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[Closed] Easing of Scottish lockdown

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kcr
I still don’t get it. Where in Scotland can you not ride from the door and train for a 24 hour?

You're right. It's probably my mindset that's the problem.

Going round and round in little circles is boring as hell, so it's something I only do for races. I prefer going further afield on long rides.

I wonder what the serious endurance racers do though.

As for 24 hours on a turbo, ugh.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 9:30 am
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^^^^ I saw on Instagram that Isla Short rode up the Crow road 8 times yesterday so I guess they find their ways !


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 9:39 am
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Rab Wardell putting in some serious miles too


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 9:40 am
 hels
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I think Tinker was training his head more than his body. Consider the lockdown challenge training for resourcefulness. Will come in handy during racing!


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 9:42 am
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If you extend your radius to 10 miles, you can ride a lot more trails, and let's face it epi, you're not really training, just riding. 😊


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 9:45 am
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BoardinBob
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Rab Wardell putting in some serious miles too

He is indeed. Interestingly though his other half, who is a Pro rider is keeping her rides short and local, so it can obviously be done that way as part of a professional training regime.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 9:59 am
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Yes, but you should stay in your local area if possible. As a guide we suggest ‘local’ to be no more than five miles from your house.

Key words highlighted. Great if you live in the same town as family, otherwise not possible.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 10:06 am
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Nobeerinthe fridge
...and let’s face it epi, you’re not really training, just riding. 😊

Aye, but riding with purpose. 🙂

Not really training in the formal sense, more like conditioning.

I was just looking for an excuse to widen my scope and knock off a few audax distances. 🙂


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 10:17 am
 Spin
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The 5 mile thing is one of the oddest parts of this.

During lockdown proper I wasn't aware of any stated maximum distance from home so many of us quite understandably did rides that took us much further away than that. Especially so when they said unlimited outdoor exercise was allowed.

Initially it looked like the 5 mile guideline was just for driving to do your exercise but it now seems to be a flat recommendation so doing a ride that took you 20 or 30 miles away would not be acceptable.

It's probably just one of those things that happen when you write a document in a hurry which needs to cover everyone in an unprecedented situation. But it is infuriating!


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 10:18 am
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I thought the 5 miles was guidance on driving distance to exercise...

However have just checked the Phase 1 doc on the government website ..

Permitted to travel short distances for outdoor leisure and exercise but advice to stay within a short distance of your local community (broadly within 5 miles) and travel by walk, wheel and cycle where possible.

International border health measures are introduced


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 10:19 am
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TBH I think the guidance is put together by folk who can't conceive of cycling/walking distances in excess of 5 miles. We have thus ended up with the illogical position that I can drive for some distance to visit someone and spend time in their garden but we couldn't then go for a socially-distanced ride or walk. This is actually a bit of a reversal from the first part of Lockdown where I could cycle a few miles up to Loch Morlich but my wife couldn't drive there to go for a walk.

These anomalies are driven by behavioural science, not epidemiology.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 10:36 am
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Aye, it's a bit of a reversal from the initial lockdown, when there was folks riding 100 miles around the roads here into galloway. Then we relax lockdown, and we're stuck to 5 miles. 🤔

I think it's more about folk driving from Glasgow to Strathclyde park or Edinburgh to Linlithgow and parking in mass numbers to ride a few miles, barely separated from each other.

It doesn't really consider the likes of someone who lives where epicyclo does, in Bryans, SR's or Spins shoes, I'd be 'as you were'.

I'll be driving 10 miles to ride wirh a couple of mates in a quiet area tomoro night, I'll be surprised if we see anyone.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 10:58 am
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The 5 Mile local limit applies to visiting as well. Guidance was quietly changed with no announcement.

I think this is latest version.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-what-you-can-and-cannot-do/pages/seeing-friends-and-family/

How strange that quite a major change was made secretly with absolutely no comment. As an employer in the tourism industry waiting for firm guidance I thought that I was keeping on top of the changing guidelines!

Key words highlighted. Great if you live in the same town as family, otherwise not possible.

