Going caving in Tier3?

[pwhole]

Yeah, my friend tells me (with great gusto) how annoying it is that everyone still keeps kissing each other when they meet - with masks on! The dirtiest part too. Yum. I understand (from the news, can't remember which) there's a 'campaign' being run to try and get French folks to shake hands like us uptight sexless Brits do, in order to slow transmission. We're just as alcoholic as the French though, so I'm sure closing bars will have more impact. At the middle of lockdown my friend told me that 'all the guys' in town were going crazy as they couldn't visit prostitutes any more, and clearly couldn't face sex with their actual partners. So tension was building locally. I told her I thought they all played boules and chess and accordions, but apparently not. Maybe they should.

Incidentally, my friend lived in Sheffield for ten years, so she's able to make considered comparisons

 

[Katie]

Is France able to police these policies in rural areas or just in urban areas?
Frances has a very similar population to the UK but on about twice the land area. I find it hard to believe they are able to enforce 1 hour/ 1km rules in rural areas as who would police it?
I live in a rural bit of the UK (although closely surrounded by many big urban areas) and we don't see many police ever round here, and find it hard to imagine they could enforce tight restrictions in area such as mine, without using the army for manpower.
Although a local village primary school has had a policeman at drop off and pick ups as the parents have been reported for not socially distancing very well!

 

[Badlad]

Like Katie, I'm lucky enough to live very close to a number of caves and interesting digging sites.  This year I've recorded 71 trips underground and that doesn't include a dozen more in Mulu on expedition in January.  Anyone beat that?  :

 

[mikem]

Over 100, with half a kilometre of new passages...

 

[Rob]

Over 100, with half a kilometre of new passages...

Wow, i'm only at about 43 trips, but with nearly 800m of new passage, so who wins?   

(admittedly only half of that natural)

 

[pwhole]

Is France able to police these policies in rural areas or just in urban areas?
Frances has a very similar population to the UK but on about twice the land area. I find it hard to believe they are able to enforce 1 hour/ 1km rules in rural areas as who would police it?

Well my friend lives in a fairly large town, so I think in that context it's more difficult to sneak about, though she wouldn't. I'm sure in more rural areas it's nigh-on impossible to control - it is here. I'm not sure whether the proportion of police to citizens is higher there but I can't imagine it would be wildly different. I think there's a general assumption, there and here, that folks by and large have to police themselves on this, rather than the actual police tell them what to do.

 

[PeteHall]

Over 100, with half a kilometre of new passages...

I doubt there are many who will challenge that Mike!

I've not been keeping a log recently, but from a quick tally, I'm on about 30 trips so far this year, but only about 2m of new cave. Obviously that will all change tomorrow though 

 

[Brains]

Think I will be  lucky to get into double figures by years end 
Certainly getting withdrawal...

 

[Katie]

Went caving this evening with my one permitted friend and found the cave already rigged and a group down there!
We just went down a different nearby cave to avoid meeting others in an enclosed place, but who knew Monday evening lockdown caving was so popular?

 

[mikem]

Over 100, with half a kilometre of new passages...

Wow, i'm only at about 43 trips, but with nearly 800m of new passage, so who wins?   

(admittedly only half of that natural)

Well, I've heard 1m on Mendip = 10m in Yorkshire, but not sure how that relates to the Peak!

 

[Badlad]

A quote from the Dailymash

"ALL the people who have headed to a local beauty spot for a countryside walk are resentfully glaring at all the other people who have done the same thing.

Families getting away from all this Covid nonsense with a nice tramp through the woods are tutting judgmentally at other families, who are selfishly ignoring pandemic regulations to invade rural areas.

Julian Cook said: ?The car park of the Rambler?s Retreat was absolutely full by 10am and I had to leave the Range Rover in a passing place up the road. So bloody irresponsible.

?There?s nothing else to do in lockdown, so we thought we?d head out for a bit of a wander. Except, just like the last three weekends, it?s been absolutely ruined by all these thoughtless idiots.

?We?re just going to stay home next weekend. Or that?s what we?re telling everyone, then we?ll sneak out while it?s nice and empty. Clever.?

 

[tdobson]

So obviously I have taken a pretty robust stance for my work activities as you can see on our FB page.
....
That's work though and totally separate to leisure.

This makes total sense Pete. Sorry I didn't understand that sutbtly initially. Thanks for clarifying!

 

[ttxela2]

Well all through lockdown two I consoled myself myself with a planned trip to the Peak this coming weekend when it was over. However as it became apparent the tier system would be introduced and I would be travelling from a tier 2 to a tier 3 area I have binned the trip for now since that appears to be against the rules - or at least discouraged.

Quite what the lockdown achieved for areas that went in as tier 2 and came out tier 3 I'm not sure.....

Anyhow we are being extra careful since my wifes business premises is attached to our house and involves treatments on elderly clients so she is not happy about me doing anything much even if permitted by the rules since if I was required to isolate it would shut her business down too...

We have a campsite booked in the Peak for between Christmas and New Year, I suppose there is a chance of the area coming down to tier 2 on the 16th of December review which would make the trip possible - but I still might be under pressure to stay at home....

 

[royfellows]

Thinking we could do with a laugh

It seems that Mark Drakeford, Wales First Minister has been banned by 100 Welsh pubs, and if he shows up and does not leave, the police will be called.
Full story everywhere on line, search under " West Conwy Pubwatch "

I nearly pulled a muscle with laughter.

 

[mikem]

Speaking of which, access to Wales from England will be allowed from Friday (provided you're not in a tier 3 area).

Lockdown allowed some of the previously tier 3 areas to reduce their rates of infection, so they could drop a level, but lower level areas were always going to struggle to get a significant decrease in percentage, as they didn't have a high percentage in the first place.

 

[royfellows]

The Law of Diminishing Returns?

 

[mikem]

I thought that was Tory ministers...