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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To make the kids walk 3miles to school?

792 replies

DHdoingmyheadin · 02/09/2025 08:07

Due to ongoing roadworks, the main road through the village to my kids school is closed and will be for c. a month. We are right at the edge of where the roadworks are so we have two options:

(A) A 15 mile detour by car, down the road all the traffic is being funnelled down (a main A road that is congested even when the road through the village is open). Which I trialled yesterday, and took me 45 minutes each way. This was with no school traffic as schools go back tomorrow. So I’d be doing at least 90 minutes of driving each morning and DH 90 mins in the afternoon.

(B) The kids walk to school and back. 3 miles each way.

DH is adamant I can’t possibly expect them to walk. It’s hilly. It’s due to rain. I think they walk. I think it would be insane to drive when it’s literally faster for them to walk. It’s 3 miles. I’m not asking them to swim the channel and then scale Mount Everest. Kids are 12 and 13.

AIBU to put my foot down and refuse to drive?

OP posts:
Tiswa · 02/09/2025 10:22

You walk a half marathon 3 days a week?

IShouldNotCoco · 02/09/2025 10:21

OnlyLittleOldMe · 02/09/2025 10:17

Ask tbe School.what they suggest. Ask other parents what they are doing. Maybe you can set up.a rota so only one family at a time does the drive. Say a week.at a time. Also ask the Authorities who's stupid idea this was and why it wasnt done dirty g the Summer holidays.

Agree

Rewis · 02/09/2025 10:21

Also, how can the main road in a village be closed for a month during the school times and designed alt route is 15mi detour?

UpMyself · 02/09/2025 10:21

The people describing 3 miles as a half hour walk have clearly never actually done it

3 miles in half an hour is a perfectly respectable jogging pace.
If carrying a rucksack, 45 minutes walk would be a good guess. I'd allow an hour.

PigletSanders · 02/09/2025 10:19

I walked 1.5 miles to and back from school, every day, at four years old. I’m not that old now, this isn’t a ‘back in my day’ situation, but mum liked to walk and felt it did me good. Which it did. We just dressed appropriately.

I was incentivised with sweet treats at times.

Rewis · 02/09/2025 10:18

Average walking speed is 3mi/h. Have those claiming that 12yo do it in 45min, really? Cause pre-teens are slow. Not that they are not capable of walking fast. They just don't. Every 12yo I've met can't just say buy to their friends and take the main direct route.

My walking distance from school was 0.5mi unless I had training in the evening, me and my bff would take forever to walk just chatting, taking alternative routes etc. Whenever we plan scouts we need to plan double the amount of time for walking cause everything is slow-mo.

Gloriia · 02/09/2025 10:18

Full road closures should be the exception not the norm and for a maximum of 2 weeks https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-highways-signals-bold-new-approach-to-roadworks

Challenge it op. Tell them to use 2 way traffic lights like everywhere else.

OnlyLittleOldMe · 02/09/2025 10:17

Sorry about the predictive text I was so annoyed at the Council for not seeing sense.

OnlyLittleOldMe · 02/09/2025 10:17

Ask tbe School.what they suggest. Ask other parents what they are doing. Maybe you can set up.a rota so only one family at a time does the drive. Say a week.at a time. Also ask the Authorities who's stupid idea this was and why it wasnt done dirty g the Summer holidays.

ytemussel · 02/09/2025 10:16

ytemussel · 02/09/2025 10:11

Is it worth considering a hire car just for the month and then either use that one yourself to visit your parents, or sit it the other side of the roadworks? Former if your DH will be doing some of the pick-ups/drop offs (that way you only need to pay for you to be a driver for the hire car). This seems likely to be cheaper than the extra petrol of doing the detour.

A couple of more general points:

(1) if your tweens/teens are anything like mine, a suggestion of a 'walking trial' would be the perfect way to get them to agree that they'll walk. Mine would hate the risk of anyone seeing them walking with a parent!
(2) I appreciate all the 'drive them if it's bad weather' etc, but in my experience you need to be extremely firm. Yes if it's a blizzard or an actual storm, but once you start to allow an exception for 'bad weather' it very quickly turns into a negotiation every day on whether they have to walk (or in my kids' case cycle) or not. Learn from my experience - I now have my kids looking at the temperature and trying to negotiate over what counts as 'too cold'. Every bloody morning.

It might be worth saying, the only part that would make me think twice about them walking would be if they are small, and are being required to carry 50% of their body weight in books on their backs. Mine have lockers at school, so don't need to do that and I can't imagine why they'd need to bring so many books to/from school even if they didn't have a locker, but I know schools work differently.

Ireallycantthinkofagoodone · 02/09/2025 10:16

Comedycook · 02/09/2025 09:58

I'd probably offer one way a day...so let them pick if they want to be dropped off or picked up.

I'd also be mindful that coughs and colds are rife this time of year and walking might really be a slog if they're under the weather

OTOH, I very very rarely get coughs, colds or any other illness, and I put it down to an active life - walking in all weathers does absolutely no harm. I’m in my mid 70’s.

ensayers · 02/09/2025 10:14

Park your car at the other side of the roadworks. All three of you can walk to the car and then drive the rest of the way

Costcogroupie · 02/09/2025 10:13

I think it's fine for them to walk. It's a short term solution and great for their ongoing fitness. If they were playing a sport they would be covering more than that distance in a couple of hours training.

Have they got ear buds or whatever to listen to their music on the way? that helps pass the time.

Just feed them up with plenty of fuel and let them lie in at the weekend if they need the extra rest.