That was my first thought. If those you want to visit don't live within 5 miles then it's not possible to stay within that limit.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 11:06 am
 kcr
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No, you are permitted to leave the house as often as you like to undertake exercise, but strict physical distancing and hygiene measures should be followed and please stay local to your home, which we recommend is up to five miles.

Eh? The previous guidance was clearly limiting how far you could drive to start your exercise. I completely missed the release of this new version (published June 8th).

I reckon almost every ride I've done since lockdown started has probably been more than 5 miles from home. That's not going off on all day epics, just going out for an hour and a half in the evening. I thought the Scottish Government had been doing a fairly good job of issuing sensible, consistent communications so far, but this recommendation seems like a confusing step backwards when other restrictions are being relaxed.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 11:53 am
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Yeah, it’s a bit different. My elderly mother lives on her own 20 miles away. We’ve been going to see her, by car, the last 2 Sundays and sitting in her garden for an hour...


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 12:09 pm
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Doune this morning - lines of 20+ motorbikes all heading into the Trossachs. That was at 9.30m and again at 11.30am. Clearly all off for thier daily exercise dressed in jeans and leathers.

Also more awful driving than we've seen over the last few months - we were subject to two punishment passes, three cars just cutting us up and one giving some lovely hand signals...


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 12:21 pm
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Oh, it's been quite amusing seeing the folk who were all PURITY SPIRAL a few weeks ago simply ignoring the current guidelines.

It was certainly the impression given that you could drive as far as you wanted to see someone, subject to your bladder control. This is where the guidelines are internally inconsistent.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 12:40 pm
 LD
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Initially the broadly 5 mile rule was to prevent e.g. Glasgow flooding to eg loch lomond and other such honeypots (Nicola's words) Since this was ignored on the first weekend I get the feeling that they have redirected the tone of the guidance to try and keep us within 5 miles. And we're back to where we started with a choice to ride within 5 miles of a population centre on busy paths tracks or to go a bit more out the way and find quiet trails.
The other change I "think" is that the focus for exercise restrictions is about containing the virus spread as opposed focus on low risk to prevent pressure on bbs. That perception could be wishful thinking however!


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 12:58 pm
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Right, having followed the link that iainc posted, it appears we now have three documents to consider. There's the actual Legislation that was changed on 29th May, the Guidance that was updated at the same time, and now this "Route Map". The first two are consistent. The latter seems to want to explain things further but actually makes a complete hash of it  🙂  As LD says, this is partly because it seeks to influence behaviour in a way that perhaps wasn't originally intended but as a result of what was seen on the ground after 29th May.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 1:17 pm
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scotroutes
Oh, it’s been quite amusing seeing the folk who were all PURITY SPIRAL a few weeks ago simply ignoring the current guidelines.

Ta, you've just given me the name for a local loop I'm mapping within the Lockdown rules. Love it. 🙂


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 1:25 pm
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scotroutes
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Right, having followed the link that iainc posted, it appears we now have three documents to consider. There’s the actual Legislation that was changed on 29th May,

With a quick skim of the regs I see recreation listed as an exemption from staying home.

to take part in outdoor recreation—

(i)alone,

(ii)with members of their household,

(iii)with members of one other household.]to take part in outdoor recreation—

(i)alone,

(ii)with members of their household,

(iii)with members of one other household.]

Don't see any reference to distance in the regs. So we are good to go? Happy for anyone to point out what I have missed in the regs.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 1:39 pm
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Don’t see any reference to distance in the regs. So we are good to go? Happy for anyone to point out what I have missed in the regs.

The Legislation never contained any reference to distance. However, the associated Guidance normally applies (you can see the same link between the LR(S)A and the SOAC). That's where the 5 mile "limit" is mentioned.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 1:50 pm
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scotroutes
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TBH I think the guidance is put together by folk who can’t conceive of cycling/walking distances in excess of 5 miles.

Aye, same as Gove's comment that an hour was reasonable for exercise.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 3:56 pm
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3 documents, wonder if they were drafted by the same person that did Royal Mail terms and conditions?

