UKC

Looking at the recent article and thread on Scottish travel restrictions how far have you travelled for non-essential reasons since restrictions began? 

I estimated my furthest distance from home since March is 3.7 miles, staying all the time within south east London.

Soon to break this record as we need to collect daughters stuff from university, but not a leisure trip!

In reply to RX-78:

Were those guys who went up to the ISS travelling for essential reasons? Looks suspiciously like a lark to me??

(If they were not, they've beaten the trip of the Cummings family)

In reply to RX-78:

I've climbed at Stoney West which is probably 40 miles from home. But I've also travelled a lot further for work, and met more people while there (although I've stayed mostly outside)

In reply to RX-78:

We have left the state twice. Generally 25-30 minutes to seek solitude to exercise. We've had pretty much common sense advice from out governor (a republican), tbh I think he's been good. 

My wife's family have an old farm in Western Maine we will go to a lot over the summer, but according to Maine CDC we have to quarantine when there. But as its Maine we can leave for essential reasons like fishing and hiking. I love they actually list fishing.

We just went and fueled up at the border and went in and out without purchasing anything locally other than maple syrup that we got the local farmer to drop off at the step.

In reply to RX-78:

Furthest I've been since 21st March is a 23 mile round trip to Halifax, for a socially distant walk with my other half (we're locked down separately). We've done it twice.

In reply to RX-78:

Early in the lockdown I had to travel 14 miles to empty daughters University flat. Since then I don’t think I’ve been outside of a 5 mile radius of my house.

We are off work next week and as we won’t be going to Croatia as planned, we will probably look at meeting family members that we haven’t seen for more than three months. Outside and socially distanced, but potentially involving driving up to 60 miles.

In reply to profitofdoom:

Well I think they will be in quarantine for a while!

In reply to The New NickB:

I think what is keeping us local is the lack of open toilet facilities/cafes and reports of people spoiling areas by using them as an outdoor loo and not wanting to add to the problem.

In reply to RX-78:

I assume this excludes any work trips, without judgement or evaluation as to whether that work was in any way “essential”

In reply to RX-78:

We drove from Lancashire to Twickenham and back to collect son's stuff from his digs. It was like driving in the seventies; no traffic jams, light traffic on the M6 in Cheshire and round Brum and no traffic in London. We made it there and back in eight hours to the minute. Didn't talk to anybody there or along the way, I promise. 

I wonder if traffic will ever return to pre-corona levals now that people have discovered that you can work from home? In my export job I've been saying for years that the old times of the Export Representative getting on a plane and flying half way round the world for a gruelling 2-3 weeks of meetings and presentations are over. In those days almost every customer had a list of grievances they wanted to discuss but nowadays everything gets sorted out on the same day by email or phone. In my early days in the 80s and 90s we had no email and no phones so we used to go to the hotel business centre and send a fax or ask our company switchboard operator to ring us back in our rooms so as to avoid hotel phone charges.

In reply to RX-78:

Probably 120 miles total since schools closed in March. Several supermarket click and collects, and for Dad to have a car service.  

In reply to marsbar:

We have done a bit more than that, but probably half the mileage has been related to my wife job, otherwise just the weekly supermarket trip and delivery of food to elderly relatives. £20 a month on fuel, rather than the usual £120.

In reply to RX-78:

I’ve cycled 65 miles and then back again. Driven couple of hundred miles for work that couldn’t be done at home. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I have been WFH for 2 years now, so no business travel for over a year at least! My wife is also WFH at the moment but her work place is very near, less than 3 miles.

Normally by now we would have been to Ireland, France and probably another European country to visit relatives or for holidays.

In reply to RX-78:

Funnily enough, it looks like I will be WFH officially from October this year (quite independently of Covid-19 / lockdown etc) and this is expected to massively INCREASE my "business travel" (as the bits of my current workplace that I commute to use, will be scattered across England and I'll have to travel further to use them, but not daily of course!)

