@pansyface I live in Snowdonia, almost. I could walk to some places that could be considered tourist spots from my home. I wouldn't be speaking in a local accent with my husband, I wouldn't be speaking Welsh, I wouldn't be even speaking English. I would take photos because it's my hobby. It worries me that I wouldn't look like local, it worries me even in peace times that I look like some foreign tourist. The worst thing about this situation is what people do to themselves. All the judging, hatred. I just can't stand it. I am normally slightly social-anxious and introverted but this makes me really afraid of people. Maybe this is time for volunteering, making some friends. But how do you make friends when there is no contact with other people? I would be dropping supplies to some self-isolating locals without even seeing them. And maybe it's time for using more Welsh (I can speak it a bit, not well though). But I don't like the pressure. I stay at home, alone with my husband. We are alone in a foreign country with no support network, even though we call it home here. Our parents are in two different countries. We don't know if we can see them this year. I don't know, if I go back to my home country, if they let me go back here, where I live (I don't have any acceptable proof of residency). It's crazy. BTW I've been out for a walk only twice. At night. It's peaceful at night, no people anywhere.
Friends of ours moved to your area last year @pansyface ... they’ve always been keen fell walkers ... yesterday was their 24th wedding anniversary so celebrated by walking a local fell ... no cars or other transport involved ... social distancing maintained ... they were out a fraction more than the prescribed hour but were near no one and saw hardly anyone ... is that any different to OH and myself walking for an hour around the block here ... except that their walk had better views and took a bit more energy than ours?
They would’ve been speaking one with a Reading accent and one with an East Anglian one. Not all your neighbours will have local accents.
And is there really anything wrong with taking a photo while out walking?
Not all exercise has to be grim to be worthwhile.
Aren’t we a nation that has always tried to make the best of things?
😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Break your ankle on a fell walk and I bet the emergency response takes more than a quick car trip to hospital. Although conversely my wife's aunt got verbally abused yesterday for crossing the road to avoid a group of teenagers in the town while walking her dogs. There's always a bad side to every story. Walk along a quiet country lane and you could be mown down by a Scottish chief medical officer on her way to her second home for example.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I stopped posting on this thread a while ago, because of a lot of the nonsense that was appearing, but reading these last few posts made me feel I had to say something. Richard Beale is the head of ICU at Tommy's, a man I know fairly well and I can 100% guarantee that he would not admit someone to his ICU, who did not need to be there and I believe that the vast majority of ICU consultants would be exactly the same. I don't like a lot of politicians, most even, but we can't allow ourselves to start thinking in this way.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
This virus affects every level of life, from the heir to the throne, down to homeless men on the streets. It doesn't matter what your political affiliation is, this is a time to come together and help each other. If the only way of helping is to not get infected, then stay at home. I realise it is sending some people stir crazy, and we will be having a hell of a garden party when this finishes, meanwhile, garden, learn to paint, clean the house, do a jigsaw puzzle, or even binge watch Harry Potter or Game of Thrones. Be nice folks.
@wild edges I shouldn’t have said they were ‘walking a fell’ ... they stayed on easily accessible made up footpaths.
They were no more likely to break an ankle there than i am when walking up the steps to our local supermarket ... steps to access a supermarket? I hear folk ask ... yes ... at least 8 steps up to the entrance, or a ‘hairpin’ ramp 25m to the left then 25m to the right ... this bit of Norfolk is not ‘flat’ !
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I feel terrible about the Boris Johnson situation. Aside from the human aspect of him being a day-to-be etc, having the PM of the country in intensive care is a terrible thing, no matter what your politics are.
However this will not stop me criticising the man, or his government. Their mistakes have caused infinitely more suffering than someone sunbathing in the park hundreds of feet from the nearest person, or going for a walk in a quiet Peak District spot which few other people know about, for example.
It's critical to social-distance as per the guidance, so I wouldn't condone such activities, but some of the hysteria about such people and the public desire to shame them is over the top in my opinion. Particularly when many people are not being given the choice to stay at home - they must go out to work - and not all of them what you would reasonably call 'key workers'. They're going to call centres, offices, and Amazon fulfilment warehouses.
The lack of government concern about these workers stands starkly against the repeated condemnation of sunbathers and people driving a few miles to go for a walk, to the extent I believe the government is deliberately blame-shifting.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
I’m sure I heard one of the Government representatives state that people should only exercise near and around their home. Are these people driving to near you @pansyface? If so, they are breaching the rules. I heard a question asked about driving somewhere to walk a dog, this is not allowed either. I fear some folks are just making up their own rules.