I don't think anyone is ignoring the rules though, as I pointed out, the key phrase in that visiting guidance was "if possible". That is by no means an absolute. They also said local conditions may have an effect so if you live somewhere quiet then crack on.

This is not inconsistent with saying if you end up 50 miles from home you are (for most cases) taking the piss somewhat (its perfectly possible to do big rides within a far smaller radius in most scenarios).


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 5:06 pm
 kcr
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Don’t see any reference to distance in the regs.

It's in the new guidance, as quoted above.

Back to earth with a bump today. I ignored the new recommendation about what constitutes "local" and did the loop round the bridges. Lots of motor traffic. I reckon some of the roads were actually busier than pre lockdown, and I had a couple of instances of really poor driving. Ironically, I think that I also saw more cyclists out today than I've seen on any other run this year.

I guess there has been an immediate spike of people visiting friends and relatives they haven't seen for a while, but I wonder how much worse it is going to be once the shops start to open, and more people start going back to work (with reduced public transport)?

I know the cycling boom was unlikely to be sustained long term, but feels like we could rebound to even worse traffic conditions for a while, as everyone catches up with their deferred car assisted activities.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 5:20 pm
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The route map I printed out at end of May refers to the broadly within 5 miles for exercise so has been like that since end of May


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 5:49 pm
 hels
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Lockdown appears to be unofficially over at Glentress. Cars parked all over the fireroads, I saw people riding all the red runs, some in large groups. I was pootling on the fireroads, for the record!


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 6:15 pm
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Half dozen T6s at the bottom of Janets Brae earlier too nicely clogging up the road, can't believe they came from within 5 miles...


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 6:22 pm
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we could rebound to even worse traffic conditions for a while,

I think that's sadly inevitable, I cannot foresee many folk going back to public transport anytime soon so more journeys will be done by car.

As for the 5 mile thing, if it's OK for thousands to congregate all ever the county to protest last weekend, it's just as OK to flout other restrictions that are much lower risk - 5 mile limit and no bivvying being two such things I'll ignore now.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 6:36 pm
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Good on you, excellent community spirit there keep it up.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 7:50 pm
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it’s just as OK to flout other restrictions that are much lower risk – 5 mile limit and no bivvying being two such things I’ll ignore now.

Just have a placard with you so it's a protest. Peaceful protests are exempt from the lockdown rules it would seem.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 7:58 pm
 poah
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Lockdown appears to be unofficially over at Glentress. Cars parked all over the fireroads, I saw people riding all the red runs, some in large groups.

Surely they were just riding the off-piste runs?


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 8:11 pm
 hels
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I saw people riding on the red waymarked official forest trails. Many people.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 8:35 pm
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Off piste? Off piste? Most of those in the Tweed Valley were built illegally...surely you wouldn't want riding THOSE on your conscience as weLL? 🙂
I'm sure I saw Munrobiker and his OH on the Roslin cycle path today so he's almost certainly broken the 5 miles from home guidance which just leaves one of youse...NZCol, please light a candle for us all next time you're in.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 8:36 pm
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The 5 mile guidance thing on rides etc seems to be ignored in the main. As I mentioned earlier, for the past 2 weeks we have made a weekly drive to my mum’s, 20 miles away, and sat with her in her garden for an hour or so. She’s 88 and on her own and I feel I can just about justify going to see her. My rides have all been from home, circular loops, max distance maybe 30 miles, so probably never much more than 5 miles from home. My Strava feed today shows more than half a dozen rides at over 80 miles, and one willy waver at 140 miles.

People will continue to push boundaries and rip the piss on rules/guidance/regulation until they see some negative personal impact from or intervention to, their behaviour. I can understand their justification that they go self contained, don’t touch stuff, hence should be left to do what they want. It’s not like it’s a national emergency or anything.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 9:02 pm
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1 dick move doesn't excuse another does it?

Its not about what they were riding- the carparks are closed to stop people travelling and spreading virus.

Ironically they were parked outside the house of a guy who was recently seriously ill with Covid..


