please empty your brain below
Up until the weekend, we'd not even left our London borough (other than the supermarket just over the border) but now it's the school holidays and we're getting braver.

Kathryn | Homepage | 23.07.20 - 7:33 a.m. | #

In der Beschränkung zeigt sich erst der Meister
It is in working within limits that the master reveals himself.
Goethe translated by Wilde.

Roger Depledge | 23.07.20 - 7:41 a.m. | #

Amazed there are still people cowering in their homes. I’ve been on holiday in two countries, and a third next week. I’ve been to attractions in London and around. I’ve been on the train to the country to visit my parents, to the pub, and to the shops. I just hope I can go back to the office soon!

Jimmy | 23.07.20 - 7:46 a.m. | #

I have also remained close to home and avoided all public transport. I'm getting on a train today, to Cambridge. I know it's going to be weird and the weather forecast is so-so, but at the moment I'm ridiculously excited.

Frank F | 23.07.20 - 8:10 a.m. | #

I've avoided any kind of unnecessary risk such as public transport, since I'm living with an at-risk person (referring to this as 'cowering' would strike me as bizarre). But I finally got round to getting back on a bike, and the rental options near me are great, so I've made it about 30 miles away and back in a day. The saddle extracted a toll in pain, however.

Ben | 23.07.20 - 8:13 a.m. | #

Of course what one might consider "cowering" another might think is "shielding" as some of us have aged parents and health issues too.

Kevin Too | 23.07.20 - 8:31 a.m. | #

I've mostly stayed inside my box, but I did have a couple of outings in the past month:
- Guildford (my only journey by train!), to pick up an electric bike.
- Up to Vauxhall Bridge on said bike to prove to myself that a commute would work. (I don't work in Vauxhall, but Vauxhall and back is well over a one-way trip)
- Trip to Nork Park with the little one to try out an orienteering map. It was as empty as I'd hoped.

Chz | 23.07.20 - 8:36 a.m. | #

Last trip on a train for me was 17th March, but I've walked in excess of 1000 miles since them.

My work commute round trip is 5 miles a day, which I'd walk pre-Covid anyway to keep fit. Plus holiday and weekend walks of 10-20 miles on the South Downs (it's mostly empty, and very pretty) mean I've walked the equivalent of London to Madrid whilst not getting further than 10 miles from home.

BrightonRo | 23.07.20 - 8:52 a.m. | #

I've done quite a lot of travelling recently. But it has felt, to me at least, that I'm keeping to the spirit of lockdown. Every journey has been for what seemed to me a good reason, like help with family childcare, shopping for older relatives, that sort of thing. No excursions for my own pleasure. But my rules are gradually stretching.

Malcolm | 23.07.20 - 9:06 a.m. | #

Turns out that, even under normal circumstances I don't venture too far from home - work, shops, socialising and friends' houses are all in a 2.5 mile radius, which I suppose could be unusual for London. In the first three months of the year, I only escaped that bubble a handful of times.

martin | 23.07.20 - 9:09 a.m. | #

“Cowering” is a great word to use if you have forced yourself to behave like this without thinking logically, whilst doing untold mental damage to yourself in the process.

As I said before, you can walk 500m to your local shop and accidentally bump right into someone (or be really close to someone!) for physical contact, or you can drive for 10 miles (as I have done) and go for a wonderful walk in a deserted woods and see NO ONE.

The latter is safer.

Gareth | 23.07.20 - 9:22 a.m. | #

We are members of CAMRA, so have been glad to get back to some proper beer in the pub. On Monday took bus and tube to get to Old Street (from Stanmore 10 miles) for a pint of Abbott Reserve, only to find it had run out just before we got there. Also to Ruislip Manor and Uxbridge for real ale since they opened.

Mike Roberts | 23.07.20 - 9:29 a.m. | #

While my travelling distance has increased in the past month, my social distance has remained 150 cm.
Tomorrow off to France a villa in the Ardeche.

Michael | 23.07.20 - 10:12 a.m. | #

Interesting mindset of those who think that shielding others is 'cowering' or that everyone has a car (presumably those who don't are 'losers').

JohnC | 23.07.20 - 10:24 a.m. | #

I am now making a point at getting out and doing trips. Yesterday in DGs land, may even have passed you by Millfields/Hackney Marshes, doing the Lea Valley walk. Former restrictions right out of the window, furthest from home 32 miles and plenty of train and tube in the mix. You can't keep me in.

davews | 23.07.20 - 10:50 a.m. | #

I've not been back to the office or on a train since mid March. Still working / "cowering" (thanks) at home, and have remained mostly within 2.5 km of home, apart from three (soon to be four) separate journeys by car, under 20km each.

