Walkhighlands

Original statutory instrument:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2020/103/regulation/8/made

Amendment effective today:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2020/164/regulation/2/made

Section 8 of the original lists exceptions to staying at home
"a reasonable excuse includes the need" is changed to "a reasonable excuse includes"
So the police can't challenge whether you need a particular type of exercise

"(b)to take exercise, either alone or with other members of their household," is changed to:
"(b)to take exercise—
(i)alone,
(ii)with members of their household,
(iii)with members of one other household,"

And an extra reasonable excuse is added:

"(o)to take part in outdoor recreation—
(i)alone,
(ii)with members of their household,
(iii)with members of one other household.”

gman wrote:"(o)to take part in outdoor recreation—

Presumable this means wild camping is fair game as longs as it is local etc etc

FraserHughes wrote:

gman wrote:"(o)to take part in outdoor recreation—

Presumable this means wild camping is fair game as longs as it is local etc etc

The advice from Nicola yesterday was “were not putting a mileage limit on it, but where possible try to keep local - use your judgement and avoid honeypots and beauty spots”

So drive 5 miles (which is no longer a thing) to a place heaving with folk or drive 30 miles to a place that’s deserted. Think common sense dictates here!

Checkout the new advice from Mountaineering Scotland

https://www.mountaineering.scot/coronavirus

Wild camping not advised yet.

FraserHughes wrote:

gman wrote:"(o)to take part in outdoor recreation—

Presumable this means wild camping is fair game as longs as it is local etc etc

Nice try... “ At the moment, and under Phase 1, you cannot spend a night away from your primary residence, so staying overnight in a hut, bothy or tent would not be permitted. Subsequent phases may allow a return to wild camping, but opening huts and bothies will take longer because of issues with maintaining hygiene and with social distancing.”

Billbobaggins wrote:“ At the moment, and under Phase 1, you cannot spend a night away from your primary residence

There's law and there's guidance, the advice might be against camping but I can't see anything in the law about overnight stays away from home and camping is outdoor recreation which is permitted under the new regs.

gman wrote:

Billbobaggins wrote:“ At the moment, and under Phase 1, you cannot spend a night away from your primary residence

There's law and there's guidance, the advice might be against camping but I can't see anything in the law about overnight stays away from home and camping is outdoor recreation which is permitted under the new regs.

If you listen to mountaineering Scotland advice you will be lucky to be back on the hills this year. The pubs are likely to be open first. Apparently they were going to ask for clarity but no clarity from them in how that went, or even if they got any.

Very disappointing the approach from the National Parks, MRT and mountaineering Scotland.
No driving and 5 miles was advice to stop beauty spots getting overcrowded which was pointed out twice by the first minister.

Meanwhile today Inverness Golf Club car park was rammed with cars and the walking advice and 5 mile advice irrelevant, same as golf clubs across the country and no one will bat an eyelid.

Thanks Gman for posting the actual law which is quite clear.

Sunset tripper wrote:

gman wrote:

Billbobaggins wrote:“ At the moment, and under Phase 1, you cannot spend a night away from your primary residence

There's law and there's guidance, the advice might be against camping but I can't see anything in the law about overnight stays away from home and camping is outdoor recreation which is permitted under the new regs.

If you listen to mountaineering Scotland advice you will be lucky to be back on the hills this year. The pubs are likely to be open first. Apparently they were going to ask for clarity but no clarity from them in how that went, or even if they got any.

Very disappointing the approach from the National Parks, MRT and mountaineering Scotland.
No driving and 5 miles was advice to stop beauty spots getting overcrowded which was pointed out twice by the first minister.

Meanwhile today Inverness Golf Club car park was rammed with cars and the walking advice and 5 mile advice irrelevant, same as golf clubs across the country and no one will bat an eyelid.

Thanks Gman for posting the actual law which is quite clear.