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 9:13 pm
 kcr
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The carparks in Culross also looked like they were jammed full when I cycled through today. I understood the 5 mile limit on driving for exercise, and the risks involved if people ignored that guidance and started travelling from further afield and cramming into popular spots. An arbitrary recommended limit of 5 miles for isolated, self powered exercise from your front door doesn't make sense to me.


 
Posted : 14/06/2020 10:33 pm
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squirrelking
This is not inconsistent with saying if you end up 50 miles from home you are (for most cases) taking the piss somewhat (its perfectly possible to do big rides within a far smaller radius in most scenarios).

If I head west 6 miles and don't turn back then, it's over 100 road miles until I get home.

It's a loop I normally do regularly.

But lockdown is lockdown, I'd love an excuse but I'll keep sticking to it.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 12:48 am
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Epicyclo, it's the likes of you I have in mind as exceptions, IIRC you're NW? Like I said, that's for most cases, even in Largs you can't do a loop that takes you less than 8 miles from home. I think in your case though you could do 25 miles (or less) each way and turn back with little to no contact from anyone.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 2:07 am
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This thread is deteriorating


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 5:16 am
 Spin
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If I head west 6 miles and don’t turn back then, it’s over 100 road miles until I get home.

It’s a loop I normally do regularly.

But lockdown is lockdown, I’d love an excuse but I’ll keep sticking to

It would have been fine under lockdown, it's only now that restrictions have been relaxed that it's against the rules. 🙂


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 7:19 am
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Meanwhile, down South, things have been much more relaxed for a month now and the number of new infections is still falling at the same rate as it is up here.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 7:40 am
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I decided to draw up a local Spiral of Purity.

First a Circle of Purity with a radius of 8 km (5 miles) to establish the limits.

The Spiral of Purity takes any rideable surface, road, track, path, and a few maybe surfaces (eg only if it's dry) and follows the circumference as closely as possible.

The temptation to include hike-a-bike sections for shortcuts was resisted.

The great lump of a mountain in the northern part constrains the top half but needless to say includes most of the climbs.

So I end up with 85+km and 1,300m of climb. Not a job for an mtb because there's a lot of road in the lower half, and not a job for a road bike because the offroad has some rough sections and there's a few fences to jump.

The Spiral of Purity looks like a job for a gravel/rough stuff bike. Might do it on the longest day to make it more memorable.

Now I'd better stop complaining that 5 miles from home is too limiting.

Thanks for the inspiration scotroutes. 🙂


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 8:21 am
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Mine is a semicircle. 200m climb Some gravel and fine sandy singletrack, so is best on a fatty. However Guidelines state it can only be ridden in poor weather due to tourist attraction and crowds. Past two weeks have been great, firmer sand as well.

Purity Protractor


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 8:49 am
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Please someone tell me there's a bike frame or new trail going to be named Purity Spiral....


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:00 am
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been much more relaxed for a month now and the number of new infections is still falling at the same rate as it is up here.

Interesting. I've not been paying too much attention to the infection rates - partly because I was aware that they were skewed by the increase in testing. The death rates seem to have diverged further though with Scotland now running at less than a third of that down south.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:06 am
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I happened to open the Loch Morlich webcam at about 10 last night to the amusing view of 2 tents on the beach, a roaring fire and various flesh coloured objects frolicking in the water 🙂 Thankfully it is low res ! I did check back this am and tents were still there, gone now.

At least some folk are having fun 🙂


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:08 am
 poly
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been much more relaxed for a month now and the number of new infections is still falling at the same rate as it is up here.

You sure about that?
Calculations of R have a significant lag; even then whilst Scottish R values are creeping down, at least some regions of England are creeping up.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:11 am
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My route has a couple of sections that are just over the line.

Those bits will be called the Circumference of Impurity.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:15 am
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Infection rates are pretty much guess work, R number and total deaths show that England are not slowing as much as we are.

Mate of mine is a team mechanic with Lapierre in France, though pretty much all of their riding is over the border in Italy.