This is the guidance. From this it says you must "stay local if possible" but there is no ban on driving to parks and green spaces. Making a dedicated trip to a National Park etc would be against how I interpret the advice, but I would say this allows me to drive to a local park etc.
You should only leave the house for very limited purposes:
shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.
one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household.
any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home.
13. Can I go to the park?
You can still go to the park for outdoor exercise once a day but only alone or with members of your household, not in groups.
Communal places within parks such as sports courts, playgrounds and outdoor gyms have been closed to protect everyone’s health.
We ask that households use parks responsibly and keep 2 metres apart from others at all times.
Unless you are with members of your household, gatherings of more than two people in parks and other public spaces have been banned. The police have the powers to disperse gatherings and issue fines if necessary.
14. Can I drive to a national park or other green space to walk?
We advise you to stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily.
You can still go to the park for outdoor exercise once a day but only by yourself or within your household, not in groups.
We ask you to keep 2 metres apart from others outside your household at all times when outdoors.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
But again we would be much better off focusing our outrage on why people in non-essential jobs are still being required to travel to work - a FAR greater risk than someone popping to the park by themselves and keeping a distance.
This is JD Sports.
But yeah, parks...
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
Sometimes the rules seem to bend common sense ... OH has taken to going out to exercise after dark because there’s too many folk out walking on this estate in the daytime to maintain proper social distancing without zigzagging from one side of the road to another on his bike.
Can someone explain to me why it’s ok for me to drive a mile into the city, park in a crowded supermarket carpark and do my shopping there, but it’s not ok for me to drive a mile in the other direction, park in a lay-by and walk for a couple of miles on country footpaths around fields where no one else is walking?
It doesn’t make sense and goes against the spirit and aim of social distancing.
We seem to have two sorts of people in the UK nowadays ... one sort will do anything to push a boundary. The others insist on making others keep to the letter of the law, even if it goes against the aims and spirit of the law.
Whither the common sense which we Brits used to pride ourself on?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
The worst thing about this situation is what people do to themselves. All the judging, hatred. I just can't stand it. I am normally slightly social-anxious and introverted but this makes me really afraid of people.
Maybe this is time for volunteering, making some friends. But how do you make friends when there is no contact with other people? I would be dropping supplies to some self-isolating locals without even seeing them. And maybe it's time for using more Welsh (I can speak it a bit, not well though). But I don't like the pressure.
I stay at home, alone with my husband. We are alone in a foreign country with no support network, even though we call it home here. Our parents are in two different countries. We don't know if we can see them this year. I don't know, if I go back to my home country, if they let me go back here, where I live (I don't have any acceptable proof of residency). It's crazy.
BTW I've been out for a walk only twice. At night. It's peaceful at night, no people anywhere.
... except that their walk had better views and took a bit more energy than ours?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Richard Beale is the head of ICU at Tommy's, a man I know fairly well and I can 100% guarantee that he would not admit someone to his ICU, who did not need to be there and I believe that the vast majority of ICU consultants would be exactly the same.
I don't like a lot of politicians, most even, but we can't allow ourselves to start thinking in this way.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
However this will not stop me criticising the man, or his government. Their mistakes have caused infinitely more suffering than someone sunbathing in the park hundreds of feet from the nearest person, or going for a walk in a quiet Peak District spot which few other people know about, for example.
It's critical to social-distance as per the guidance, so I wouldn't condone such activities, but some of the hysteria about such people and the public desire to shame them is over the top in my opinion. Particularly when many people are not being given the choice to stay at home - they must go out to work - and not all of them what you would reasonably call 'key workers'. They're going to call centres, offices, and Amazon fulfilment warehouses.
The lack of government concern about these workers stands starkly against the repeated condemnation of sunbathers and people driving a few miles to go for a walk, to the extent I believe the government is deliberately blame-shifting.
You should only leave the house for very limited purposes:
13. Can I go to the park?
You can still go to the park for outdoor exercise once a day but only alone or with members of your household, not in groups.
Communal places within parks such as sports courts, playgrounds and outdoor gyms have been closed to protect everyone’s health.
We ask that households use parks responsibly and keep 2 metres apart from others at all times.
Unless you are with members of your household, gatherings of more than two people in parks and other public spaces have been banned. The police have the powers to disperse gatherings and issue fines if necessary.
14. Can I drive to a national park or other green space to walk?
We advise you to stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily.
You can still go to the park for outdoor exercise once a day but only by yourself or within your household, not in groups.
We ask you to keep 2 metres apart from others outside your household at all times when outdoors.
This is JD Sports.
But yeah, parks...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.