few miles away so not too much of an issue to us personally. As long as social distancing is maintained i cannot see the problem of travelling to other areas. If for example you live in a city area, London Manchester Liverpool etc i would imagine the park and open space areas will be rammed making social distancing virtually impossible. If this was the case i would seek an alternative. People living in rural areas have more scope to vary their walks and outdoor activities, possibly the very reason they live there. If flocks of urbanites are descending in their thousands, like Appleby Horse fair, Glastonbury etc i can understand. But if Derby & Joan drive out for a stroll, Mary, Mark and the kids drive out for a country ride i really can't understand the issue. Hopefully it will educate them of the beauty and encourage them to continue visiting once this is all over and maybe drive out for a pub lunch in that beautiful little village they never knew existed

 

[Lean'n'mean]

The more they are rationally explained and the more they make sense to the general population the better they are followed. This is a fairly basic rule not included in any politicians handbook.

That is true but in case you haven't noticed, logic & rational communication went out of the window last february. You can only explain the reasons for doing something, if you know why you're doing it & the results you hope to achieve. The authorities are unsure of both, cue the confusion, mixed messages & ever changing recommendations.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

I live in a fairly urban area, we are all social animals, i guess that migration to other areas for a walk maybe simply to break the monotony. Our seafront ( Thames estuary) is a total no parking zone. Thousands of bays shut off guessing to stop migrating, we are a few miles away so not too much of an issue to us personally. As long as social distancing is maintained i cannot see the problem of travelling to other areas. If for example you live in a city area, London Manchester Liverpool etc i would imagine the park and open space areas will be rammed making social distancing virtually impossible. If this was the case i would seek an alternative. People living in rural areas have more scope to vary their walks and outdoor activities, possibly the very reason they live there. If flocks of urbanites are descending in their thousands, like Appleby Horse fair, Glastonbury etc i can understand. But if Derby & Joan drive out for a stroll, Mary, Mark and the kids drive out for a country ride i really can't understand the issue. Hopefully it will educate them of the beauty and encourage them to continue visiting once this is all over and maybe drive out for a pub lunch in that beautiful little village they never knew existed

We all have to make sacrifices. Derby & Joan and Mary & Mark can keep their motor on the driveway for the time being. They can satisfy their whims at a later date.

 

[Woody girl]

Well, I've just read on my phone newsfeed that a woman was arrested and led away in handcuffs,while sitting on a bench for breaking the rules. Apparently in Bournemouth, it looked like somewhere on the sea front there.
She didn't seem to be doing any harm, sitting alone on a bench outside, but then I dont know all the details.
That in normal times would seem inconceivable. BUT, we are not in normal times.
The artical didn't give a lot of detail,so it's hard to say that it was fair or not. To me it feels not.
The one problem we have, is that one person is not a great problem, PROVIDING they are covid free, trouble is, then everyone feels they are just one person, and they are not sick, so what is the problem?
Off they go, and suddenly its crowded,and not everyone is covid free. people get careless, and then you have caught covid, and you are spreading it to your family, and friends.
We are supposed to be staying at home, unless it is nessasary to go out for,
Essential food or medicine,
Exercise.
Work that cannot be done at home, ie, essential workers,
A medical appointment.

It doesn't mean you can drive miles to have a walk at a crowded beauty spot with dozens of others.
Does it mean you can't sit on a seafront bench for ten minutes or more for a rest?
I dont know.

 

[C_Claycomb]

There are also many different and often conflicting ideas about what is "fair". As we can see from reading some posts on this forum, where we are probably more similar in outlook than people randomly picked from the population.

To someone in the countryside with no close neighbours, unfair could be that they are constrained by the same restrictions imposed on densely packed city dwellers. Maybe it would be fairer to leave people in low infection areas with more freedom, until the infection rate in their area is measurably higher. That introduces complexity, and resentment. Someone living alone in a city, unused to being alone, may feel it unfair that they cannot drive out of the city to walk alone in the countryside. "Those people in Wales/Derbyshire/Yorkshire/Cornwall have so much space, its unfair that they get to use it and "I" don't."

Maybe fair means that all citizens in an area are treated the same way, and maybe that is unfair because some will be more significantly impacted than others.

I think the confusion and contradictions we see as government incompetence are largely the result of trying to be "fair" and satisfy a large number of special interests and concerns.

 

[C_Claycomb]

It has been said before that the problem with people stopping and sitting, is that they attract others to stop and sit in proximity. Being out for exercise means moving, sitting on a bench with a cup of coffee is just being out for the sake of being out.
Just went and found the video on Youtube. There were quite a lot of people around. A lot of police. Clearly an area where they police are concerned about people congregating. You see someone sitting, so its is okay to sit. Someone sees two people sitting, it really must be okay to sit, maybe we can have lunch here...etc.

EDIT. News reports now say that incident was staged by anti-restriction protesters.

I don't think it fair that as a group we criticise the police and government for failing to take strong and decisive action early, then criticize them when they do take action.

The application of the rules, laws and guidelines is grey and we resent not knowing precisely what is allowed and what is not, much like how many here feel about the knife laws. I think that we would like the result of black and white clarification a lot less. It is a lot simpler to say "no" to everything.

 

[Woody girl]

Yes in a roundabout way, I was trying to question if it was ok to just sit on a bench outside in public.
The point is, that is not exercise.
As I said, in normal times, it's a natural thing to do, and nobody would question it.
What happens if you need to sit for a bit though, either because you have something like arthritis or asthma for instance? Is that allowed, and how could you tell?
I do wonder if that had been an older person with a stick, or walking frame, would the police have been so keen to arrest them?
It's a minefield!

 

[Toddy]

I think the question might be more, "How far did she travel ?", and, "Did she come from an area where the disease is rife or from a different health board region ?".

Those two ladies who were fined for walking around the reservoir....they came from different areas to meet up.
That's not a good idea in this present situation. Especially not a good idea when the new variant is very, very much more infectious.