He reckons their cafe culture is back, with masks. Hopefully we'll get ourselves to that place soon.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:17 am
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😆

If Purity Spiral isn't a bike frame, its a least a t-shirt! Money to MTR again?

Now, who was that fella that did the wonderful Gnarpoon efforts...


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:22 am
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Those bits will be called the Circumference of Impurity.

How about "Boris' bits" or "Nicola says naw"...


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:24 am
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Infection rates are pretty much guess work, R number and total deaths show that England are not slowing as much as we are.

While that is true, I've just read that Forth Valley does have increasing numbers of infections again. It's not many, but it's not going down or even zero. 🙁


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:26 am
 kcr
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Copied from the Welsh thread:
https://gov.wales/coronavirus-regulations-guidance#section-39253

Does my entire bike ride have to be in the local area?
No. We recognise there are certain forms of exercise, which, though you start locally, may temporarily take you further afield. For example, a strong cyclist may get their exercise through bike rides of 40 miles or more.

Exercise as a form of “active” travel in this way (a long cycle ride, run or walk) is now allowed, but the exercise must start and finish from home.

The Welsh gov seem to have thought a bit more carefully about their latest guidelines and the wording.

But lockdown is lockdown...

The Scottish guidelines and the way they have been communicated have been pretty good up to this point. I understood what they were trying to do, and I have been happy to follow the rules, not just because "lockdown is lockdown", but because I can see how they reduce risk for me and other people. However, I think they've just got this last revision wrong. Appearing to curtail distanced exercise at the same time as relaxing the rules on meeting up with other people is just inconsistent and doesn't make sense. Cycling 10 miles from home on my own, rather than 5 miles, doesn't present a greater transmission risk for me or other people.

You have to have consistent, sensible guidance if you want to take people with you in a situation like this. I agree that they've probably just made a mistake (as suggested previously in the thread) and haven't considered the possibility that an average cyclist could easily be travelling more than 5 miles from home. It is a "recommendation", and no one is actually going to be chasing people who are exercising responsibly in isolation.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:33 am
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As iainc pointed out above, the Police aren't even enforcing existing, pre-Covid laws so trying to persuade folk to abide by these new, changing and inconsistent guidelines is bound to fail.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:38 am
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kcr
Cycling 10 miles from home on my own, rather than 5 miles, doesn’t present a greater transmission risk for me or other people.

Agree. In the loop from Dingwall-Ledmore Bonar-Dingwall there's nowhere you'd come close to anyone other than deliberately. I rarely see other cyclists on it.

But as moab points out “Nicola says naw” 🙂


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 10:11 am
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In the papers today. Nicola visited her parents yesterday. AFAIK She lives Edinburgh/Uddingston and her parents are in Ayrshire somewhere. More than 5 miles? So as the FM is no longer following her own guidelines ...............

From the Scot Gov website today

Travel for exercise, recreation and to meet friends and family outdoors

You should avoid crowded places where physical distancing may be difficult.For this reason, our advice is that you should stay within your local area when you go outside for exercise or other activities.As a guide, rather than a fixed limit, 5 miles from your home would be within your local area.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-phase-1-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others/pages/meeting-others-outdoors/

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nicola-sturgeons-joy-reunites-parents-22192724


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 2:11 pm
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She said during a briefing last week that she'd be visiting her parents as (at that point) this was within the guidelines.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 2:30 pm
 irc
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The guidance had changed by Sunday when she made her trip reimposing the 5 mile limit.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 2:33 pm
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You should avoid crowded places where physical distancing may be difficult.For this reason, our advice is that you should stay within your local area when you go outside for exercise or other activities

That it is interesting, becasue it makes quite clear that the guidance is there to avoid honey-potting. Not to prevent people from cycling 30 miles in case they get a puncture.. or whatever.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 2:34 pm
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imnotverygood
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That it is interesting, because it makes quite clear that the guidance is there to avoid honey-potting. Not to prevent people from cycling 30 miles in case they get a puncture.. or whatever.
Posted 14 minutes ago

Correct. I,m all for avoiding honeypots and keeping social distancing where possible as we exit lockdown. But if the FM can drive 50 mile+ for a socially distant visit to parents I hink I'm good for a 50 mile drive to exercise.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 2:53 pm
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Go for it then.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 3:00 pm
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The discrepancy between driving to exercise and driving to visit folks has already been pointed out. The only limit on the latter is your bladder control.

