I see The Lecht opened today. If we get snow and Glenshee follows suit, it does mean that I could in theory go skiing and stay within the rules. But that is a solid 1 hour drive from here and is probably not compliant with Rule 1.
I think the reason is simply that exercising outdoors is extremely low risk. If driving a bit further means that you meet fewer people while you are out it probably more than compensates for any slight increased risk of transmission from the drive. Don’t go to crowded places, take sensible precautions when you refuel and the whole thing is so low risk that it’s probably not worth worrying about. If you feel more comfortable staying closer to home that’s fine too of course and the guidance could change if new evidence emerges, but for now I guess they’ve decided that staying within (or close) to your local authority is restrictive enough.
Jeez 16 news cases in the north mainland of shetland in the last week! Can't see us going back down to level one anytime soon 😭
Community mixing at 'parties' and that's before any xmas/hogmanay effect. Warnings that police will take action if they see illegal gatherings.
Bloody idiots 🤬🤬🤬
I was in Glen Etive on Christmas Eve, the police turned up to the now gone Starav car park and checked where my car was registered and asked me for my postcode. One of them marched after a group of guys who had already set off and huckled them back. I didn't hear where they were from but they were sent home and appeared to be getting a police escort out the glen.
Slightly bleak assessment of 2021 accommodation availability from Walkhighlands!
"However, this may risk any chance of securing a 2021 holiday at all. There is likely to be a perfect storm of excess demand and inadequate supply of places to stay, for several reasons:
Many people whose holiday bookings were cancelled in 2020 opted to ‘roll-over’ their bookings to 2021, so a lot of accommodation is already heavily booked once it is allowed to open and travel is permitted.
Next summer, it is expected that far more people will choose to holiday at home rather than travel abroad, leading to a large increase in demand.
We’ve seen a fair few accommodation providers go out of business during the pandemic, reducing capacity.
Many other B&Bs and cottages in Scotland are run by people who are semi-retired, and many of these people have understandably opted to retire now and close permanently given the pandemic.
For these reasons, the chances of being able to make a desirable summer booking once the situation is clear are very low."
Thankfully we didn't have anything major planned, but I might need to revisit my credit card touring plans if I can't guarantee B&B availability exactly where and when I need it! Suspect my fast and light road bike 'West Coast 800' trip might become a more sluggish touring bike affair 😀
Now is the time to look at reports like that and look to both benefit from and help folk looking to stay in the country.
Parking, aire style stop offs, eating and bunkhouse facilities, bike buses and trains, funds to pay for enforcement of anti social parking etc, we really need to up our game here. Good to see the parking and visitors centre at Finnich Glen, needs a similar approach country wide.
Looking like we'll be going into tier 4 (NHS shetland expecting it) after 30 new cases in a week, and more expected. Several shops and cafes are not reopening until there's more clarity with our current carry on.
Police have said they will be taking action on illegal gatherings.
No easing of lockdown here in the near future and despite cases being largely 'self-inflicted' there's definitely a ground swell of any one coming from sooth for leisure/visiting not being wanted.
And to top off a great year, bbc scotland hogmanay show to be presented by Susan calman, the entertainment equivalent of shiteing a hedgehog, and music by deacon blue.
Jesus wept.
Nowt wrong with Deacon Blue!
Slightly bleak assessment of 2021 accommodation availability from Walkhighlands!
Is it slightly wrong reading this that i feel a tiny bit smug that we should get our holiday let up and running to catch much of the season?
Near Ferness, Sleeps up to 7, 3 bath, and once I've got it sorted bike storage and washing (tbc).
Why is Susan Calman allowed on the telly? That travel show she did, you knew less after watching it than you did before.
She's a cringeworthy wee roaster.
Convert, I don't mind deacon blue, really like Ricky Ross in fact, but they're ower 30 years old ffs!
Best of luck with the rentals for 2021.
Convert, I don’t mind deacon blue, really like Ricky Ross in fact, but they’re ower 30 years old ffs!
the hogmanay stuff on BBC is about as bland and middle of the road as you'll ever get. I'd much rather Deacon Blue than some nonsense folk band that they insist on every year
It doesn't have to be a straight choice between pensioners or folk music, there is plenty of decent, modern music around.
Convert, I don’t mind deacon blue, really like Ricky Ross in fact, but they’re ower 30 years old ffs!
I can back this up, I was there for their first live tv appearance on It's Wicked (1987).
Live from the car park at the Forth Road Bridge other guests included Westworld, Then Jericho and Gudrun Ure.
Nice bit of symmetry, my OH and eldest daughter were in the video for 'A girl like you'!
Listen to the auld yins moaning about the state of the telly on Hogmanay.
🙂
Nobeerinthefridge
Free MemberNa, no details as yet (that I’ve seen). I can’t see the boundary+5 changing, as it allows folks to get out of the city/town which is common sense, rather than lots of folks in the same place.
Yup, it massively spreads the burden on facilities and areas. Not to mention that of course a lot of the facilities near cities fall into that band and were put there deliberately to cater to the cities (frinstance the car parking in the Pentlands is obviously there to serve Edinburgh residents. In a normal year, of course, so this year it's overcrowded but that's inevitable)
It does cause confusion- though mostly of the "haven't actually read the rules" type- but it's pretty pragmatic.
One thing it's made really obvious again is the total lack of certain facilities within Edinburgh. Mountain biking's the obvious one for us, there's literally not a single metre of purpose built all weather bike trail in the Edinburgh area, excepting the Skelf and bmx parks and the like. And I can think of 3 well developed plans that were eventually defeated by nimbies and by "why not just go to Glentress". Very easy for the council to skimp on investment when they can just put that burden on neighbouring areas but it looks even more shortsighted now.
Indeed the value we have been placing on green spaces is now being highlighted. There is some good news long-term, as the new Scottish Space Sufficiency Assessments include play, recreation, sport and habitat affordance and are legally binding, not optional.
Re: holidays - we got booked in October for accommodation as I predicted this shortage. We've got ferries booked too. I'm expecting it to be busy everywhere. /End_Smug_Mode
I am booked for the rescheduled Tiree half at the beginning of May,but I see zero likelihood of being allowed to travel there along with 150 odd other folk. To be honest,It kind of breaks rile one anyway.
Another example for potentially over-stepping rule 1:
I live in the Angus Council area. Glenshee ski area is on the boundary of neighbouring councils of Perth & Kinross, and Aberdeenshire.
The county boundaries meet at the top of Glas Maol, on the ski area boundary. I can drive to Glenshee in about 45 minutes from home and at no point on the drive will I be over 5 miles from the position on the map of the Angus/Perth county boundary, which will be running along a hill top on my right as I go up the glen on the A93. So strictly speaking, I'd never be more than 5 miles from the county boundary; that's the exact language used in the guidance. However, I don't think that's what they had in mind, so I'll avoid breaking rules and will stick to starting ski tours by walking in Glens Isla, Prosen, Clova etc.... Grumble grumble..
If you have to constructively interpret or stretch the definition to allow you to do something, then I reckon that breaks rule 1.
I wouldn't see a problem with that tbh, your call though.
Aye, it seems that picking up an off-grid campervan early this year was a lucky move - be handy next year!
If you're going to be stuck within a local authority, it's hard to beat being in Highland. It's got the lot. 🙂
Aye, it seems that picking up an off-grid campervan early this year was a lucky move – be handy next year!
I have one too, but fear for the Lakes etc once travel is allowed. A small percentage of off grid/fly camper van types are total tw4ts, and we'll be pushed well over the threshold in terms of numbers, as was the case this summer. Trees hacked to bits, sh1t and bog roll strewn around, disposable BBQs etc tossed in the lake. 🙁
Aye, agreed. As I said in my post about this on the last page, the likes of the LDNP need to act on this and try and provide some form of infrastructure. The cat is out the bag.
