Can I travel within my county for exercise?

[SouthEastBuses]

Sadly, West Sussex (where I live) will be in Tier 4 from Boxing Day.

For exercise outdoors (a legal reason to leave the home) can I travel within my county? Or by Tier 4 areas, do they mean the local authority?

For example, can I legally travel by car from Horsham (where I live) to the South Downs National Park (near Worthing), or to Petworth, Chichester etc.? (All are places in West Sussex)

 

[matt]

The guidance for Tier 4 states

outdoor recreation or exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your Tier 4 area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)

Whether the law also states this I am not sure.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

The guidance for Tier 4 states



Whether the law also states this I am not sure.

This is what I don't understand. By area do they mean the local authority (in my case Horsham District Council) or the county (in my case West Sussex)

 

[Mike99]

I put into Google Maps, Horsham to Chichester and it says 31 miles. If it helps you, my own interpretation of local would be up to say 5 miles, as long as there is a park or similar to get some exercise within that distance then that I'm sure would be local and therefore would be fine. Regards Mike

 

[cactustwirly]

Sadly, West Sussex (where I live) will be in Tier 4 from Boxing Day.

For exercise outdoors (a legal reason to leave the home) can I travel within my county? Or by Tier 4 areas, do they mean the local authority?

For example, can I legally travel by car from Horsham (where I live) to the South Downs National Park (near Worthing), or to Petworth, Chichester etc.? (All are places in West Sussex)

There are no travel restrictions in the law, you just have to make sure you have a reasonable excuse to leave your house.

 

[DB]

There are no travel restrictions in the law, you just have to make sure you have a reasonable excuse to leave your house.

And no restrictions on crossing tier boundaries either, but you are bound by the rules in force in whichever is the higher of the tier you live in or the one you are going into.

 

[island]

The law does not place an explicit limit on travel within England or define what your “area” means. Residents of tier 4 areas must, however, not leave or stay away from home without a reasonable excuse. Travelling a great distance – I do not know how far apart the places you mention are – to go for exercise or recreation that you could reasonably take closer to home might (or might not) fall foul of this reasonableness test.

If you don’t take the p*ss and are reasonably pleasant if spoken to by an enforcement officer, you are most unlikely to find yourself in any trouble.

And no restrictions on crossing tier boundaries either, but you are bound by the rules in force in whichever is the higher of the tier you live in or the one you are going into.

Only as respects gatherings. The law does not (for example) prohibit someone from visiting elsewhere a type of business which is closed in the tier in which they reside.

 

[telstarbox]

It doesn't say "you can travel to the nearest place which is more scenic than Horsham" but "stay local" isn't defined in law. It would be too tricky to define in a simple and equitable way as some people live on peninsulas, down farm tracks, on lighthouses, etc.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

I see. Thanks for the advice guys.

I did travel to the rest of Sussex, as well as one day in Kent and another in Hampshire during the second lockdown we had in November (which like with Tier 4 there was no legal travel limit) and I had no problem whatsoever.