How far do you walk?

[secondfavouritesocks]

I've been deeply shocked at some of the expectations on threads recently, that a child can't manage a couple of miles to school, etc, when in my day we all did it, without exception.

I do think that younger generations are incredibly out of the habit of walking, and missing out on so many benefits, social, physical health, mental health, enjoyment, being in touch with your environment, etc. Walking home together was a daily social event at my school, we walked around 3 miles home from primary, and maybe 3.5 miles from secondary.

My own children went to a school 4 miles away, and there was a bus, but they mostly preferred to walk, and are all fit, healthy young adults now who regularly do sport, as in team games a couple of times a week ( in their mid/late 20s)

I walked 7 miles to school during the pandemic, as our school didn't want staff on public transport, and we all had to sign to agree the policy to avoid public transport as far as was reasonable - this was not a problem, I enjoyed it

I have cancer now, and cant do as much, but still enjoy walking the 7 miles home at least once a week, instead of getting the bus - highly recommended by oncologist

A week or two ago at school I witnessed a school boy being challenged on his lateness, and he had a complete temper tantrum at the suggestion that he could walk to his train station while his usual bus was on diversion. It was less than a mile and a half, he was totally outraged at the suggestion.

AIBU to say that walking regularly is life enhancing, and the current generation are really missing out, and it is a habit that needs to be built up, and encouraged, rather than avoided?

I average around 18,000 steps a day during the week, but I'm a dog walker so it's not like I make an effort to do it, it's just part of my job.

But as a child I actually did very little walking during the week - I caught the bus to school and back (or my parents drove me) as it was much too far to walk and not safe anyway.

I don't think walking to/from school really means anything about whether you have a healthy lifestyle or not. I mean, I've seen the speed some people walk to school and you can hardly call it exercise they shuffle along as their kids are more interested in playing with leaves or sticks than actually moving!

If it's for getting somewhere, like commuting, then I'll walk up to over hour. Once it goes over an hour then I'll ride instead. I also ride for up to one hour before considering different transport.

I will happily walk for hours if it's just for the walk though

That's true, I live in a seaside town and there are always people complaining about being unable to get a parking space ten steps from the beach. People seem to take so much paraphernalia to the beach though these days. I guess you would feel the need to get close when you are lugging a tent, camping chairs, 3 windbreaks, paddle boards, the kitchen sink and an elephant gun!

I just don't have time. Get up and ready for work
Start work. Finish at 5pm. Spin class and weights then shower, so 6.15pm by then. Cook tea, eat, wash up, do some housework and it's 7pm
The last thing I then want to do is drag myself out for a walk in the dark and feel unsafe

Agree completely. I WFH and I try to walk a brisk 5km in my lunch hour every day, rain or shine. In total, I do 10-12k steps most days, which is a decent effort for someone who works sitting on their backside. Walking is great for my mood & stress levels as well as the obvious physical benefits. If I can’t walk, for whatever reason, I feel lethargic & grumpy for the rest of the day.

I always walked the DC a mile to primary and then they did a two mile walk to secondary.

I hate walking now because of chronic pain and can't manage the corner shop without a walking stick. It's very sad and I envy those who can and do walk for pleasure.

sorry to hear this, and I hope you have managed to find some other form of exercise which is pain free

I agree PP. Whilst I think it is unreasonable to expect very young children to walk for miles (and there is always at least one who claims their 8 month old was walking up Mount Snowden or whatever) overall I agree. School children here in London have free bus passes and will literally get a bus down a hill ONE stop. Its 20 seconds on the bus. They wait ten minutes for it! Drives me fucking potty.

I think there's a huge difference between people who think 20-30 min is too long to walk ...and people who haven't got time to walk 4 miles multiple times a day.
I could and do walk 3 or 4 miles, maybe more for leisure, but wouldn't like to try and fit that into a working day. I possibly walk up to 3 miles during a day but broken into smaller chunks

Without getting into the pros and cons - we've an LTN introduced recently which has created havoc with the traffic on the main bus routes locally.

But I am amazed at the amount of people complaining that their secondary school age child had to walk 20-30 minutes to or from school and the deep injustice of this.

i walk my dog, three days a week
and shorter walk in the evenings.
i have a lunchtime walk

My kids have done 30 mins each way to and from high school. Primary school is only a 10 min walk but we usually drive because we have to lug a tuba with us.

i used to walk my dc home from school, about 2 miles, or cycle, and if possible walk/cycle to school.
was great for my figure

Some people don't have the option to walk or even bike

Unsafe routes
Live rurally
Disabilities

I want to walk, I enjoy it but I have crippling arthritis and can’t walk very fast so a trip to the local shops that takes my brother 15mins to get there, shop and get back takes me 40 minutes and I can’t buy anything too heavy or it hurts me to carry it. I hate it as I used to walk everywhere as a teen. My friend and I thinking nothing of walking the 3 miles into town and back.