Andrew | 23.07.20 - 10:54 a.m. | #

I've been driven to my parents 6.5 miles away a couple of times by my partner for an afternoon in their garden, and had to use the tube for the first time for work 9.5 miles away. It was much easier to socially distance on the tube than on the bus so that was reassuring.

I've had to use buses within my 2 mile zone to the shops and back throughout. Now more and more people are wearing masks I feel happier about doing this so yesterday took a couple of buses to/from my nearest nice walk 3 miles away for pleasure for the first time!

Otherwise the lockdown has only served to highlight what a small bubble I live in most of the time anyway, but also how much I depend on using public transport to reach the isolated parts that keep me sane!

Cornish Cockney | 23.07.20 - 11:09 a.m. | #

I've not used public transport but have driven to see my parents (once this was allowed) and to go walking in the Chilterns (which was allowed earlier)

Walking in the (relatively) deserted countryside is massively safer than walking around my local supermarket anyway

Mikey C | 23.07.20 - 11:16 a.m. | #

On Monday I made my first public transport journey for months to change my library books and CDs at the Barbican Centre (now partially reopened in contradiction to your map). Only the main Silk Street entrance is available to visitors (with staff in attendance to open closed gates for exit only). One way systems are in operation and sanitiser use is encouraged. The City is much quieter on a weekday than normal.

babs | 23.07.20 - 11:17 a.m. | #

Barely gone outside a mile from base, bar one trip to 2.5 miles, and one at just under 3 miles.

And a single unavoidable & urgent medical appointment that was 9.5 miles out - so I don't qualify for the special comments section.

There's nothing worth walking to that close to home, so I haven't been.

RH | 23.07.20 - 12:21 p.m. | #

Reminds me of those documentary programmes about cats and how far they roam. You should carry a webcam around your neck!

Kevin | 23.07.20 - 12:28 p.m. | #

I went back to my office for the first time (initially one day a week) yesterday.

Sprout Eater | 23.07.20 - 12:58 p.m. | #

Three theme park trips (twice to Thorpe Park, once to Alton Towers)

The first, Thorpe Park on the day they reopened, was actually pretty relaxed - most people were keeping well spaced and the place didn't feel overcrowded. Hygiene measures and extra cleaning were very visible and masks on rides were mandatory, so I didn't feel particularly unsafe.

The subsequent trips a fortnight later were a different story - while the cleaning and hygiene measures were still there, the behaviour of the other guests was very poor, with most ignoring the spacing markers in queue lines, and the parks themselves feeling much more crowded. I won't be back until things calm down a bit.

Moogal | 23.07.20 - 1:56 p.m. | #

In the spirit of what Roger has said - limits breed creativity, and you've certainly demonstrated that these past few months DG!

Sam | 23.07.20 - 2:41 p.m. | #

Mike Roberts - as one who is cowering (from fear of weirdness rather than of germs) I am very lucky to have Kelham Island deliver to my door.

On the wider question, I've found my self-imposed isolation really liberating and relaxing - never realised how stressful it was dealing with streets and shops and people and even after four months there's very little I'm missing. The pub, yes - but only when it can again be a relaxed and unselfconscious, unpoliced, unfearful thing - what's the point otherwise?

Sarah | Homepage | 23.07.20 - 3:04 p.m. | #

By the way just looking at the photos I took yesterday and it seems that exact electricity pylon in Hackney Marshes appears in one of mine as well. Probably exactly on my maximum distance from home. Small world.

davews | 23.07.20 - 3:06 p.m. | #

Sarah - Have only been in the pubs mid-afternoon when they were always naturally quiet. Apart from the covid related layout and signs it felt the same as before. I suggest you try it - though if you are getting not-bottled or canned beer then maybe not bother! We have had to make do with bottled beer while the pubs have been shut, not the same.
Mike R - A 2 times boat dweller.

Mike Roberts | 23.07.20 - 3:56 p.m. | #

I’m in NZ so we were released into relative freedom in June (so long as we stay here). But during Level 4-3 never went further than the local supermarket.

Since level 1 we have been to a couple of different cities.

Keep safe :-)

Wilees | 24.07.20 - 10:10 a.m. | #

I've been going to work every day. Plumstead to Beckenham via public transport so roughly 9 miles

Rschel | 25.07.20 - 1:03 p.m. | #











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