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What Constitutes a “Reasonable Excuse”?

This article is reproduced by kind permission of our sister website CoV-eHealth.org, for the benefit of surfers, coast path walkers and moor hikers resident in and around Camelford, North Cornwall. And elsewhere I suppose.

The United Kingdom’s National Police Chief’s Council has published new guidance on what constitutes a “reasonable excuse” to leave your residence during the current novel coronavirus lockdown. You can download a copy from:

https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/Documents/What-constitutes-a-reasonable-excuse.pdf

Of particular interest to me as a “silver surfer” is the part that states:

Exercise can come in many forms, including walks.

Exercise must involve some movement, but it is acceptable for a person to stop for a break in exercise.

It is lawful to drive for exercise.

Whilst surfing is not explicitly mentioned in the new document the current Police Commander for Cornwall has previously issued guidance on that form of exercise for the county:

According to “Cornwall’s top cop” before the new guidance was published:

Police BCU Commander for Cornwall, Temporary Chief Superintendant Ian Drummond-Smith said the recent guidance from the London-based National Police Chiefs Council was consistent with what his officers were doing on the ground but he reiterated that the public should not try and take advantage of the guidance.

He said: “Surfing has not been banned. It’s exercise and in Cornwall we know it’s a popular exercise. People can still surf. The question of driving a reasonable distance as per the NPCC guidelines, is ‘how far is reasonable’.

“The NPCC guidelines does not say whether you can or cannot drive to do your exercise. I am telling my officers people can surf and some may well drive to surf.”

Now all we denizens of the North Coast need to do is wait for the swell to be onshore and the wind to be offshore once again.

And to stay well over 2 meters away from anybody else with the same idea at the same time at the same beach!

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Bodmin Moor Arson

This morning I read the following report on the Twitter feed of Mark Hewitt, Cornwall’s Chief Fire Officer:

Hence this afternoon Kasia and I decided to use our coronavirus constrained exercise period to investigate. Here’s our initial photo report:

 

 

 

On our way back to base we spotted these lambs in a field near the Moor. Please note that according to Julie Dowton of the Bodmin Moor Commoners this spring’s lambs haven’t been moved out onto the Moor just yet, and “no livestock were harmed” by the fire. However the High Moor is a site of special scientific interest, and all sorts of wildlife will undoubtedly have been terminally harmed.

Much more to come later, including a video we hope.

P.S. I just had a detailed description of the fire across 300 acres of Bodmin Moor from Rich Gibbons, Station Manager for the Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service. There are now lots more words to follow, but first some moving pictures from the middle of the Moor.

The only way to put the blaze out was to walk across the Moor to the fire front and use a traditional beater.

Something I hadn’t realised before is that soon after the fire on the Moor was ultimately extinguished another fire started in a building on Davidstow Airfield. Hence the confident use of the word “arson” in the title of this article. Here’s the site of the second attack:

Watch this space!

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Spring Has Arrived?

February 1st finally brought an end to the wet (and often windy) weather.

Cycling around the local lanes I discovered this evidence that Spring is in the air at Trevivian:

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My Journey in a Nissan LEAF

Having heard so much about electric cars, I was excited to get the opportunity to go for a longer journey in the 30 kWh version of the Nissan LEAF (range 120 miles):

Lisa, the V2G EVSE Limited vehicle-to-grid R&D Nissan LEAF
Lisa, the V2G EVSE Limited vehicle-to-grid R&D Nissan LEAF

We started the journey in Tremail, heading for IKEA in Exeter. Once we reached the A30, the car was cruising gently all the way to Exeter. The cruise control was activated at 60 miles per hour, leaving us free to chat during a relaxing journey. Once at IKEA, we headed for the electric vehicle charging point, where we met a fellow electric car fan:

Battery state of charge after our trip from Tremail
Battery state of charge after our trip from Tremail

He was enthusiastic about his Nissan LEAF but also told us that he had recently had a test drive in an electric MG (range 200 miles) which he said was a fantastic experience. He was in the process of charging his car and was kind enough to finish his charging session early to allow us to start charging ours, before we headed for IKEA:

Battery state of charge after charging at Exeter IKEA
Battery state of charge after charging at Exeter IKEA

The journey home was equally pleasant and I arrived back in Tremail a convert.

