Other than pubs being closed it really hasn’t felt like a lockdown at all. I met a guided group of 6 ski tourers up the local Corbett on Friday ffs!

What about the father and son duo that had to get airlifted of the hills at Xmas holidays?
Expert mountain men,so very low risk and they were only checking out an new ski route they had been thinking about,so off they went on an 80 mile round trip to the Glens.

The restrictions are not too soft,but this time around some folk have just got better at interpreting/bending them,now they don’t feel guilty about all those essential trips out and about.

Thoughts on a wee local overnight bivvy jaunt? Can’t see it mentioned in the latest guidelines, but it’s obviously a very niche activity….

Thoughts on a wee local overnight bivvy jaunt? Can’t see it mentioned in the latest guidelines, but it’s obviously a very niche activity….

Which of the reasonable excuses for leaving your home do you think bivvying is?

Wild camping isnt mentioned at all that i can find and there is nothing saying WHEN you can exercise. It would also be a real low risk endeavour if you did it solo.

Thoughts on a wee local overnight bivvy jaunt? Can’t see it mentioned in the latest guidelines, but it’s obviously a very niche activity….

low risk but certainly not in the spirit of the rules even if you can bend the letter of them to fit

• local outdoor recreation, sport or exercise, walking, cycling, golf, or running that starts and finishes at the same place (which can be up to 5 miles from the boundary of your local authority area) as long as you abide by the rules on meeting other households

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/

I reckon bivvying would come under “local outdoor recreation”. Only you can know the additional risk to yourself and/or the risk you introduce to others. As we saw previously, overnight angling was considered to be OK and I struggled then to see why taking a fishing rod reduced the risk.

Thoughts on a wee local overnight bivvy jaunt? Can’t see it mentioned in the latest guidelines, but it’s obviously a very niche activity….

My thoughts beyond trying to fit it into (or not into) the legislation or guidance……

Was hoping to do an overnight or two in the Cairngorms last week. In my LA and about 30min drive away to my proposed walk in start point. I knocked that on the head because it did not feel right on a number of levels (it could not be described as local exercise in any sense to me and also the risk level was relatively high and any need for mountain rescue or the NHS to do anything for me seems unreasonable if avoidable which it was).

However, I’m 5 inches of snow to the good at home at the moment and can walk to the Findhorn River in 6 mins from the front door. An overnight (a tent – sod bivvying at the moment!) one night this week on the river banks, getting back home in time to teach online, seems like a fun think to do…and apart from mentioning it here would go 100% unnoticed by all so don’t think it would be setting a bad example or put those who enjoy TGO look bad to the population at large.

My view on wild camping is that when campsites and hotels are open for all then its acceptable – and I am so fed up with not getting out into the hills

You’re never gonna be near a court for any of this.

Not sure what you mean by that? If you mean neither is illegal I completely agree. If you mean Police Scotland seem to by and large take an intelligent approach to enforcement – I agree, although it will only take I cop to try and score points and me to be having a bad day… If you mean that I’d be offered a fixed penalty so not go to court – you’ve missed the first point, if its not illegal there’s not a chance in hell I’d be paying a fixed penalty, which leaves it for the court to decide (the fiscal might chicken out first – but it probably goes to a junior fiscal with little delegated authority to drop it). On the other hand, if you meant that as its a summary case and all summary trials in Scotland have been cancelled then fair point.

The point was Longdog has interpreted something Nicola apparently said as meaning something which is nonsensical and the legislation doesn’t distinguish between; most probably based on Longdog’s own inherent Bias on what constitutes exercise not anything Nicola has said or intended to say. Ultimately though the decision on what the law means though is not Longdog’s or even Nicola’s – ultimately law is interpreted by the courts.

My view on wild camping is that when campsites and hotels are open for all then its acceptable

You’d acknowledge that the risk level is completely different though?

As a very compliant person I didn’t bivi out at all during the main lockdown earlier in 2020. This time around if I could walk from home, be out, and home and leave no trace and it benefitted my mental health I would do it with no thought at all.

Different yes. Less? hard to quantify but perhaps / possibly / probably.

Its back to “letter of the rules, spirit of the rules, realistic risk assessment” choose which one.

I might do it* but I wouldn’t talk about it online

*Actually I wouldn’t but mainly because it’s not my thing.

I reckon bivvying would come under “local outdoor recreation”. Only you can know the additional risk to yourself and/or the risk you introduce to others. As we saw previously, overnight angling was considered to be OK and I struggled then to see why taking a fishing rod reduced the risk.

I think you are pushing the boundaries of “start and finish at the same place” if you set up camp and go to sleep! I also think the man on the Clapham Omnibus might ask if its local why you wouldn’t go back to your warm bed (although that may be my bias against sleeping rough!). I completely accept that it’s not the same risk as staying in holiday accom/campsite etc. Perhaps a good test is if you were very unlucky, slip and break your leg, how would the Mountain Rescue press release (or the Daily Record report) read?

fasthaggis
Full Member

Other than pubs being closed it really hasn’t felt like a lockdown at all. I met a guided group of 6 ski tourers up the local Corbett on Friday ffs!

What about the father and son duo that had to get airlifted of the hills at Xmas holidays?
Expert mountain men,so very low risk and they were only checking out an new ski route they had been thinking about,so off they went on an 80 mile round trip to the Glens.

The restrictions are not too soft,but this time around some folk have just got better at interpreting/bending them,now they don’t feel guilty about all those essential trips out and about.

It was more the fact there was a group of 7 of them, looked to be two couples and a guide, when it’s quite clear that we can only meet one other person outdoors for exercise. I don’t think that’s open to interpretation at all.

There was a decent aurora last night. I missed it but saw lots of nice photos today. So far, I’ve not seen anyone suggesting that going out in the dark to take photos is against/stretching guidelines though I can see why some might interpret it as that.

photos taken from your back garden?

Not sure what you mean by that?

I mean, you won’t see a cop on the beach, if you did, they wouldn’t stop you as it’s not illegal, and as such, it won’t see court. The rest of your post is you reading too much into a comment.

However, I’m 5 inches of snow to the good at home at the moment and can walk to the Findhorn River in 6 mins from the front door. An overnight (a tent – sod bivvying at the moment!) one night this week on the river banks, getting back home in time to teach online, seems like a fun think to do…and apart from mentioning it here would go 100% unnoticed by all so don’t think it would be setting a bad example or put those who enjoy TGO look bad to the population at large.

Aye, more along this, a walk from my door to a point a couple of hundred metres above town.

As a very compliant person I didn’t bivi out at all during the main lockdown earlier in 2020. This time around if I could walk from home, be out, and home and leave no trace and it benefitted my mental health I would do it with no thought at all.

My feelings completely.

I’m also planning a charity 24 hour walk in a couple of weeks, leaving from the house, staying within the county, and finishing at home. I’ve got 1500 quid still to raise before march for my now cancelled Vietnam trek, there’s not much else I can do fundraising-wise, due to restrictions. I better not stop somewhere for a wee shut eye by the sounds of it!.

I couldn’t see it from my back garden and I’m pretty sure there were no photographers in it last night.

@poly not my own bias. She said it’s for essential exercise and went on to say that means exercise and not xyz which I just can’t remember. The examples I gave were mine as i couldn’t remember exactly what she said, but the context was clear it was for what would be considered physical exercise not a leisure activity.

Jason Leitch today: Meeting someone, buying a coffee and going for a (socially distanced) walk is fine. Meeting someone, buying a coffee and sitting chatting on a park bench is not fine.

There were stealthed scotroutes. Its a really good website watchscotroutes.com

Is that the one @houns set up?

Nobeerinthefridge
Free Member
Thoughts on a wee local overnight bivvy jaunt?

It’s january, f that. 😆

Lol, aye, canny buy all this winter rated kit then no test it out Joe! Mibbe stick to the garden.

tbh if you are solo or with yer missus up in the hills behind ye, canny see the harm.

Personally I’d need a fire you could see from NI in this weather, so I’ll pass on that front myself. Couldn’t do the discrete part required! 😆

The spirit of the rules is basically, stay the F away from others. tbh, I think bivvying in January is probably more conducive to that than any other activity I can think of . So well within the spirit imo.

Police in Bridge of Allan stopping drivers and asking about the essential journey they were making. I was stopped this morning, a colleague’s partner this afternoon.

Jason Leitch today: Meeting someone, buying a coffee and going for a (socially distanced) walk is fine. Meeting someone, buying a coffee and sitting chatting on a park bench is not fine.

It’s like he is trying to explain more detail of Rule No.1….

@longdog I have found what she said – I even transcribed it here twice but the stupid site reloaded the page and lost it…

She does mention beaches and parks but not in the way you suggest (11:45 in on iPlayer if you want to go and listen again). She’s saying exercise is about getting out in the fresh air but don’t make daytrips with other people to the beach or the park. There’s no suggestion that a walk along the local beach with your child or a stroll round the local park with your dog is not acceptable, not does she suggest exercise must be energetic if anything she says essential exercise so many times you might argue the opposite – it’s about not wasting away indoors rather than winning strava KOMs!

It’s like he is trying to explain more detail of Rule No.1….

He’s had plenty of practice – he goes on the radio Scotland fitba show most weekends to explain to folk why they cannae go and see their favourite team and hurl sectarian abuse at the other team and that the pubs are still closed to protect fitba fans from themselves!

We should do more key announcements via Off The Ball tbh.

His off the ball slot is about the best info any of them put out all week.

So new stricter regs coming in on Saturday. Still to read through fully as was fixated on the “no alcohol outside” bit……. will be a few places really struggling to be open now.

I’m surprised they’ve not re-introduced the rule about not meeting anyone outdoors, as per last March/April.

Also looks like I need to get a bivvy in before Saturday. It’s never the same without a wee hipflask 😊

None of it was particularly overly harsh or unexpected, takeaways not having folk inside – makes sense, click n collect places that aren’t essential – ditto, rest of it was about wfh, and not having non essential tradespeople in your house, painters decorators, etc, again, makes sense.

Lots of gift shops, florists, even the second hand shop in town have been doing CnC, taking the piss.

If they wanna go further, there’s a raft of shite that’s busy, B&M, Home bargains, all that nonsense, that escape the rules cos they sell the odd bit of food. B&M have made crazy profits during this, for no other reason than giving folk somewhere to go.

Seems like mostly fairly sensible changes tbh- nothing massive that I can see but it still seems to have set the usual suspects off screaming about nazis. “FIRST THEY CAME FOR OUR CHIPPIES, except that you could still get a chippy, in fact it’s not even really any harder, but anyway something something nazis”

Struggling to think either where or who would be drinking outside anyway. Unless they mean the few token LA’s that still treat their residents like adults.

Dbl Post

Probably targeting that at the Brewdog bars and the like, the festival square one was selling pints by the dozen for take away and people were just drinking them in the square 20meters away(albeit generally socially distanced, to start with). I didn’t ever go up, but heard it was pretty busy some nights.

except that you could still get a chippy, in fact it’s not even really any harder

Is easier, in the past I was too ashamed to have my chippy delivered, now it’s law! 😀