From Wednesday 13th May, in England you will be allowed to meet one other person from a different household outdoors, but must remain at least 2 metres apart - see section 1 of the following:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do

If everyone donned a high vis vest and hard hat it would look like you were working so you could meet more than one other person provided you kept the requisite distance apart.

... and don't forget this is England only. The Welsh police are stopping people and enquiring if the journey is necessary still.

. . . . not always Site Admin which is causing a big division everywhere unfortunately🙁

The Peak Park aren’t very happy with the recent update to the lockdown rules & are still urging people to stay away.
See the link below for info...

https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/news/current-news/coronavirus-covid-19-update#11may

It's good that many of you will be able to get out further and walk for longer. But not all of us. Those of us classed as "extremely vulnerable" are being told to stay at home, well, forever it seems. And as more of you get out, the worse it gets for us. So please be a bit sensitive to that when you post accounts and pictures of all the fun you are having.

Pete, epidemics are like stories and wars, they have a beginning, a middle and an end, even without a vaccine.

Lazlo: ever heard of the 100 years war?

Yes and they managed to carry on with it even through the Black Death. Wars then were a bit like cricket test matches vs Australia. They had a few skirmishes with long breaks in between.

PeteK: I really feel for you Pete & I’m so sorry that you’re in the ‘most vulnerable’ group. I know how much you miss getting out.
Even though we are now ‘allowed’ to travel further to walk, I personally won’t be going very far at all. I’ll still be doing the majority of my walking from home.
Yes I’m lucky to live in the middle of the Peaks..but a lot of the walks I love are further away than I’m happy to travel to! I’m getting a bit bored of doing the same routes...but I’m grateful for them.🙂
Bedsides, many areas of the Peaks will be busier now, making social distancing harder to maintain.
I can just imagine what the Great Ridge (for example) will be like this weekend.😮No thanks!

I believe that any group walking is still only with members of your household. my Nordic walking instructor is allowed to walk with one other person only suitably socially distanced. So she runs 121 sessions as allowed in the government guidelines which is meeting one person at a time from another household outside. I think group walking is still not allowed sadly 😒

What a strange number for the government to allow. Would she be fined if she exceeded the 121 sessions.

If you are more than 2m apart are you still in a group? How far would you have to be to not be in a group. Having seen large groups of teenagers gathering together in the warm weather why are responsible adults being treated like children?

Just watched the early evening news & we are now allowed to meet up to 6 people outside, so long as the strict staying 2 metres apart rule is observed.
Perhaps an opportunity for small group walks to re-start.🙂

This was in England by the way. I don’t know what the changes are in other parts of the UK. I turned the news off before that!

This gives the latest for different parts of the UK:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52530518

After reading the above info, it seems to imply that meeting outside with up to 6 people from other households only applies to friends/family meeting in parks or private gardens.

When you read the exercise bit, it still says with just one other person for the activities listed i.e golf & tennis.
Would this not apply to walking too?
I’m now unsure whether group walks should be going ahead & I’m concerned that Lazlo (Doug) may have jumped the gun.
I’d hate to think we were breaking the rules by posting group walks.☹

Miss T: I have/will not look at the Biased B.C. Link above as I don't trust them. Would only be guided be genuine gov.uk website. Stay safe. 🤗

I am definitely not jumping the gun. I go out in my local area and saw groups of teenagers congregating with impunity long before this was announced. The infection rate is falling in Derbyshire anyway as it is in all but a few areas which haven't been hit by the pandemic, e.g. in the west country. Does the virus know somehow that you are on a street or in a park. If everyone congregated in small parks surely that would increase risk. The chances of being infected outside unless you talk directly face to face at distances less than 1m are slim to none. The government should define and justify with reason what their decisions are, not make them up on the hoof.

I definitely don't take risks with my health. Having been socially isolated for an extra 4 weeks compared to the rest of the country thanks to the infection I had in February (not Covid 19) I wouldn't dream of putting myself or others at risk. I am sure everyone else in the OD group is of the same opinion as regards risk. There wont be any handshakes or hugs for a long time.

Philtheetiler: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do

I think the main issue at the moment is where you start and end the walk. It's all very well saying you can avoid people on the moors and hills, but if you start in car parks or in built up areas then you'll still have potential problems. By all accounts car parks and other popular parking spots are rammed at the moment, even on week days. Aside from the threat to vulnerable people, I doubt if the locals are best pleased either. We'll all want to go back some day so best not to piss them off now. In any case, how does a walk with physical distancing qualify as a group walk? Be interested to hear how that goes.

Doug, please don’t think that I’m saying you are wrong to arrange a group walk, as that is not the case 🙂 It is up to you what you do & how you go about it.
I’m simply trying to get my head around what’s allowed & what isn’t. At the moment, I don’t think it’s very clear.
I want to walk with my friends again as much as anyone....but I’d personally prefer to wait for more clarity before doing so.
T.x🙂

The rules are:
People will be permitted to congregate in gardens and other private outdoor spaces, instead of just in public spaces, as Johnson said “there is no difference in the health risk”.
That says to me that it is OK for small socially distanced groups to meet up provided you are outside.

Lazlo Woodbine: From gov. UK website ;
1. Gatherings, public spaces, and outdoor activities
1.1 What can I do that I couldn’t do before?
From Monday 1 June, there are a limited number of things you will be able to do in England that you could not do before:

spend time outdoors, including private gardens and other outdoor spaces, in groups of up to six people from different households, following social distancing guidelines.
You are totally within the guidelines.
I think it's a personal view now on what does or doesn't feel appropriate for each of us and that should be respected. Let's just be kind.
Have a wonderful walk x

Thanks all for the extra info🙂
Hope your walk goes well Doug & it’s not too busy on your chosen route👍
T.x🙂

Well done Doug, hope you all have a great day. Would of joined you if closer as much safer where you are going than shopping in a supermarket. 😎

Rob68: 😂

Rob68: Nice one Rob!

Rob68: 😂😂

There's a reason why meeting outdoors is recommended. Numerous studies have shown that CV is seldom caught outdoors. Here's one based on 318 outbreaks of 3 or more cases in China:
https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.04.20053058
All outbreaks were examined for the location and none with 3 or more cases was identified. The authors said,
"We identified only a single outbreak in an outdoor environment, which involved two cases. Conclusions: All identified outbreaks of three or more cases occurred in an indoor environment, which confirms that sharing indoor space is a major SARS-CoV-2 infection risk."

Have fun in the sun. 🌄😀 I can't last forever ... 🌧

I don't mind walking on my own, but is there anyone craving company who would like a socially-distanced walk around Reigate? I normally walk on pavements, but if that doesn't suit then I could lead something over Reigate Park and the North Downs. If you're interested, perhaps you could suggest a suitable day and say how far you would like to walk. We would probably start from the car park by Earlswood Lakes (there's road parking fairly nearby if it's full), and play it by ear on the day – no more than six of us, obviously.