Cycling UK - 'The Prime Minister’s announcement did not include a fixed time limit.
In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the regulations provide that taking exercise, either on your own or with members of your household, is a reasonable excuse for leaving your home.
The guidance from Governments in England and Northern Ireland initially suggested that this should only be once per day, but that is not a legal requirement. The guidance in England has however now been changed to recognise that people with certain physical or mental health conditions may need to go out more often.
In Scotland, the guidance does not mention exercise being limited to once per day, but it does say that people should be minimising their time outside their home when undertaking permitted activities such as daily exercise.
In Wales the regulations are different, and there is a legal restriction limiting exercise outside your home to once per day.
Working out how long we can exercise for is also something of a balancing act, and we all need to strike that balance depending on the context. We should ask ourselves what is reasonable, based on where we live, where we’re seeking to exercise, how many people are likely to be there, and what time of day we are venturing outside.
On the one hand, we are all being encouraged to go out once a day for some exercise, for the good of our physical and mental health and well-being. On the other, we are being urged to avoid unnecessary proximity to or contact with other people. We all need to use good judgement in how to get exercise in ways that minimise unnecessary travel, crowds and possible pressures on the emergency services. Think about what's reasonable.
Cycling UK advice is to go out for long enough to keep yourself in good shape physically and emotionally but avoid doing more than this. Use common sense when planning your route. If you have a mechanical mishap that you can’t fix yourself and you’re miles from home, you may struggle to get back without asking someone else to undertake an additional journey that could have been avoided if you’d planned a circular route close to home.
People cycling from their homes in Northern Ireland also need to be aware that the regulations in Ireland are more restrictive, and daily exercise is restricted to within two kilometres of people’s homes. Accordingly, cycling across the border into Ireland for daily exercise is likely to breach those regulations, unless you remain within 2km of your home.
To make it easier to maintain social distancing of at least two metres from other people, try to avoid areas you know are likely to be busy, and narrow paths with limited passing places. Ride within your limits to reduce the risk of requiring rescue or medical assistance. Now is not the time to tackle remote, technical trails, go for a PR on that descent or try a new jump line!'