Exactly this, these orgs cannot tell you what you can and cannot do. Listening to the government on this and they said to use your judgement - rammed golf course or beauty spot within 5 miles vs remote hills on your own out with 5 miles (but not taking the **** like travelling half the country). Seems logical to get to the wilderness to me and I don’t understand why there is even an argument against this common sense?

Sunset tripper wrote:If you listen to mountaineering Scotland advice you will be lucky to be back on the hills this year.

What a waste. We'll be lucky to get weather like we've had this Spring any time soon.

I'm not getting something here - me backpacking in the remote Highlands is a risk to who? and If I am considered a risk who (in the remote Highlands) is going to police it?

These are indeed scare tactics based on some every dodgy logic

mynthdd2 wrote:I'm not getting something here - me backpacking in the remote Highlands is a risk to who? and If I am considered a risk who (in the remote Highlands) is going to police it?

These are indeed scare tactics based on some every dodgy logic

Say, purely for argument's sake, you were to be injured or die. People would probably be sent to look for you when you didn't check in and bring you back. I'm not on an MRT but I'd imagine it's difficult to maintain social distancing whilst hauling a body out of the Fisherfield forest or wherever you were.

iain_atkinson_1986 wrote:

mynthdd2 wrote:I'm not getting something here - me backpacking in the remote Highlands is a risk to who? and If I am considered a risk who (in the remote Highlands) is going to police it?

These are indeed scare tactics based on some every dodgy logic

Say, purely for argument's sake, you were to be injured or die. People would probably be sent to look for you when you didn't check in and bring you back. I'm not on an MRT but I'd imagine it's difficult to maintain social distancing whilst hauling a body out of the Fisherfield forest or wherever you were.

I've heard that argument, but what is the chance of him getting injured sufficiently to require assistance, and either contract the virus from or spread it to whoever was sent to rescue him? How does that probability compare to the probabilty of spreading the virus by shopping for food in a supermnarket, walking down the pavement in the presence of other people, or having a road accident requiring medical assistance?

If the answers to both those questions are of the same order of magnitude, then logically, we should either allow people to hike or backpack in remote areas, or we should ban people using road transport and insist everyone shops online, because it is illogical to ban very low risk activities whilst permitting equally risky activities, whilst using virus transmission control as an excuse. You can claim activities such as getting food and a handful of others are essential, but I very much doubt all the people out and about at the moment are doing something that is essential to their own or someone elses life.

I would think it probably doesn't include lighting fires in beauty spots. I had a brief look at the Loch Morlich webcam at 10.30pm tonight and could see big orange glows and smoke at each end of Loch Morlich. A bit reckless considering the very dry spring we've had. I can remember when a huge area of forest and moorland burnt down next to the Glenmore road back in the 1960's (I think).

Border Reiver wrote:I would think it probably doesn't include lighting fires in beauty spots. I had a brief look at the Loch Morlich webcam at 10.30pm tonight and could see big orange glows and smoke at each end of Loch Morlich. A bit reckless considering the very dry spring we've had. I can remember when a huge area of forest and moorland burnt down next to the Glenmore road back in the 1960's (I think).

Fortunately the risk of a major fire will not be so high because Scotland got hit by a deep low pressure system last week which dropped a fair bit of rain. If they are lighting fires on the shoreline and the shoreline is sandy or rocky (i.e. minimal vegetation), there will be minimal chance of igniting the surrounding landscape.

iain_atkinson_1986 wrote:Say, purely for argument's sake, you were to be injured or die. People would probably be sent to look for you when you didn't check in and bring you back. I'm not on an MRT but I'd imagine it's difficult to maintain social distancing whilst hauling a body out of the Fisherfield forest or wherever you were.

Emergency services operate differently, every pair of cops I've seen in Glasgow haven't been socially distancing from themselves or those they have had to physically interact with.

Individuals in MRT have to decide if they wish to maintain their availability in the post-Covid world. If they do, great; if they decide against it, again fair enough. What they do NOT have is the option to only do MRT in a pre-Covid world. Those days are over. For forever.