Boris Johnson's rule of six is destroying my outdoor adventure business

It wasn’t quite one of those “everyone remembers where they were when they heard” moments, but it was close.

When news first came through of the UK government’s “rule of six” restrictions, my blood ran cold. Initially, it appeared the new rules would amount to a second lockdown in all but name, and I feared the worst.

During lockdown I had to close my outdoor activity centre, New Forest Activities, for two months. All our summer group bookings were cancelled, wiping out almost half of our annual turnover. The prospect of the same thing happening again scarcely bears thinking about.

As our site and activities are classified as Covid-secure, the new rule banning gatherings of more than six people does not apply. But while we may have dodged this particular bullet, the new restrictions are having other repercussions.

Even though they attempt to combine and clarify previous measures, the new rules are complex, packed with caveats and exceptions, and have left lots of people confused.

Our phones have been ringing off the hook as existing customers call to check their booking will still go ahead. As for the impact on new bookings, time will tell – but the confusion is unlikely to help.

The rules have also thrown up some anomalies that are frankly bonkers. Imagine a group of a dozen friends or work colleagues who come to us for an outdoor activity day, or a children’s birthday party who come to us for some paddling on the river. While they’re on our site, the “no more than six” rule won’t apply. But if afterwards those friends might want to go to the pub for a pint, or the children may have planned to go to the park for a picnic – suddenly they will be breaking the law.

There is method to this apparent madness. To be Covid-secure, we follow a series of strict rules in all our activities. We disinfect all our equipment after every use, keep guests or family bubbles two metres apart from each other before, during and after each activity, and limit the number of people who come to us each day.

It is assumed that groups meeting informally in the park or pub are unlikely to take such precautions – and it is this risk that the new rules seek to reduce.

Yes the rules may seem like a hammer to crack a nut, but there is a logic to them. The government rightly assumes that the vast majority of people take the Covid threat seriously and are willing to change their behaviour for the greater good.

Apart from a few outliers who have either flouted the law or voluntarily remained on lockdown, even when no longer obliged to, most of us have broadly stuck to what is required of us.

As time has gone by, frustration has led some people to be less strict with themselves, and push the boundaries of what they know to be right.

With the number of new coronavirus cases rising to the highest weekly level since May, the new rules are intended to be a wake-up call. They’re a bucket of cold water thrown over us as we drop our guard and sleepwalk towards taking greater risks. It’s not so much nudge theory as an almighty shove.

Nevertheless, the confusion created by the new rules is a real worry for businesses across the land. My team and I have worked tirelessly to get our company back on its feet since we reopened in June, and while we continue to operate as normal, the lack of clarity around the new rules is not helping.

We’ve already had to adapt our business model and overhaul our operations to keep our customers and staff Covid-safe.

We’ve even launched a brand new offering tailored to the current times – “Back to Business” team building events – which offer employers a chance to bring their team back together, reboot and regroup after some tough months working apart.  

I’ve weathered many a storm during a career spent working outside in the elements, and I’m confident we’ll ride out the Covid storm too. But I can’t help feel that, necessary though they are,  these new restrictions have made the sky a little darker for businesses like mine.

Sam Sutton is director of outdoor adventure company New Forest Activities