Can we still travel to the hills to walk for exercise?
Now that the country is in a new period of lockdown, can people still travel to the hills for exercise?
Scottish Mountain Rescue, which represents 24 of the country’s volunteer mountain rescue teams, has published a few pointers based on Scottish Government guidance.
The answer to the question really is – it depends how close walkers live to the hills.
Scottish Mountain Rescue distils the latest government guidance to a number of key points, as follows:
To minimise the risk of spreading the virus, people must stay at home as much as possible.
By law, in a level four area people can only leave home (or garden) for an essential purpose.
Examples of reasonable excuses to go out include local outdoor recreation, sport or exercise, walking, cycling, golf, or running that starts and finishes at the same place, which can be up to five miles from the boundary of home local authority areas.
Though homes can be left for these purposes, people should stay as close to home as possible.
Travel no further than is needed to reach a safe, non-crowded place to exercise in a socially-distanced way.
Up to two people from two separate households can meet outdoors for sport, exercise or social interaction.
Scottish Mountain Rescue has stressed that while mountain rescue teams are still responding in lockdown, Covid-19 has had an impact. In particular, rescues will take longer than normal.
It also advises:
▪ PPE is designed for indoor environments, it does not work effectively in the mountains in winter.
▪ Winter callouts are manpower intensive and hard work (lots of heavy breathing).
▪ It is unlikely that rescue team or the casualty can effectively be protected if either a team member or the casualty is already infected.
▪ Rescue teams work hard to manage risk, but Covid-19 is not a risk that can effectively be managed on winter rescues and it will be luck whether rescuers and rescued get infected or not.
If allowed and able to visit the hills, people should not push their limits or the conditions; take extra emergency clothing and food; and follow the Thinkwinter guidance. (www.mountaineering.scot/ safety-and.../thinkwinter)
If anyone needs help on the hills, call 999, ask for police, then ask for mountain rescue.