Post shielding trips

Like thousands of others with health problems I have spent the last year or so shielding but I feel that I've been luckier than a lot of people. Where we live we have easy local access to good birding country without getting too close to other people, on many days we would be out for a couple of hours and not see anyone else. Still last Monday we were allowed to meet some others so we met up with the three grandsons, aged 4,7 and 11, outside their house and they took us for a walk round their new woods. They all moved house just before Christmas and now live a few minutes drive away from us. It felt very strange but very exciting, Chris sand myself were shattered by we left. Yesterday was the end of shielding so in the afternoon we went to our favourite reserves which at about 8 miles away we considered just too far from home to travel to while I was shielding. This seemed very strange and maybe we have lost confidence ab out being around many people even socially distanced. We did enjoy it though and no doubt we will feel happy about it soon. Today we did go back to a reserve on our doorstep and only saw six people all afternoon but plenty of Sand Martins and a small number of Swallows arrived late afternoon. Has anyone else found it strange going out again or have Chris and myself become anti social hermits ?

  • I'm fine for going somewhere quiet but get very scared in big supermarkets especially if there are a lot of people around. I think it will be a long time before I go to a big sporting event.........
  • I can understand that feeling Hazel, Chris has felt like this when doing the essential shopping in the supermarkets. Even though stores ask customers to shop alone when possible it seems some treat it as a group meeting. She is certainly a lot more comfortable wandering around our neighbourhood birding spots. It will strange when I have to go into shops myself but I do need some new walking boots as my regular ones are shot at.
  • Wendy S said:
    Nice suggestion Mike but they have been in a bubble with the other grandparents who,being younger and in better health, are better positioned to help with emergency child care.


    I think we will make for the moors once the holiday period has passed and people have spread out a bit more. I think many people are finding out that with a bit of research there is lots of good wildlife watching away from organised reserves

    That's a shame, and I can imagine how you feel, we've a similar situation here with my inlaws (mother inlaw is shielding after cancer), who I have a lot of admiration for. They can't see their grandchildren (all in their own homes with partners) because of family ties with parents/grandparents etc.

    A right old mess this Covid situation is, separating families and loved ones.

    As for wildlife watching, if like here, folk are in a concrete jungle, wildlife watching is furthest from their minds, more like interest rates and house prices being watched.....

  • Paul A said:

    Michael B said:
    the two nearest reserves have long narrow footpaths, and both have reported extra high visitor numbers, so currently, they're out of bounds for me, more as a precautionary measure than anything else.

    I suspect a lot of footfall on natural areas may dwindle away once lockdown measures ease. I think folks who used to go to the Football, Rugby, Shops, Pubs etc. will fall back into their old routines.

    I’m sure some will have developed a new taste for the outdoors, but I still suspect that most will go back to how it used to be for them once their old routines become available to them again.

    In a roundabout way, I'd be happy for the 'taste of the outdoors' to continue, or even grow, because once Covid has been contained, narrow footpaths shouldn't be an issue. it could even help to slow the decimation of our fast dwindling countryside, that the govt sees as a commodity.

    Alas, I fear I'm dreaming and that will never happen....

    The football, shops and other urban establishments of society discourage respect, because they have teams to clear up after their visitors have left, which doesn't happen quite the same in the countryside, and many townies can't (possibly being too lenient with the choice of words) grasp that.