To think a 37minute school run is ok?

[jultomten]

We are house hunting and I have found two houses I like with a 37min walking distance to the school we want. One of the things I was really looking forward too with the move was to be able to walk the kids to school instead of driving like I have to do now. But is 37 minutes too long to walk twice a day? Am I just going to end up driving?
If iabu how long is the longest walking distance you would consider doing?

Of course it's doable if someone wants to do it. Personally I think ot's such a waste of a day. A walk once or twoce a day can be nice but that set up would take up such a chunk of a day. Unless you have not much on your plate.

It doesn't sound too far to me. You could drive in the morning (when time always seems to be at a premium) and have a nice stroll there and back in the afternoon? Sorry if someone already suggested that... I scanned through the whole thread but didn't read thoroughly!

Other things to consider with prep school is the hours. Often have to be in registration by 8.15 and do not finish until 6pm, so they are exhausted already, and it is dark in the winter. It might be doable some days, but I certainly wouldn't want to do it both ways every day all year round.

I much much much prefer the walk to school, its quicker, we chat its less stressful. But I'm lucky we have a 10 minute walk. But there are days when some twat has splashed us when driving past and the kids have got wet, or if its raining the kids feet are wet by the time we get there. Sometimes i make them where wellies for the walk and swap at school, but neither the school or kids seem keen on this one.

For some reason 2.50 is a really good time for it to start tipping it down as well.
Realistically i think you will end up driving most days and walk on the odd day. But its nice to have the choice

Haven't had a chance to read the whole thread, sorry if I'm repeating anything.

But I would also consider the after school clubs your dc might want to join later on.

They may want to join a club attached to the school so then you would be picking them up later and then by the time you walk home it would be very near to dinner and bedtime.

Also clubs outside the school, your dc may be wanting to join the same ones as their friends so you would have to walk there for pick up, take then to the club and wait there and have to entertain your youngest till it's done before walking back home.

Yes it is doable. Ours is currently between 30-40 minutes walk, depending on how fast we can be arsed to walk. I have my own health problems and an old knee injury which flares up with too much pressure on it though so we don't always do it and often get cabs there and walk back (I dont drive).

Ours is that far because their last school was god awful and didnt help with DSs SNs or DDs bullying and this one was the only 'nearest' one with spaces to take both DCs. (Six primary schools within catchment - all full).

Do account for heavier days when the weather is going to be bad though and consider the route you'll have to take. The route we have to take, if we walked it on days it was raining cats and dogs, we'd inevitably all fall on our arses through the woodland bit and the DCs would be filthy before they'd even began the school day. It's actually still quicker to walk than it is to get the bus and we get cabs when I'm suffering with my knee or we're running late we really need to get there on time.

It used to take us 20 minutes to get to the last school so its only an extra 10-15minutes to me.

Sorry, meant to say, I was worried about always being late but the weird thing is now the DCs are in a school where they feel safe and happy, we are actually, very rarely late, and that's with that walk ahead.

We are about to do this. The 'better ' school is a 29 minute walk away!
It is a no brainier for us. I won't have a car as my DH will have it! I used to walk for 2 hours a day when l had younger ones in London
I walk fast though, and my children have learned to do the same!

babyapril I think it depends how long you're doing it for. Two hours walking (plus some as that would be the minimum without additional trips during the daytime) a day keeps one fit and seems entirely doable short-term. However, I can tell you that after a decade of primary school runs the attraction started to wear off big time, and now I truly have to grit my teeth doing it, particularly during the cold/dark winter months. Thankfully this is my last six months of doing it.

I used to be a super-fast walker but have slowed down considerably of late (fourteen years in to doing such a long school run)...AND I've had issues with my feet recently that have been directly attributed to too much walking in flat shoes/sandals over the years!

So there are positives (lots of time with the children, keeping fit, saving money etc...) but there are negatives too.

And with a 30 minute (+) walk to school there isn't much 'wriggle room' for anything causing a delay, although having said that, the DCs have been late less than a handful of times in their entire primary school 'careers' (and several of those have been when we've been offered lifts in extreme weather).

DD's 'school' run (nursery really) is about an hour and a half at her speed. We started off walking it (or biking) but now I mostly get OH to drop off/pick up in the van as I was spending most of my day walking back and forth!