Aye, it seems that picking up an off-grid campervan early this year was a lucky move – be handy next year!
I predict there will be chaos even for that.
I didn't bother moting or taxing mine foir the season we were able to travel as it's no fun when there are too many people.
It does make a great spare room that is entirely self contained and covid complient though
I have one too, but fear for the Lakes etc once travel is allowed
No need to wait, the Lakes were hoaching yesterday
This '3 weeks of tier 4' is going to last much longer than three weeks isn't it? Just wish they would say that now instead of us having no idea if we will be open or not
If you’re going to be stuck within a local authority, it’s hard to beat being in Highland. It’s got the lot. 🙂
aye but its full of teuchters
@tabletop2 - definitely. Lothian has seen a big rise in hospitalisations this week, and those people will all have been infected a fortnight ago. The Christmas cases will start becoming serious in another week, and then there's only one week of tier 4 left.
This ‘3 weeks of tier 4’ is going to last much longer than three weeks isn’t it?
It always was with what was coming down the line. FWIW, we're still seeing lots of tourists/second homers from outwith the region appearing. I reckon we'll need to go back to last March's lockdown and restrict travel almost completely.
This ‘3 weeks of tier 4’ is going to last much longer than three weeks isn’t it?
Im betting on mid to late march before Glasgow and the surrounding area is out of tier 4
Oh FFS - I am supposed to be setting off to walk the length of scotland in May ( well the bits not yet done) I had better be able to do so or I am going to have the most enormous tantrum
Yey fantastic! I don't get a paycheck until we're out of tier 4
Sucks.
I let my hot-hatch go today. Pays the bills. Took some of the coin for an ebike!
I went out for a ride today at Pitmedden on the PKC/Fife border. Very busy with some big (10+ Riders) groups and some "out of area" signwritten vans.
99% of the time I couldn't see or hear another soul, and saw mainly dog walkers out on the trails, but the groups of MTBers were clearly contravening the restrictions, with no even-token attempt at social distancing. It didn't look good, and I went home regretting that I'd even gone up there.
Usual stream of visitors next door. Meanwhile pretty sensible in the hills, including the big pheasant shoot.
tjagain
aye but its full of teuchters
But free of argumentative sassenachs... 🙂
(I've tried disputing with tj when I was carpark marshalling at the 'Puffer. I lost.)
Scottish MP on radio 5 yesterday going on about new year being bigger here than Xmas, talk about being out of touch.
It still is for an increasing minority of folk. I've always regarded NY as more "important", only really doing Xmas because of my daughter.
I was just saying to the Missus that I feel part of the festive season has been stolen from me this year. Normally we'd ramp up to Xmas, have a slight lull, then have a blast at Hogmanay. With the varying restrictions it seemed like it was all over very quickly.
new year is more important to me - but the solstice is the key date
Pitmedden not to be confused with somewhere up Aberdeen way, I first used to go up there in 1986 always had cracking trails and views North until the FC monster tractors decimated every few years
Back in the 80's it was like seeing an osprey if you spotted another MTB , you knew someone had been out due to the odd tyre track and occasionally caught up and had a chat
Great in snowy weather at the highest bits and other than the odd bit drained pretty good
I remember Colin McRae blasting through when it was used as a rally stage
In the Highlands, Hogmanay was always the main winter festival, Christmas was simply an occasion when some folk made an extra trip to mass/kirk as appropriate. It has changed a fair bit with the influx of southerners. Hogmanay was always a genuine blast, living in a wee Highland village in the 70-80s. I (vaguely) remember a lock-in when the barman went home and left us the keys...
Personally, I'm with TJ in that I think the winter solstice is a much more important winter milestone now, which is why we've always had our 'Soup Dragon' annual MTBers party as close to that day as possible every year until now.
