Stay at home

[DavidShepherd]

Nice. Thank you everyone. I did not look at that particular bit!

Thanks again. Sad now. 5 miles around Irvine really sucks lol.

[Sunset tripper]

I dont think the 5 mile thing is plausible. There is no 5 mile rule or restriction on driving right now as far as I can see.
I reckon we are already in phase 2 regarding travelling for exercise.

I'm not a golfer but using Inverness as an example, many travel 15 miles to Nairn to play golf at the clubs where they are members. Are these folk going to be allowed to travel that far? What about golfers from Aviemore who are members in Inverness or Nairn? These types of scenarios will be repeated throughout the country. Travelling five miles to go fishing also seems very restrictive especially for folk in the big cities.
Hopefully some of these questions will be asked in the next few days by the press and we get some light shed on the subject.

[denfinella]

Sad now. 5 miles around Irvine really sucks lol.

Not ideal from a hillwalking perspective, but it's the same for the majority of the Scottish population. Look at the positives - 5 miles from Irvine still gives you access to the plenty of coastline and beaches, riverside and woodland walks, a country park, multiple nature reserves and the hills between Dundonald and Troon. I think you're pretty fortunate, relatively speaking.

I reckon we are already in phase 2 regarding travelling for exercise.

I think reckoning that exceptions apply to the things you are interested in doing is a dangerous game to play. As is the "but other people can do this" line of thinking.

More guidance may well make exceptions to the 5 mile restriction, but for now it's the only thing we really have to go on. If that means you can't fish / play golf / climb a hill / go to the beach, then that's bad luck, and hopefully not for too long. There'll be lots of others in the same boat too.

[chigton]

Doesn't this mean in Phase 1 someone who lived in Fort William could climb Ben Nevis as both hiking and 5 miles of driving are permitted? Doubt Mountain Rescue would be impressed though.

[Csm8]

Off to the hills

[Sunset tripper]

Doesn't this mean in Phase 1 someone who lived in Fort William could climb Ben Nevis as both hiking and 5 miles of driving are permitted? Doubt Mountain Rescue would be impressed though.

I'm pretty sure people in Fort William who climb Ben Nevis are doing this already same as hill folk in Aviemore are venturing into the Cairngorms.

[Sgurr]

I have a very experienced friend in Aviemore, and she is NOT venturing into the high hills because of the advice from MRT.

[chigton]

This seems to be the inconsistency though, the government advice seems to be green lighting unrestricted local hiking, it does not seem to rule out higher areas.

Whereas, mountain rescue north and south of the border are reaffirming it is not the right time to be in the hills.

I wonder if the useful favourites like Scafell Pike and Helvelyn have been getting heavy foot traffic despite local objections. Not seen them explicitly referred to.

But sunset trippers earlier point is valid, because no distance or time limit was ever given before, there was nothing stopping people cycling to or walking up local hills. I know of a few people who were short-sighted enough to put pictures of themselves up Conic Hill on social media.

[bobby70]

so..looks like our annual munro trip in 3rd week of July might not be happening given this plan. We'd be driving up from various points in England. Crianlarich hills might have to wait a year....

[Sunset tripper]

I reckon we are already in phase 2 regarding travelling for exercise.

I think reckoning that exceptions apply to the things you are interested in doing is a dangerous game to play. As is the "but other people can do this" line of thinking.

More guidance may well make exceptions to the 5 mile restriction, but for now it's the only thing we really have to go on. If that means you can't fish / play golf / climb a hill / go to the beach, then that's bad luck, and hopefully not for too long. There'll be lots of others in the same boat too.

No that's not what I meant.

The law in Scotland did not restrict exercise to once a day or restrict driving locally for exercise so the new phase 2 is little different from what we have just now in that regard.
Hopefully the new rules will be clarified soon as even the police, in some areas, struggled with understanding the Corona laws when they first came in.

I expect/hope it will become more clear before next thursday.

[Sunset tripper]

I have a very experienced friend in Aviemore, and she is NOT venturing into the high hills because of the advice from MRT.

Yes that's fair enough and an individual choice but locals are on the hills.

The whole thing seems a bit disjointed to me though. Phase 1 allows you to go swimming and canoeing in the sea.
Are the RNLI going to advise against this?

MRT are volunteers also and if some of them no longer wish to go out in the hills fair enough but members of the public are allowed on the hills.

This corona stuff is going to be around for the foreseeable and will be another hazard for MRT to deal with unfortunately.

I might start kayaking down the River Ness every day as a protest.
Ps. I dont have a kayak or the skills. Maybe it's time to learn

[denfinella]

The law in Scotland did not restrict exercise to once a day or restrict driving locally for exercise so the new phase 2 is little different from what we have just now in that regard.

Hopefully the new rules will be clarified soon as even the police, in some areas, struggled with understanding the Corona laws when they first came in.

I expect/hope it will become more clear before next thursday.

While driving locally for exercise might not technically have been against the law (?), more than one Scottish government official has expressly said it is not allowed, including Nicola Sturgeon in one of the daily briefings. I didn't think this was made clear at the start of lockdown, but it was clarified in following weeks.

I also feel - and this is a personal view - that driving to exercise is not currently in the spirit of the guidance. But I accept that this is open to interpretation.

I agree with the points you make in your other paragraphs.

[zatapathique]

so..looks like our annual munro trip in 3rd week of July might not be happening given this plan. We'd be driving up from various points in England. Crianlarich hills might have to wait a year....

Same here. My annual Munro trip would have been even earlier, from June 15th.

Our flights have been cancelled officially on Sunday. We'd still have the option to go by ferry from the Netherlands to Newcastle (even perfectly legally), but it's just not going to happen.

My only hope now is that late summer / early autumn may be an option. On the other hand, who nows if even next year will be an option?

[gman]

Currently you can leave home for exercise alone or with members of your household, there is no legal restriction on distance or driving.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2020/103/regulation/8/made

[Csm8]

Currently you can leave home for exercise alone or with members of your household, there is no legal restriction on distance or driving.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2020/103/regulation/8/made

Yes, and I see nothing of this 5 mile thing on the official government document released for Scotland.