Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How far is the school run and do you drive or walk?

270 replies

yippyyippy · 27/09/2021 14:30

Just curious after looking at another conversation about walking to school in the rain!

My DC primary is just over a mile and we walk but don’t have much choice over the matter as I don’t drive. If it’s very bad rain then I’ll try and arrange a lift or taxi.

Most parents walk or drive as it’s a small town with limited public transport. I’ve never seen anyone cycle in with their children thinking about it.

What does everyone else do?

OP posts:
Sarahplane · 27/09/2021 17:44

1.7 miles so we drive. When we lived closer (20 min walk) we walked.

Maneandfeathers · 27/09/2021 17:52

Mines 0.7miles and I wish I could walk but it involves crossing a horrendous motorway bridge with low sides that DC hate walking over. It literally shakes with lorries going under it so we drive Blush

MurphyBhoy · 27/09/2021 17:52

Less than a km each way so we generally walk but 2 mornings a week at most I'll drive as I'm heading straight to work.

Notdoingthis · 27/09/2021 17:55

5 mins walk.

Dithercats · 27/09/2021 17:58

0.4 miles we walk. People park in our street to use the footpath to school as it's carefree.
My nextdoor neighbor drives and returns straight home 🤷‍♀️ I get back before her, the queue for cars to drop off in the yard is bonkers

Jaime321 · 27/09/2021 17:59

About 30 metres for us, the girls would love to take scooters but by the time we are off the driveway we are practically in the school gate so this mean mummy makes them walk!

britnay · 27/09/2021 18:02

5 miles along bendy rural roads with no footpaths or lighting. No buses. We drive.

kakeya97 · 27/09/2021 18:06

Village school less than 0.5 miles away, so walk! Other parents who live closer than us drive every single day which is crazy. I only
Drive if I have to be somewhere in a mad rush which is rare as I nearly always have time to walk home.

As a kid I lived about a mile away from the school so a little further than what we do but I was always desperate to walk. Tbf it would have been a rush walking every day but I just wanted to walk with my friends - it seemed fun. My mum never wanted to walk 😩😩

Ds will be off to secondary school next year 8 miles away!

Kittykatmacbill · 27/09/2021 18:06

600m we walk. It’s too much of hassle to ride a bike as the bike racks are really over subscribed.

Macncheeseballs · 27/09/2021 18:10

Walk or cycle

Beautiful3 · 27/09/2021 18:24

I drop off children at 2 different schools. One's 35 minutes away and the other is only 20 minutes. But the furthest one away starts half an hour earlier, so we wouldn't get back in time for school number 2 if we had walked.

RubyJam · 27/09/2021 18:39

Half a mile away
We walk.

MargaretThursday · 27/09/2021 18:40

3 miles, they can and have walked, but I normally go past on the way to work so drop them on the way.
Previous school was around 2 miles and they always walked unless we were going elsewhere quickly afterwards

Heathcliff27 · 27/09/2021 18:40

About a mile and a half, secondary school. I drive because I drop her off on my way to work. Primary school was within a spitting distance of house so she walked.

StarCourt · 27/09/2021 18:41

We finally live somewhere that DD can walk to school now she's In secondary.
Before that it was a minimum 30 min drive to primary school. Sometimes much longer

Babdoc · 27/09/2021 18:43

High school was 17 miles. Both DDs got the school bus, pick up from our village main street, 20 yards from our house.
Primary was 400 yards - they walked it alone. Along with a gaggle of all the other village kids. The headmistress acted as a lollipop lady at the school crossing.

ItsSnowJokes · 27/09/2021 18:45

1.4 miles according to Google maps. It's a 30 min walk. We drive as I have to go to work straight afterwards and wouldn't have time to walk home and get to work on time.

museumum · 27/09/2021 18:49

Ten minute walk to primary. Half hour walk to secondary.
No parking and terrible traffic so would never drive.

Wbeezer · 27/09/2021 18:55

15 miles, lift share with other parents. Rural high school

ChocolateCakeYum · 27/09/2021 19:01

A 45 minute walk, all uphill.

I drive.

NothingIsWrong · 27/09/2021 19:09

257m to primary. Clearly they walk, and from Y4 on their own.

8 miles to secondary, on a school bus service.

9nine · 27/09/2021 19:13

3 min walk. It’s footpath all the way with the only road directly outside my house so the kids cycle ahead park up their bikes and meet me in the playground.

esloquehay · 27/09/2021 19:18

Just under a mile and a half for my daughters' preschool. We walk, no matter the weather. Everyone else from my road drives there.

MintJulia · 27/09/2021 19:20

Seven miles to school bus stop. So two 14 mile round trips per day.

In an emergency we could cycle I suppose but that would need a really early start and I'd have to find somewhere secure to leave ds' bike.

JustABloodyMinute · 27/09/2021 19:21

Walk the 1 mile and drop them at breakfast club before jumping on the train to work.

Swipe left for the next trending thread