Atherstone day trippers advised 'not to rush' to beauty spots or beaches of Weston-super-Mare or Skeggy just yet

GOLDEN SANDS AND NATIONAL PARKS NOT ROLLING OUT WELCOME MAT DESPITE BORIS JOHNSON ALLOWING UNLIMITED TRAVEL IN LATEST LOCKDOWN EASING

LANDLOCKED Atherstone and district has been advised not to flock to the countryside or either coastline as critics have accused the Government of "sheer folly" in the premature lifting of travel restrictions.

Some have gone further suggesting lockdown is "all but over" as authorities responsible for beauty spots and national parks including the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales have also expressed concern about the prospect of visitors returning in large numbers.

This coming weekend will be the first since coronavirus rules were changed to allow day trips with no limitations on the distance you can travel or geographical restrictions written into law.

On the west coast of England the 'Little Brum' town of Weston-super-Mare is just over two hours' drive away for Atherstone trippers with the longest stretch of sand in Europe – Brean to Berrow to Burnham-on-Sea – further down the road while the east coast resorts of Skegness, Mablethorpe and Hunstanton are shorter in terms of distance, ranging from 107 to 119 miles.

But Weston's tourist board is officially advising "don't visit" and its town council has warned not to expect public toilets to be in operation while East Lindsey District Council has asked "not to rush" to the seaside town of Skeggy.

And Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale – whose constituency covers Margate and Herne Bay – has issued a stern warning over Boris Johnson's decision to relax movement in England, adding: "I believe that the 'drive to wherever you want to take exercise' advice from the Government is premature and possibly sheer folly.

"I want the seaside towns that I represent to be able to welcome people with open arms again – as we have always done in the past – but we need to take baby steps towards reopening, not a leap in the dark.

"Get this wrong and we could be worse than right back when we started. Get it right and we could be back in business in time for the real summer holidays."

Some of England's national parks have already made their unease about the plans clear.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's chief executive David Butterworth has previously said the Government's approach to reopening the countryside was not one it had advocated.

"We, along with many organisations with countryside facilities, have advocated a staged approach with an initial 'stay local' message to avoid unnecessary travel and minimise any tension between visitors and local communities," he said.

Lake District National Park Authority chief executive Richard Leafe said: "For now, we're asking people not to rush back to the Lake District – help protect our communities, the fells will still be here when this passes."

The Woodland Trust is encouraging people to "stay local" to enjoy nature this weekend.

Meanwhile, a late decision by Warwickshire County Council looks to headed off a dash to local country parks this weekend as the temperatures start to rise.

Earlier today the authority tweeted it would not be opening the car parks at its country parks "just yet", while adding: "We remain keen for people to get outside but we are assessing the right options as everyone's safety remains our top priority."

But later this afternoon it announced plans to reopen them on Monday.

Hartshill Hayes, Pooley and Kingsbury Water Park will be operating an online booking system for their car parks.

At the parks where online pre-booking is required, visitors are being asked to pre-book a parking ticket before going to a country park via an Eventbrite booking at warwickshire.gov.uk/countryparks.

The booking will need to be displayed through the closed window of the vehicle to parks staff before being allowed to enter the site.

Two slots will be available – 9am to mid-day and 1pm to 4pm – after which the car parks will be closed.

People are being advised not to turn up to the site ad-hoc without pre-booking or a car park permit. They will not be able to gain entry.

A council statement said: "Following Government guidance that people will be able to exercise more than the hour a day that was initially allocated when the lockdown was first announced, the council has worked to make sure that their country parks can be accessed while a safe social distance is maintained.

"Reopening car parks will mean that more people can visit the country parks and from further afield. Until now, it was only possible for those living near to the parks who could walk or cycle there to visit."

Usual social distancing measures will apply with visitors being asked to only attend parks with members of their own households and to maintain a distance of two metres from others using the parks. Toilets and café facilities will remain closed.

Councillor Heather Timms, portfolio holder for Environment and Heritage and Culture, said: "Reopening the car parks will allow more people to get out and about to our country parks than just those living within walking distance so we're delighted to take this step towards resuming a more normal service.

"We are very aware that people need to look after their physical and mental well-being and our beautiful country parks can really contribute to both. But we have to ensure that they are used safely.

"Some of our parks usually receive very high visitor figures which we have had to be mindful of.

"Limiting the numbers of people using the car parks is the only way that we can maintain safe social distancing at these busy sites.

"I urge people to be sure to make a booking to avoid disappointment when they arrive at the parks."

Critics are looking to drive ministers back on their plans to ease parts of the lockdown as the Government faces fresh pressure from council leaders and Labour over its steps to return the country back to a sense of normality.

So what are the new guidelines?

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are either sticking with existing rules or writing their own amendments.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 have largely remained unaltered, save for a few key exceptions which could have a significant impact in relaxing restrictions on movement for the public.

- What about exercise?

To a "public open space for the purposes of open-air recreation to promote physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing" alone, with their household or with one member of another household as this is now also classed as a reasonable excuse to leave the house.

The law defines public open spaces as public gardens, open country and "access land" in the countryside where there are rights of way.

There are no limitations on the distance you can travel or geographical restrictions written into law.

- How often can I go out?