Are people allowed to travel to meet friends and family outside?

Yes, but you should stay in your local area if possible. As a guide we suggest ‘local’ to be no more than five miles from your house.

Because of the high chance of the virus living on hard surfaces, we don’t want people using public toilets or going into someone’s home to use their toilet, so staying local avoids that problem.

You can argue about the logic (and I have) but one is plainly within the guidelines and one plainly isn't.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 3:29 pm
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And I believe her folks live in Dreghorn, which definitely ain't a honeypot.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 3:38 pm
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AFAIK She lives Edinburgh/Uddingston and her parents are in Ayrshire somewhere. More than 5 miles? So as the FM is no longer following her own guidelines ……………

Lives in Glasgow and commutes to Edinburgh, have on occasion seen her mention the commute back through on social media, and SNP website also lists Glasgow. Commute also appears to be mentioned in this thrilling day in the life article in the Scotsman.
She definitely doesn't seem to ever be at official residency at Bute House, any doorstep photos of her that appear in the press or social media are always at some new build estate, not Bute House.
So I really don't think there's anything to moan about here...


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 4:51 pm
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@scotroutes
No, the bladder limit for visiting was the original phase 1 guidance. As per my link it is now 5 miles for visiting and exercise. Update guidance release June 8th without any public announcement. The FM breached her own guidelines

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-what-you-can-and-cannot-do/pages/seeing-friends-and-family/ <


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 4:55 pm
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I'll paste the relevant bit from your link. Again.

Are people allowed to travel to meet friends and family outside?

Yes, but you should stay in your local area if possible. As a guide we suggest ‘local’ to be no more than five miles from your house.

Because of the high chance of the virus living on hard surfaces, we don’t want people using public toilets or going into someone’s home to use their toilet, so staying local avoids that problem.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 5:00 pm
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irc- it's strange that all of a sudden you're a stickler for the guidelines given the previously you don't seem to have given a shit about them.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 5:11 pm
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Aye, funny that....


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 5:35 pm
 irc
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I'm ignoring the guidelines where it suits me. Like thousands of people are. But I'm not the one in charge of setting them.

Are people allowed to travel to meet friends and family outside?

Yes, but you should stay in your local area if possible. As a guide we suggest ‘local’ to be no more than five miles from your house.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-what-you-can-and-cannot-do/pages/seeing-friends-and-family/ < Obviously the FM has the get out that the phrase "if possible" is used. Sort of the Cummings defence in that it is technically not a breach. In which case everyone else has the get out that the guidelines on distance are not law.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 8:03 pm
 Mat
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Anyone figured out the change in daily positive cases in Scotland?

Scottish numbers: 15 June 2020

29 new confirmed cases of COVID-19*
0 new reported deaths of poeple who have tested positive

*as of 15 June this includes confirmed cases at UK Government Regional Testing Centres (RTCs). Of today’s new cases, 9 were from RTCs.

A total of 210,959 people in Scotland have been tested through NHS Scotland labs and RTCs to date (of which 73,851 were first tested through the RTCs). Of these:

192,929 were confirmed negative (of which 71,508 were first found negative from an RTC test).
18,030 were positive (of which 2,343 were first found positive from an RTC test).

I've been tracking and graphing the numbers just so I could compare, my NHS region, Scotland and UK. Scottish figures have generally been consistent in reporting and more transparent until this. Does this bring the numbers inline with current UK reporting or is a similar UK gov change in the pipeline for the UK figures? Even incorporating these numbers Scotland still has ~25% less cummulative confirmed positive cases per head than UK total (3300 vs. 4364 cases per million).


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 8:17 pm
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Even incorporating these numbers Scotland still has ~25% less cummulative confirmed positive cases per head than UK total (3300 vs. 4364 cases per million).