I love walking and happily walk the dog 3 miles. Unfortunately have only walked that distance to work a few times as just don’t have the time in the mornings to leave any earlier.

I do agree though, it may be a generational thing.

I don’t drive so DS(3yo) and I walk everywhere 🤷🏻‍♀️

No idea of distances but 25 mins walk to nursery for drop off (15 if I didn’t have DS lol), a further 20 mins to work, 8.5hours on my feet in retail job, 20 mins back to nursery, 25 mins back home. We do that 3 days per week.

Our main town is about 30 mins walk each way at adult pace. We go there 3 days per week for various gymnastics/swimming/toddlers groups. Supermarket is 40 mins each way - we go there once a week. Occasionally if the local bus is due we’ll get that on the way back if we have lots of shopping as it’s uphill on the way home and DS does find that tiring.

We live beside a lovely glen and big forest too so we spend hours in there walking looking for sticks/stones/pinecones 😂

Just depends what you’re used to I guess! I have colleagues that live 5 mins walk from work and they drive to work 30 mins earlier than they need to just to be sure to get a parking space as close as possible to work 🙈 They think I’m crazy for walking to the nursery drop off and to work etc when there’s a local bus, and I think they’re crazy for driving when it takes longer to park the car than it would for them to walk 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

I barely walk tbh. It’d be a 25 minute walk to work but why would I do that when I can get the bus there in 8 minutes?!

I don’t think it helps that I live in the city and bus stops are everywhere. The tube is everywhere too. I actually have no reason to walk places but I do try to walk back from gym 3 times a week. That’s probably the most you’d ever see me walk

It's interesting what you say about walking keeping you fit.

We live in an economically mixed area where lots of families rely on walking/public transport to get around. Having to walk to places and no available alternative makes you less fit imo, not more. Daily living saps so much more of your energy and getting your kids to sports and other high energy activities is so much more stressful that many give up trying. When you look at the kids who do a sport every day and have very high levels of fitness, their parents usually drive. Since it takes a lot of the stress out of daily life, there is more time to pursue leisure and wellbeing.

I do remember a couple of sillies accusing me of "jumping the shark" by saying I was walking 7 miles each way to school to protect the school, but that just demonstrates again that people are not prepared to consider walking as a viable method of transport - which is shame!

Presumably you do understand the concept that not everyone has the time, nevermind the inclination, to make a 14 mile round trip walking a viable alternative to a car/public transport?

We're a family of walkers, including hikes which involved taking DS in a sling/backpack when he was still small, and ever since he's joined us on increasingly long walks. I'd say we walk at least 3-5 miles on an average weekday as a family and considerably more at weekends. But I'd baulk at walking a 14 mile round trip to school.

Why do you assume not driving adds stress to your life? It certainly doesn't to mine.

I love walking, and we are pretty rural so get plenty of time outside.

However I wouldnt be able to walk my DC to school as it's too far and there's a dual carriage way with no pedestrian crossing. I think developments of houses etc are not always set up for walking unfortunately either.

I do at least half an hour a day, around 5,000 steps or a few kms. Sometimes a lot more depending on my mood.

I have to have a purpose to walking though. There is a park outside my back gate with a 1.5 k walking path all around it. I am sorry to say I hate it. It's like doing a prison yard circuit, seeing the same people on the rounds and there are too many off lead dogs which drives me nuts.

So I make sure I have a target at the mid point (ish), either a shop, coffee stop, scenic bench, whatever. Once I have a purpose I'm fine, but I cannot walk aimlessly to achieve the half an hour or more a day. Housework, vacuuming, moving furniture, gardening takes up the slack. And I'm 66 so happy to be able to walk and talk at the same time!

I enjoy a brisk walk and I love long walks.
In uni I used to walk a few miles back and forth every day. It was a city known for lots of bicycles but I enjoyed the walk.

Secondary school was 8 miles away and no one from my area went to that school. According to Google maps, walking that route would be 2hr54m each way. I took public transport to school and with traffic it still meant I was leaving the house at 7am and arriving home around 5:20-6pm.

In primary school my mom would often drive me to school in the morning, it would only have been a half hour walk. However, she'd then have to do a half hour walk back and then get to work before 8:30 in the opposite direction. Once I got a bit older and could stay home alone until 6 after school, we ditched the after-school club and I was allowed to walk home after school with friends.

It does if you're trying to get you or your kids to places which have poor public transport links.

Some of our local primary schools share a sports ground a few miles away with no easy bus or train links and it's always difficult for the non-driving parents to get their kids there and back for sports events when the school requests this. Especially when they often have several other children in tow/pick-ups elsewhere to do.