How far from your house is still in your local area?

I also cannot believe I am defending him..... but if he went from his door and back home without stopping then within the rules. For some people exercise might be a few hundred yards, a mile or for some much further. I walk about 4 miles on my daily walk and run that distance twice a week, always from and back to my door, it’s still my locality and very rarely see another soul.

When well, I cycle and seven miles is probably around half an hour for a reasonably fit cyclist on roads without too many hold ups. BJ would therefore have around an hour's exercise for a return trip of 14 miles.
A younger, fitter cyclist could easily cover far more distance (probably double) and real oldies perhaps half, so age and fitness come into BJ's equation. I assume his fitness is the former.

BJ (and I am not a fan at the moment) could not have cycled in the nearby parks as cyclists are banned from most areas in them.

I agree there should be better guidelines and clearer information, much of it thus far is open to interpretation or misinterpretation but a cyclist can obviously travel further than a walker.

The issue for me is the problem of accidents:. any mishap requiring medical treatment puts more strain on the beleaguered NHS.

In essence, I don't have a coherent answer! Yes, cyclists will travel further, yes, they could have an accident but so could a dog walker, tripping over dodgy paving stones!

Too much waffle from the government.
It should not be difficult to set rules.
Rules are rules
Guidance is too loose for serious situations.

How far from your house is still in your local area?
It seems to depend on who you are.

Barmeyoldbat

Yes I agree with what you say but I am on about the double standards, 2 women out for a walk, arriving in different cars with a coffee each and then going for a walk in a beauty spot. Fined because they were away from home (5 miles) and believe it or not having a picnic. I also cycle, leaving home and going any where between 3 to 15 miles.

They weren't 'having a picnic'. The fact that they'd each brought a flask of tea was interpreted as a 'picnic' by a pair of over-zealous plods. Everyone round here (SW London) seems unable to walk anywhere without clutching a plasticised one-use cup of coffee. I'd much prefer them to have brought a flask from home, for the sake of the environment. Anyway, the fines have been rescinded and the women have received an apology.

I certainly don't begrudge Boris his 7 miles. Good luck to him.
I wouldn't have his job for all the tea in China.
We've been told here that we can drive to our part of Dartmoor. The area around Haytor is only 4 miles fom here.

If it was seven miles there and seven miles back........ that’s a very long ride. I often walk a seven mile circle but it’s never more than a mile and a half from home.

The problem here is the rules need tightening up. Either we can only exercise direct from our homes or we can be allowed to drive a short distance THAT SHOULD BE SPECIFIED. I cycle on a local cycle trail but put my bike in our van to get there. I go to the closest piece of trail 6 miles away. I do not cycle from my house as we live on a steep fairly busy road and my knees and bike are not up to it. I wish now I had bought an electric bike when I had the chance but put it off due to finances, still we could all sit indoors and go mad!!!!

Surely 7 miles is quite a short distance if you're going by bike? I can't stand Boris but I really don't see a problem here.

I don't have a problem with Boris cycling to and from his home and 7 miles is easily done in the time allowed. Poor man, he probably needs the fresh air and exercise with all what he is having to do at the moment.

Curious - walking along village street and passing someone on pavement - distance 2ft = OK
going to beauty spot no-one closer than 20ft = fine

Yet again one rule for us peasants and one for the rich. Why are they getting away with it. Top fine for him and his body guards. So unfair. Local is not 7 miles away.

I would say that a local area is the town or village you in .

Cycling is much quicker than walking I guess. If you’re out exercising on your bike should you just ride round and round the area within a mile or so of home? I don’t think any of us are totally clear about staying in your own area and the precision rules. Does it mean by borough, my village, my town? Can I drive somewhere to walk within those restraints?

Life is certainly very, very difficult for people in your situation, ISHMA. There are thousands like you, and far too many people are far too ready to criticise. In your case I would do just what I felt best for me. I hope your appointment goes well.

As for Boris Johnson and his cycle ride - that was plain stupid and thoughtless, and as others have said not leading by example. How many weeks since re was reciting the mantra 'just because you can doesn't mean you should'?

Can't stand Boris (and didn't vote for him) but I wouldn't criticise him for this. I suspect that if he went to his local parks (which are heaving at the moment, reportedly) he'd just be constantly stopped and hurled abuse at. Going to a velodrome (at the Olympic Park) makes much more sense for a cyclist who is doing it for fitness. Even if he was driven there by his security team, that's just common sense. (Can't believe I'm defending him!)

I can't imagine his security people let him cycle from No.10 to Stratford!

I am in a village and the nearest supermarket is 9 miles away. We have a small village shop but if I bought a week's food there I'd be bankrupt, plus very little choice. We went to a big M&S yesterday and it was like a ghost town. I felt sorry for them.

the ladies in Derbyshire had their fines revoked, quite right in my opinion. I wish I could get on a bike but there too many hills here. The police just need to concentrate on gatherings of mostly young people who are probably bored witless. I gave blood yesterday and it was great to be ALLOWED to get on a bus, see other people (besides DH & chat to the nurses. I even popped into M&S a bought a treat for myself.

On our country roads, I think they are out for the day. They seem to think cycling is ok wherever they go

Well he was local in the sense that he remained in London!
What I objected to first time round was that people could cycle indefinite distances, but driving a short distance to exercuse in relative solitude was initially not permitted. The guidance did get changed though tbf.

If he was cycling, I would guess that 7 or so miles in an hour is possible, but have to wonder how long it took him to get back?
To me, "local" is within a radius that you can walk to. The two women that started all this actually drove to their destination , stopping on the way for coffee which to me isn't the spirit.
I would also guess that by the sound of the traffic along ur main street that there were quite a lot of people doing the same thing to the park at the other end of my village!

Didn’t hear it myself but DH said that someone that was interviewed on tv this morning said it was quite ok for a cyclist to do a 70 mile round trip because that’s the sort of distance that serious cyclists do.

I walk 8 miles every evening with my dog.

If asked I'd say the woods where I go are local

I imagine if you dislike Boris, 7 miles isn't local.

It 's no secret I'm not in the BJ fan club, also can't imagine ever voting Conservative. That said, what on earth is wrong with him cycling 7 miles from home. Of course his security guard would be with him. Give the man a break. He's working harder than he ever has, or ever expected to (even if he is't working as effectively as I wish he was)
We all need fresh air and excercise. I'm just off to meet a friend to do a favourite walk from her front door. She's a mile away and I'll drive rather than walk down, as our walk is 3 miles, enough for my knees.

I could walk over 7 miles and still be in my village.

Far better for the PM to be riding his bike than clogging up the roads in his car. I’m sick of all this Boris-knocking. For goodness sake, the man needs to have some time away from his desk.