I think you need to take account of the number of tests per head of population too if you want to compare those figures.


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:00 pm
 Mat
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Yeah I’d like too but I’ve struggled to find decent UK stats


 
Posted : 15/06/2020 9:02 pm
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What about price, anyone think Abellio will find a way to gouge passengers to make up for lost revenue?

Hmm... well I've never quite understood Scotrail fare pricing structures, but definitely feels like the fares have taken a jump! £75 return Edinburgh to Bridge of Orchy, and that's booking almost as far in advance as the website will let me. Maybe I'm just out of touch, it's been a couple of years since I enjoyed a trip on the West Highland Line.

I tried the usual trick of booking an end-to-end journey e.g. Edinburgh - Ft William but that didn't change anything.

£75 feels like the sort of upper end 'most expensive' option that would always be on offer, so perhaps there's some quirk which just means cheaper advanced fares aren't available at the moment? If there are half as many seats available due to Covid does that perhaps account for certain number of cheaper advanced fares?

No biggy in the scheme of things, just curious.

Edit: in hindsight this post looks massively off-topic, it started as vaguely on topic a few pages back! 😀


 
Posted : 16/06/2020 8:54 am
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I haven't seen any large mountain bike groups in the Pentlands since the one a week or so back, although I did see a pretty large group of runners on Sunday that were clearly not from a single family and were not only making no attempt to distance themselves, but also seemed intent in passing anyone they saw as close as possible.

Last night I also saw a sizeable group of roadies (the first time I've seen maybe more than 2 or 3 in a group) who'd parked their cars in one of the Balerno side streets to meet up for a ride. Them being out for their group ride didn't annoy me, although them riding right across all the road (including on the wrong side) and not being keen to move over for traffic (including other cyclists) coming the other way wasn't great.

That's something I've seen a fair bit off during lockdown - folks riding on the wrong side of the road (and not just to pass other users), including when there are cars coming the other way. I've seen that quite a few times recently, but never before lockdown. Very odd.


 
Posted : 16/06/2020 9:33 am
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We've taken the gamble of a cottage outside Lairg for the first week of August...

I'm reading bits that's suggest Nicola is going to say 'only for the Scottish' holidays this week.

We're hoping for a week avoiding epicyclo on his constitutional on our bikes and in canoes.


 
Posted : 16/06/2020 9:54 am
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Obviously the FM has the get out that the phrase “if possible” is used. Sort of the Cummings defence in that it is technically not a breach.

Yer havering!

It's nothing like Cummings, one is driving 250 miles whilst sick with covid to visit your folks and see some nice touristy stuff, the other is driving half an hour to see someone because God forbid your whole family has never left the town they were born in.

"If possible" is just as clear as "Stay at home"; one was a breach, the other isn't.


 
Posted : 16/06/2020 10:01 am
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mattoutandabout
We’re hoping for a week avoiding epicyclo on his constitutional on our bikes and in canoes.

You can pop in to my wee holiday house in Lairg for a cuppa.

The midges will carry you across... 🙂

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Posted : 16/06/2020 10:03 am
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Obviously the FM has the get out that the phrase “if possible” is used. Sort of the Cummings defence in that it is technically not a breach.

No, her get out is that she doesn't actually live in Edinburgh, as you seem to suggest.


 
Posted : 16/06/2020 10:12 am
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Hmm... interesting chat with one of our hotels in Ardnamurchan, booked for September.

They're waiting for Thursdays announcement from FM as they expect some interesting new guidelines for Staycations.

As this particular establishment offers bunkhouse accommodation, they're worried about how to deal with communal kitchens and toilets. They're also concerned about the two bothies on their land, how on earth are they supposed to control those! They had a call planned with head of MBA later today, hope (for other's sakes) it doesn't result in lots of locked bothies by nervous land owners...

They also expect the FM to advise single household only Staycations. This scunners our plans as we're two households sharing rooms for 5 nights as we cycle around Lochaber. Might just hold off booking trains for now until we're more certain.

Watch this space I think.


 
Posted : 16/06/2020 10:49 am
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