In reply to RX-78:

5 miles (3.5 miles as the crow flies) from home by foot or bicycle along the canal or to the Clyde or Kelvin in urban Glasgow.

It's a strange world.

In reply to elsewhere:

I have hardly been on my bike as I felt staying locally was a bit like being in a gold fish bowl, running is not so bad, had my highest mileage month ever in May, but getting bored of the local parks now!

In reply to RX-78:

Outside of work, about a 4 mile round trip walking the dog, at the furthest point it was probable about 1.5 miles as the crow flies. Neither the van or my motorbike has turned a wheel unless its been for work.

Work on the other hand,  furthest I have been is 220 ish miles and clock up at least 600 miles a week most weeks. 

In reply to Rigid Raider:

I hope it won't, but I expect it will. When the children do return to school then the school run will start again and the number of people working from home will probably be cancelled out by the increase in car usage as people try to avoid public transport. (I've seen suggestions traffic will actually be worse for this reason.) Also many of those currently walking and biking will probably swap back to cars when the weather gets worse.    

In reply to RX-78:

I went to Frome, once.

. . . dont tell me I'm not sophisticated.

T.

In reply to RX-78:

6 miles for fish and chips. 1 mile more than recommended.

In reply to RX-78:

Ever increasing circular cycle routes from home. 10 mile radius gives a decent ride.

Soon to visit Durham on a university belongings collection run. Be rude not to visit Barnard Castle and check out the opticians. 

In reply to hokkyokusei:

In the same club!! And done the same....had 2 walks in 12 weeks!!

In reply to RX-78:

apart from a trip to Leicester to pick up son needing to vacate university accommodation where he'd been living in isolation, a bike ride to Kirkstone pass and back, about 47 miles round trip and a bit more than I was fit for is the furthest I've been since March.

In reply to RX-78:

Can't believe how little people are driving on a climber's forum!
I drove 135 miles (each way) to climb in a very quiet Borrowdale last Sunday and the same distance to walk in the North Pennines a few weeks earlier. Done a couple of slightly shorter drives to Langdale and Wrynose to climb as well,

The roads are delightfully empty, as are all the crags I've been to. Please, anybody thinking of copying my reckless behaviour, don't do it. Stay at home and saves lives and let us covidiots enjoy stress free journeys to empty crags!

In reply to RX-78:

As someone in the at risk category I’ve been pretty much at home, excluding the weekly trip to the supermarket for myself and some elderly locals. But on my 60th birthday I took the motorbike out to visit my mother (about 12 miles) and then a BBQ at my son’s on the way home. It felt essential to me.

In reply to RX-78:

• Food shopping - seven miles round trip, two miles as the crow flies once a week starting in mid April
• Work - about 200 miles total all since mid May to set up increased automation for off site working of the lab
• Leisure (walking) - about 50 miles total, maximum crow flies distance of about 9 miles, all since late May

The best trip by far was a 1 am return home from the lab in mid May.  I doubt that journey time will ever be beaten.

In reply to RX-78:

Driven about 20 miles.
Walked/Ran approx 1250 miles.
All more or less done within 5 miles from the house.
 

In reply to RX-78:

First 8 weeks I didn't go more than 3 miles away ,(live just north of leeds) as I was furloughed. Since then back at work for 4 weeks on a national contract but can't stay away due to government rules so been doing some ridiculous driving sometimes to do an hour long job. Been to London twice (200 miles), Aylesbury loads of times (170 miles) and one trip to Devon for a half hour job (250 miles). Each time coming home again the same day but that's the only work we have up and running. Normally I'd stay away and have more work to do there.

Done well over 5000 miles in 4 weeks but not hit one bit of motorway traffic in the entire time. If there was normal traffic it would be completely impossible. 

Done plenty of climbing recently but all within about 5 miles of home and usually just stopped as I was passing on way home.

In reply to Davidlees215:

You are allowed to stay away from home for the purpose of doing your job, assuming you have somewhere to stay.