The future is electric!

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Davidstow Electric Car Hire

At Monday’s meeting of Davidstow Parish Council the chair asked if there was any other business to be added to the agenda. I raised my hand to announce the birth of Davidstow Electric Car Hire, which was duly discussed towards the end of the meeting.

As a pilot for the Camelford Electric Car Club project V2G EVSE Limited are making two of their research and development electric vehicles available for hire by residents of and visitors to the Davidstow area.

Lisa the Nissan LEAF and Zoe the Renault ZOE are now available for hire by the hour, day or week via HiyaCar.co.uk:

If you have never experienced the joys of driving a 100% electric powered vehicle now is your chance to do so at remarkably little cost.

Here’s an extract from a recent Top Gear review of the Nissan LEAF:

The real joy of the Leaf isn’t the money, it’s the motor, and its charming grace. For the way most people drive (if not, literally, for petrolheads), it’s simply a better source of motion.

and here is Top Gear’s opinion of the Renault ZOE:

It’s not for everyone – power can be a little bit reserved, something you’ll notice more if your range-anxiety is under control and you’re brave enough to tackle motorway stints – but for more regular urban use this is more than good enough as an entry to the EV world.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask, using the space provided for that purpose below.

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Surfing ex Hurricane Lorenzo’s swell at Summerleaze Beach in Bude!

As discussed in the article describing my surfing session in Newquay earlier this year, the images below are from beyond the parish of Davidstow. However Summerleaze Beach in Bude is an even easier drive from here for any visitors staying in the Davidstow area:

Not only is there surf when the wind and North Atlantic swells permit, there is also the much calmer Bude Sea Pool (almost) all day, every day:

If you’re very lucky, as I was this weekend, you may even find yourself in the midst of an art installation on your next trip up the A39 Atlantic Highway!

If you’re actually in or near Bude and/or Davidstow this weekend more information about the Reflect Arts+Minds Project can be found at:

https://www.reflectaamp.org

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Global Wind Day 2019

Today is Global Wind Day!

Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on 15 June. It is a day for discovering wind energy, its power and the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our economies and boost jobs and growth.

In honour of the occasion I waited for the heavy showers to blow away, then went on a bike ride around Davidstow Parish in search of wind turbines and clouds. Here is what I discovered:

There were plenty of sheep and cattle to be seen too!

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Davidstow Parish Council Election

Following the resignation of Keith Goodenough there is now a vacancy on Davidstow Parish Council. At least 10 residents of the parish have requested that an election be held, and if you wish to apply to fill the vacancy the necessary steps are detailed in this document from Cornwall Council’s returning officer, Kate Kennally:

Notice of election Davidstow Parish Council – 9 May 2019

The procedure is rather complicated!

Nomination papers can only be submitted in person on any day after the date of this notice, but not later than 4 pm on Tuesday 9 April 2019 to the following locations on the specified dates and times:-

2-5 April to the Deputy Returning Officer, Room 12, Cornwall Council, St Austell Information Service, Council Offices, 39 Penwinnick Road, St Austell PL25 5DR between the hours of 9.00 am and 5.00 pm and 9 April between the hours of 9.00 am and 4.00 pm

8 April to the Deputy Returning Officer, Deputy Returning Officer, Otho Peter Room 1, Launceston Town Hall, Western Road, Launceston, PL15 7AR between the hours of 9.30 am – 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm

POLLING DAY
If the election is contested, the poll will take place on Thursday 9 May 2019.

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Surfing Lusty Glaze in a February Heat Wave!

The images below are from beyond the parish of Davidstow, but Lusty Glaze beach just this side of Newquay is an easy drive from here for any visitors staying in the Davidstow area:

Apart from the rather bare beach that may look like the end of August but actually the pictures were taken on February 27th 2019, towards the end of the “heat wave” that produced the warmest English February temperatures since the United Kingdom’s Met Office records began:

However the water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of North Cornwall are currently nowhere near those that will be achieved by the end of August! Hence my neoprene hood to keep the dreaded “surfer’s ear” at bay!

This was the Magic Seaweed north coast surf forecast for last Wednesday: