Coronavirus: National park visitors surge despite plea to stay away from beauty spots

For the first time in eight weeks, people in England have been able to enjoy a little extra freedom after lockdown measures were eased – but they were told to stay away from some beauty spots.

The Peak District National Park was among a number of attractions urging the public not to visit on Saturday because overcrowding was making social distancing harder.

Officials said the Langsett area at the north-eastern edge of the park was “extremely busy” on Saturday morning.

On Twitter, park bosses said: “This area is reported to be extremely busy with car parks currently full and social distancing difficult.

“Please don’t travel to the area or park outside of designated bays.”

The Yorkshire Dales, meanwhile, introduced a traffic light system to inform visitors how busy its car parks were.

By Saturday afternoon, Malham car park, near the popular attraction Malham Cove, was marked red to indicate it was full, while other locations were marked amber to show they were filling up fast.

Since Wednesday, people have no longer been limited to one opportunity to exercise outdoors each day, a rule that had been in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

They can also drive to beaches and national parks in England, alone or with members of the same household, and can meet up with one other person from a different household, as long as it is in a park or outdoor space and both individuals are at least two metres apart from each other.

On Friday night, a group of eight people were handed COVID-19 fixed penalty notices in the Dales after police found them camping by a fire near Surrender Bridge, in Swaledale.

North Yorkshire Police said the group had travelled from West Yorkshire and were from six different households.

Anyone hitting the road is benefiting from the lowest fuel prices since 2016, with an average of 107.5p per litre for petrol and 114.8p per litre for diesel.

This, along with good weather and the easing of the lockdown, was expected to see around 15 million drivers head onto the roads over the weekend.

The number was based on a survey by the RAC, but spokesman Rod Dennis said he was expecting numbers to be higher.

He said: “In normal times, the weather warming up in time for the weekend would spell traffic jams on routes leading to tourist hotspots.

“These figures suggest that’s less likely this weekend, with the vast majority of drivers we surveyed not jumping at the chance to drive very much further afield.

“Most are choosing to stay very local indeed or even not getting in the car in the first place, which bodes well for control of the coronavirus.”

The government’s scientific advisers have warned that the rate of virus infection is creeping up and if that rate – known as the R value – gets any higher, lockdown measures may have to be toughened again.

This and fear of being overwhelmed by crowds have prompted some popular regions to issue warnings.

People have been told to remember the importance of social distancing and to continue to avoid large gatherings.

On Thursday, Cleveland Police and North Yorkshire Police issued statements alongside the North York Moors National Park Authority warning that most facilities there will be closed this weekend.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker, of Cleveland Police, said: “Please think carefully about where you are going and how you will be able to keep your distance from others.”

South Downs National Park asked people to tackle pollution by keeping visits to the park car-free and Sussex Police issued a warning on Saturday as officers carried out spot checks on vehicles on the A23 towards Brighton.

It said on Twitter: “If you decide to travel be prepared to change your mind if your destination is busy. Go somewhere quieter or visit another time.”

After the prime minister’s announcement on the changes to lockdown restrictions in England, the Lake District National Park Authority’s chief executive, Richard Leafe, told visitors “not to rush back”, to avoid putting pressure on the community and mountain rescue teams.

Mike France, senior executive officer of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, added: “Just because the government says you can go out, it doesn’t mean you should.

“No matter how much exercise people have been taking at home, in their gardens or local to home during lockdown, most of them may not be as hill fit as they were three months ago.”

In a North Somerset Council news release entitled “Wish you weren’t here”, deputy leader Cllr Mike Bell said on Wednesday: “North Somerset is not open for visitors. We don’t want people to travel into North Somerset from outside the area for day trips and instead want to encourage them to use outdoor spaces nearer to where they live.

“We’re not open for tourists – pubs, restaurants, hotels and B&Bs are all still closed. Our focus is on protecting the community here in North Somerset who have worked so hard to do the right thing in staying at home.”

He added: “This won’t be forever though, and when the time is right we’ll be ready and waiting to give visitors a very warm welcome.”

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He told Sky News on Saturday: “As soon as can reopen we will and we will want people to come back to Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset.”

But for the time being he said he would be urging the prime minister to encourage people to restrict their journeys to their local area and “help to defeat the virus as soon as possible”.

He said he did have some sympathy for those in inner city areas desperate to get out to the countryside, “but what we have got to do is manage that in an appropriate way and what we can’t have is have 100 visitors arriving on one day”.

“I would encourage people in areas – urban or rural – to stay as local as possible,” he added.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency also warned that most beaches will not have lifeguards.

Visit Cornwall has encouraged people not to travel more than an hour from their local area, and Visit Weston-super-Mare has changed its slogan to “don’t visit Weston-super-Mare”.

Brighton and Hove City Council member Carmen Appich said: “If you love Brighton & Hove, please stay away for the time being.”

Lockdown rules in Wales and Scotland have not changed and the RAC said that England’s drivers should “regard the borders to these countries as effectively closed for leisure trips or potentially face a fine”.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: National park visitors surge despite plea to stay away from beauty spots