In reply to RX-78:

When the lockdown came in I was spending the night at Maol-bhuide bothy in Wester Ross and knew nothing of it. I was told by the local stalker on my way back to the car next day.  So it was 180 miles home. A fantastic drive on quiet roads. I overtook one car near Shiel Bridge and didn't see anything else going my direction until Loch Lochy, some 40 miles or so later . A few more cars south of Fort William but nothing like normal traffic. 

Aside from that I've been working 4 days a week around Glasgow, Paisley, Greenock and Alexandria so still doing plenty miles in the car. Enjoying no rush hour traffic hold ups. Didn't drive anywhere other than local shops during full lockdown. I've had one Glasgow - Arrochar trip since lockdown relaxed.

In reply to RX-78:

Since travel restrictions in England eased I've made seven trips from the West Mids to the Peak, to go bouldering, shunting and sport climbing. Round trips of 100-130 miles each time. 

In reply to RX-78:

741 miles... Chamonix to the uk. making the most of the brief travel window to freely go more than 100km (in france) before having to quarantine in the uk... i know im not th only one!

In reply to RX-78:

In early May I had to travel 150 miles to move home and start a new job, blissfully empty motorways.

In reply to RX-78:

I was planning to travel 3000 miles each way to move my kids back from Uni. 

Not happening now - they will have to learn how to sort themselves out a little earlier than planned. 

I've kept within a 1km radius of my flat for the last 13 weeks, barring two trips out to shop for more than basics.

In reply to steve taylor:

3000 miles!
That's six times more than the Proclaimers would and they got a hit record for it...

In reply to pec:

All hotels that are open (very few) say only key workers are allowed to stay. I did one job related to the national grid 2 weeks ago and did stay away for a night. I needed a letter from someone at national grid stating I was a key worker and the hotel were insistent I showed  it to them.

Unless this is something hotels are insisting upon (unlikely as they need the money) the rules are still in place that only key workers and people in emergencies (eg flooded house) are allowed to stay in hotels.

In reply to Davidlees215:

I looked on booking dot com last night regarding a potential work trip in two weeks’ time and there was quite a bit of availability; I didn’t proceed to booking anything so maybe it is flagged up at that point but nowhere did I see “key workers holding certificates only”, flagged up. This surprised me 

In reply to FactorXXX:

3000 miles each way (6000 total) is indeed six times more, but the Proclaimers sang of a one way journey, does that affect things ?

In reply to FactorXXX:

I'm in the Middle East, not Scotland

No international flights for the last 3 months, and none for the next 2 months!!!

To be fair, it was being combined with a holiday. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Not being picky, but it was 500 miles and 500 more...

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Annoyingly booking dot com and many of the hotel websites do not mention any restrictions but they are there! So unless you meet one of the current government approved reasons for staying  overnight don't book any!

In reply to RX-78:

I cycled just under a 20 mile round trip to see my sister on the other side of London in her communal garden.

Lack of public toilets and not wishing to add to the issue of more people going outside makes it impossible to stay out for more than 2-3 hours (even if I wanted to use a bush, it's far trickier in London).

We don't have a car.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-advice-for-accommodation-providers

Government website today still says critical workers, emergencies and elite athletes. I'd check directly with any hotel if you do want to work away to make sure you're not turned away. 

In reply to RX-78:

i have done kilimanjaro twice, although i guess thats not proper climbing

In reply to steve taylor:

I know, and you're not. We are in agreement. 500 and 500 more makes 1000 total. The 3000 miles EACH WAY makes 6000 total. 

In reply to Davidlees215 and RX-78:

Thanks. I have "key worker" status so I should be covered. I know of several colleagues who have stayed in hotels for work since lockdown, but for sure I'll check in advance. My company should be on a list that the hotel can look up. 

 

In reply to RX-78:

Excluding all work travel as a key worker, and a bunch of "take the car for a drive to make sure the battery remains well topped up", there's been surprisingly little. One detour many weeks ago to collect some DIY stuff (click and collect) from a branch of Screwfix; hard to evaluate distance as I tied it in with a work trip and a "give the car a decent run". Call it 8 miles each way, for the detour. And one trip of 60 miles each way to help family with some preliminary refurb work on an investment property, all observing social distance but of course non-essential. So 136 miles total. 

If we add in the exclusions then that is at least another 35 miles per week for work (work is about 14 miles away, I try to go to the office only once per week but sometimes it's been twice or even 3 times so I have put the estimated average up) plus a customer trip of 140 miles each way in late April. 

In reply to RX-78:

SW London. No car. Longest by far about 14miles to Box Hill by train for walk to Leatherhead. A few other walks within 4 miles by train/bus. Public transport almost empty. otherwise road and park walking locally. Very limited by lack of toilets for my wife.

I'm not sure roads will be less busy after all this with people avoiding public transport. In fact distance travel, especially at weekends, may be greater with less use of trains etc and people holidaying in UK rather than abroad. I can see hitch hiking may be more difficult while the virus is around.

In reply to RX-78:

Given that the universe is expanding at 72km/second, (which is just over 44miles) and counting my earthly rovings plus angular travel around the sun as negligible, I estimate that I’ve traveled 307,929,600 miles since lockdown 

In reply to RX-78:

one thing I tried was a bit of scrambling in cheap leather gardening gloves as an experiment in scrambling COVID PPE

They worked astonishingly well, almost as tactile and effective as not wearing gloves.  Put them in quarantine for a few days after use.

In reply to RX-78:

I have travelled zero distance for non- essential travel since the pandemic struck here. I simply don't feel the need as its pretty good for the environment if I don't jump in my car and zoom about. So I'm enjoying knowing its better for wildlife and nature to if I don't.

You got to give something back because God knows all we seem to do is take take take. 

In reply to RX-78:

Non-essential travel? 

None. Unless you count going to the post office to pick up a package (1 mile each way)

In reply to RX-78:

I haven't gone beyond where I can get on my own two feet, about 10km from home.

In reply to RX-78:

Depends what counts as non-essential really I think. About a month ago I drove up and down the motorway maybe 60 miles in total to give my car a run (hadn't moved since lockdown started as my 'key worker' partner's car was doing all the driving), which may have been outside the rules depending on whether you count walking round the outside at a layby looking at the tyres as exercise.

Other than that it's just been allowed stuff like shopping, exercise/walks (started driving for exercise a couple of weeks after technically allowed), visiting a couple of friends' gardens - don't know if that counts as 'essential' or not.  Probably driven about 400 miles in total since restrictions eased, mostly for getting to remote hills to walk up.

In reply to RX-78:

Non-essential? None

However last week I drove 7.5 miles (15m round trip) twice for exercise. Such a welcome breathe of fresh air to get somewhere different and far less busy than my local parks.

In reply to RX-78:

As the crow flies, possibly <15 miles, I think - certainly not more than 20. A few bike rides and, more recently, a couple of outings for a change of scene with the family.

In reply to RX-78:

During the non-essential period nothing non-essential other than how I interpreted the exercise. I was running about 22 miles a week and walking the dog about 30miles. 3 runs and 7 walks. 
 

Since 1st June I’ve had 2 weeks off work and being doing non-essential decorating, garden improvements. Which means trips to builders merchants, waste centre etc. About 5 mile round trip to each. 
 

Other than that I’ve been working normally 88mile round trip every day. Which is essential to me to earn money. 
 

I think there’s been a blurring of the terms between ‘essential’ and ‘key’, especially in the media who seem to be calling the shops that were closed  ‘non-essential’. When technically they were actual ‘businesses required to close’

In reply to RX-78:

I don't think we've ever had a lockdown, and we're certainly not in a lockdown right now, with the bungling mess the government has made of it.

I've cycled from Bristol between Chepstow and Bath. Also went bouldering in Bath (but as a tacked on visit to an essential volunteering visit).