To think a 55 minute commute is too long?

[Penguinotterfoxbadger]

So dp and I are buying a house in London.

The house he likes would mean my commute was a 20 minute walk to the tube, a 30 minute tube journey (with one change) and another 5 minute walk.

My preferred area would have only about a 5-10 minute walk to the tube (the rest of the journey would be v similar).

Aibu to care about the extra 20 - 30 mins travelling time per day? (He doesn't work because of health problems).

X

It's a reasonable commute, but it makes work a very long day

My eleven year old does an hour and twenty minutes every day to school on two service buses. She leaves home at 6:45am to get to school for 8:30 start. She copes.

But it's not about whether the Op will "cope" - it's about whether this is how the Op wants to live her life when there are other options available.

Personally I wouldn't want a commute like that. Unlike most people the walk wouldn't bother me (my current commute is 20 mins by bike so outdoors doesn't bother me) but I'd hate the walk-tube combination.

dances do you live very rurally or does your dd go to a selective school or something. Leaving home at 6:45am seems extreme for an 11 year old. I'd have hated it!

55 minutes is normal in London. I used to have a 45 minute commute with a 15 minute walk to the tube. However it's you that has to do it not your DH so you have to be happy here.

I think the good thing about the 20 minute walk is that you'll get 40 minutes of exercise each day as part of your every day routine. It's surprising how rarely it actually rains in London if you are walking at the same time each day & ice is seldom a factor. Is there a taxi rank at the station so on the rare occasions when you are coming back late at night you can get home safely? Will your budget allow you to catch the odd cab?

When I had a commute like this, I used a cheap old bike for getting to and from the tube (and left it chained outside the tube station), which made a massive difference.

I remember reading that for the average London commuter, it rained during their journey to work, on average 12 times a year, so hardly ever really.

I live in the north but once spent several months working in London. One thing I noticed was that the weather was significantly better in London - warmer, drier and less windy.

Although, as others have said, priority in considering location, along with affordability, should be your commute, as it has to be done every day. Can you work from home one or two days, to lessen the impact?

I don't think 20 minutes walk is much though - daily exercise all done by the time you get home - could you run or cycle to speed it up?

the key here is choice. You have the choice of two areas. and you want to choose the one with the better commute. of course yanbu for wanting that.

what are your dh's reasons for not wanting to move to the closer area?

I've commuted 90 minutes each way (bus to train) and my xh commuted two hours each way and that is draining. I wouldn't have wanted the walk to the tube - that would bother me most of all.

I've just applied for a job which will mean an hour commute minimum (bus to train to either tube or bus) and that isn't ideal, but I need a job.

I think it depends on what your dp's reasons are as to whether he is unreasonable. We eventually moved much closer to xh's work but that meant I had to give up my support network/all volunteering etc I was doing and move to a whoel new area where I knew no-one and became incredibly isolated while xh's life didn't really change other than his commute - he just left the office later and got home only half an hour earlier than he usually had. It was a part of what ultimately led to a breakdown in the marriage (although not the only factor).

When we moved into our house, it was slightly further away from the station that I would have liked, but still doable. It's about a 20 minute walk.

It can be annoying - when it's raining or when you need to go to the loo, but the advantages are better - a slightly bigger house, no problems with parking...

Would your Dh be able to drop you to the station by car if the weather is bad. My Dh has a 30 min walk to a hovercraft and I always give him a lift when its raining, if not he likes to walk and enjoys the exercise. My Dc's are older though so can be left at home.

I think it's very telling that people think 20 minutes is a long walk, also that they'd rather drive. I changed jobs in September from train + 20.mins walk.to driving, I miss the reading on the train and the walk :(

My commute is 1.5 hours door to door. Not for everyone but I like it (and don't have to do it every day).

Do check about the bus times. Especially if you walk past the bus stops, so can just grab one if it's coming then that improves your options a lot - you can use Next Bus to get there quicker when you're really in a hurry, or you can use it when you're carrying something heavy/wearing heels/poorly.

I have a ten min walk to the station and I like it. annoying when it is raining though.

Are there other parts of London to choose from? Where are you commuting to?

I do a 15 minute walk to station, 50 minutes on the train (always get a seat) and then a 25 minute walk from station to work. It's good exercise and just about ok on overall time but I do work 4 days a week, term time only.

The walk can be a bit grim this time of year but lovely in better weather. But I'm not you and if the journey is putting you off the area, listen to your gut instinct.

I think your commute should be taken into consideration of course, but to me as an ex-Londoner both options seem pretty easy really. My commute was the other way around, five minutes walk, 30 mins on the train and then 15/20 mins walk. Plus however long I had to wait for the train. Now I have a 25min drive instead and I have really noticed the lack of exercise.

The worst bit for me I think about your journey is having to take the tube (much prefer trains, even with the waiting) and changing, if that's at peak rush hour and the change is anywhere near the centre then that's not going to be very pleasant. But it doesn't sound like that bit bothers you, so we probably have different priorities.

I don't think it is an unreasonable commute objectively - a 20 min walk doesn't seem that far to me. But if you're the one working then your preference should carry the day, I think.

I'm having this debate at the mo, over two jobs (interviews for both):
Job 1 - 12-15 minute commute by car, low pay, perfect hours
Job 2 - 1-hour commute by train and a walk, no guaranteed hours past summer, term time, but very, very interesting.

DH commutes almost 2 hours each way, a train and 2 tubes. He is knackered when he gets in and is out from 6am to 8pm most days.

We are moving soon and the commute will be about 1 hour 10 mins each way, he can't wait, I think 50 min is fine but depends on if you have to get back for children at nursery, my dd's shut at 6pm so had to make my commute back then less than an hour.

I know some one who lives in upper walthamstow 20 - 25 minutes walk from the tube and they often end up taking taxis when its rainy/ dark/ long day etc etc. Will that go on the household budget or your personal budget OP? I have never visited without taking a taxi the last bit.

Up to you. When in london i used to drive for 30 mins to work. Now outside london dh and i walk to the train station (15-20 walk) train (15-30 depending on which place im going as i travel around clinics) then walk otherside 15-20 mins. The train journey is relaxing and although the walking takes time im getting fitter and losing weight and it does get you ready for work or destress you at the end of the day. Win win!

Oh and a 20 min walk to station.

You want to live in Bushwood, don't you? If you can realistically afford to buy there, try for the place you WANT to live.
Are you sure the reason you haven't seen a house there isn't because it's just a bi unaffordable?

I'm in New Eltham and have an hour commute door to door. Fairly Standard commute time for many of my team. Get into a discipline of leaving on time and getting home for tea and bedtime if you can.