She starts school this autumn and the walk is probably around 30 minutes (not entirely sure as I haven't done it yet) but its nice walking through a forest rather than along roads. Thinking she could even ski it in the winter hopeful thinking

Mine is a 45 min walk... i like walking... done it once since September

My sons nursery is a 30 minute walk and I think it's totally fine. It's good to get them used to and happy about walking from a young age. It only promotes a healthy attitude to exercise. In regard to rubbish weather, it can be a little bit tricky but I always make sure my kids are wrapped up. (My son is 3 and my daughter is 1.) as long as you're well prepared the night before, I don't see anything wrong with it!

Our school is a 20minute walk for me to get to, a 30-40 minute walk for us to get to with a 4 and 5 year old.

In the wind and ice it's shit. In the sunshine it's lovely and glorious.

We have gardening clothes and wellies, pe kit, forest school kit, football kit, swimming kit, book bag, hat, coat, gloves to carry every week. And of course the artwork the dc bring home

One road is quite busy where I get a bit stressed as the footpath is really narrow. Then a lovely quiet residential walk or a muddy walk along the river.

I would say it depends on the route and your dc

I used to do a journey almost that long to school (1.1 miles). My eldest would cycle and I would push the other one in a buggy. Then when 3rd baby was born number 2 did it on a balance bike. When number 2 started nursery half days only I was like a yoyo going back and forth to school pushing the baby in a buggy. Definitely good for my fitness levels! I would have struggled to persuade my kids to walk that far - wheels are useful! Mine cycled but scooters would also help keep them moving at a reasonable pace.

I think it's fine. We leave at 7:45am to get to school for 8:40am (gives us 10-20 minutes park time depending how fast we walk) not so nice in the winter when it's chucking it down but it's a nice walk in the spring/summer the children get to play and talk to the other children walking home, we spot wildlife. I would always pick the walk we have over the school spitting distance away.

Very glad to see a few posters mentioned bikes. Assuming it’s safe enough to ride for that mile, put a kid seat on your bike for the 3 yr old, and you're off.

1.2 mile is so short on a bike and the quick ride will make a real difference to everyone's day.

Is it a feasible option (I may have missed a post about the road conditions)?

teddy l take your point.
I will have to do it for a maximum of 4 years as my eldest is an adult now & the other of secondary age.
I previously did it for around 3. I don't have any choice anyway. The slightly closer school ( 20 mins) isn't great.
I just have to remain up - beat!

We are over 2.2 miles from our school & it takes roughly 25/30 minutes with the children. We have 2 ways to get to school, the quickest is on a very busy road with a narrow path so I use that on my own, the other is a lovely old railway line that they can scooter/cycle along.

I did it, for a while. Always back home in time for Ken Bruce at 9.30 (just). It's not undoable really.

My Little Uns school was a 30 min walk away - I used to walk her to school, then walk to work, collect her and walk the 30 min back home

I would give anything to have the figure I had back then

I couldn't do it.

DCs school is 5 min drive and on my way to work, and that stress-free start and end to my day is a life-saver.

Depends on your little ones there stride, fitness, willingness.

Ours is about 1.2 miles too it takes me around 20mins fast walking 25 strolling there are a fair few roads to wait to cross and up and down hill, with DD around 25-35mins with her some days are longer than others. Walking home can be longer as obviously in their brain its less important than getting to school on time in the morning therefore end up walking slower. At first she complained for the first month her legs hurt and she needed the toilet every morning (even going before we left) which was a headache but she was soon used to it and loves it. They do hurt on and off at the moment too due to growing pain.

Roads are busy for us at that time in the morning there is no where to park at the school so you have to park at least 5-10 mins away. By the time you've got there and found somewhere to park (Risk being blocked in by another parent) and walked to the school, I would say its not much faster and much more hassle and stress for me personally to go in the car.

I work from home or I'd have no choice but to drive but them 4 trips does take a lot of time out of your day.

Are the roads safe to bike along?
I was in Holland for ten years where everyone bikes ( with all the swimming stuff, cooking ingredients etc somehow strapped on )
But the roads are made for biking and it's very safe. Where I live now, no chance - no bike path and roads too busy, but it's walkable.
If it's doable you could invest in a bakfiets to get all the stuff and kids into until they are all riding independently.

If you're nervous about driving here ( I was after ten years away ) practise, or book a lesson with an instructor to get your confidence up.

Personally I wouldn't even consider it. It's just a waste of time and will be horrendous in bad weather.

That's just me and my dc though - our school is less than 10 mins walk and it feels very relaxed. Her schoolfriends are all local too.