DoinFineIThink · 02/09/2025 10:12

Biskieboo · 02/09/2025 08:22

Jesus Jones in what world is three miles there and three miles back 'too much' for a 12 and 13 year old? Yes if there are biblical floods or a hurricane driving will be in order, and a rethink might be in necessary when it's dark by 5, and if the route depends on them walking along the M62 then no, and a bike/scooter would be helpful. But otherwise they'll be fine, might even enjoy it on occasion, and might pick up a habit of daily exercise. No wonder we're turning ever more into a nation of lardarses if this sort of thing is beyond the pale.

Thank goodness it's not just me - reading these posts like 😳🙄😂
Maybe because I don't drive anyway and am used to walking, I think it's fine for 12 - 13 year olds!
Surely most usually go to school by themselves at that age anyway? Mine did.
Obviously if it's chucking it down, give them a lift.

ytemussel · 02/09/2025 10:11

DHdoingmyheadin · 02/09/2025 09:29

Thanks for the suggestion we park a car the other side of the roadworks! Sadly, it wouldn’t work. We both need our cars on ‘our side’ of the roadworks - DH for work and me because I use my ‘lunch hour’ every day to visit my elderly parents.

If my car was parked on the other side of the roadworks, I wouldn’t be able to see my parents (a complete non negotiable given their age/frailty) daily, and if DHs was on the other side it would treble his commuting time.

Is it worth considering a hire car just for the month and then either use that one yourself to visit your parents, or sit it the other side of the roadworks? Former if your DH will be doing some of the pick-ups/drop offs (that way you only need to pay for you to be a driver for the hire car). This seems likely to be cheaper than the extra petrol of doing the detour.

A couple of more general points:

(1) if your tweens/teens are anything like mine, a suggestion of a 'walking trial' would be the perfect way to get them to agree that they'll walk. Mine would hate the risk of anyone seeing them walking with a parent!
(2) I appreciate all the 'drive them if it's bad weather' etc, but in my experience you need to be extremely firm. Yes if it's a blizzard or an actual storm, but once you start to allow an exception for 'bad weather' it very quickly turns into a negotiation every day on whether they have to walk (or in my kids' case cycle) or not. Learn from my experience - I now have my kids looking at the temperature and trying to negotiate over what counts as 'too cold'. Every bloody morning.

IShouldNotCoco · 02/09/2025 10:11

There’s no way I’d expect any of my children to walk 6 miles a day to get to and from school.

They may be older, but they will also have homework and the weather is bad in the autumn term. I’m assuming one of them will be embarking on GCSE work this year?

SereneCoralDog · 02/09/2025 10:11

susiedaisy1912 · 02/09/2025 09:41

Yeah of course your 6 year old walks ten miles a day 5 days a week 😁

You can tell the people who don't actually walk much because they have no actual concept of distance/time/impact.

A six year old (and probably the older ones) walking ten miles on every school day is total bollocks on a number of fronts.

For one thing, why are you giving your dog two three mile walks after 3.30pm? (Unless you're suggesting that you drag your children out of bed for them to walk a total of 5 miles every day before school?). NO dog needs that and if yours appears to, it's understimulated and more exercise is not the answer.

dontcomeatme · 02/09/2025 10:10

HRTWT but surely there is a bus? Even if it has to go the diversion route ?

Comedycook · 02/09/2025 10:09

Kuretake · 02/09/2025 10:08

Threads involving walking distances/ number of steps etc. are always bonkers I find. The people describing 3 miles as a half hour walk have clearly never actually done it, like the people that claim to get 20k steps a day from "chasing after my toddler".

A ten minute mile is a pretty respectable running speed it's not the speed of a walk in school clothes carrying a bag.

For the record, I think they could walk it for a month it probably would be good for them. But it's going to be a good 45-60 minutes each if they walk reasonably briskly.

I agree...I think a lot of people are over estimating distances. Three miles is a lot.

KateDelRick · 02/09/2025 10:09

Yes, I agree, they can surely walk for the next few weeks. They're 12 and 13, it's not too much of a distance at that age.

Mum2BeRants · 02/09/2025 10:09

Kuretake · 02/09/2025 10:03

Do you honestly walk 14 miles on a commute day? How long does that take you? I run 5k three times a week and do about an hour of walking as part of my commute and I feel like that's pretty unusually active!

It's got to be untrue. It takes about an hour to walk 3 miles. So she's claiming she does more than 4 hours walking around her workday!

I just looked up the distance and used to walk 3 miles to work and 3 miles back, but only 3 days a week. And it felt long, took just over an hour each way and took a lot of energy on top of working and I'm very fit! I reluctantly did it because of public transport issues but always felt it was too far.

londongirl12 · 02/09/2025 10:09

Samscaff · 02/09/2025 10:08

How does that work logistically??

Take the scooter/bike in the car one direction.

Kuretake · 02/09/2025 10:08

Backfromholareyou · 02/09/2025 10:03

No, she “honestly” doesn’t.

we know it
she knows it

Threads involving walking distances/ number of steps etc. are always bonkers I find. The people describing 3 miles as a half hour walk have clearly never actually done it, like the people that claim to get 20k steps a day from "chasing after my toddler".

A ten minute mile is a pretty respectable running speed it's not the speed of a walk in school clothes carrying a bag.

For the record, I think they could walk it for a month it probably would be good for them. But it's going to be a good 45-60 minutes each if they walk reasonably briskly.

sadtimeshardtimes · 02/09/2025 10:08

I think walking or cycling for the month is fine. It’s not winter yet and it’s only a few weeks.

Samscaff · 02/09/2025 10:08

parietal · 02/09/2025 08:21

id drive one way and have them scooter or bike for the other way

How does that work logistically??

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