https://www.thebmc.co.uk/covid19-latest-national-lockdown-in-england

If the BMC interpretation of 'local' is correct, you certainly can't go walking in the countryside, climbing or caving at all.

Outdoor exercise should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area, defined as ?the village, town, or part of the city where you live?.

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Based on this, I could walk around in circles inside the village, with everyone else from the village, but I would not be permitted to exercise on the footpaths around the outside of the village.

Given that you are specifically allowed to exercise in 'countryside accessible to the public', it seems that there must be some misinterpretation here.

In fact it says so on Gov.uk in the section on travel, but the BMC hasn't included it for some reason:

outdoor exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space) 

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But area is defined as village, town or part of city - need to wait for tomorrow's (lack of) clarification

If you are right Mike, 'locally' is even more local than the village.

If this is really the rule, and if it is really followed or enforced, the whole village will be walking up and down the pavement outside their house, while miles of country footpaths will be deserted.

Can't say I'm looking forward to the legislation tomorrow...

I imagine surrounding countryside will be included.

Would it not just be easier to specify a distance? Why is it so vauge?

Alex said:

Would it not just be easier to specify a distance? Why is it so vauge?

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I feel your angst, however, if you look at what the legislation says it's this:

Stay at home. Except, e.g. Exercise. No specification of what that is a bonus (but a confusion too) but it does say local to village, town, city. It also says you can travel if necessary to go to an open green space. Fair enough, not everyone lives in a green oasis.

Ask yourself, honestly, could you exercise from your front door? If not, is there a green space that you could drive to, if necessary, in either your village, town, city? Pick the nearest one and that's your green space.

It is an interesting phenomenon that I may be witnessing where fully cognitive adult humans, who are often critical of a perceived 'nanny state', need it spelling out for them, when in actual fact it's staring them in the face. But I guess if you're not getting the answer you want then it might seem confusing.

Alex, definitely not having a pop at you here. It's more a general observation that actually this shower of incompetence are probably trying to be as lenient as possible so ordinary people aren't hauled up before the beak, but in the mean time we're tying ourselves up in knots trying to justify our flavour of fun.