2 mile walk to secondary school too far?

[Somewhereonlywego]

I'm not sure how long it would take, 40, 45 mins?

I could give lifts where possible on WFH days, but that wouldn't be every day.

There's a bus, but only one an hour and not sure how reliable it would be. But could be an option for super rainy days?

2 miles is fine for a kid that age. Can they sometimes ride a bike there?

Can they cycle?

My father dropped me off on his way to work and I walked 3. 5 miles home.

2 miles doesn't seem too far to me.

Ps when they are used to it and walking fast they will probably do it in 40 mins.

Fine. If they walk fast at 4mph it would take 30 mins.

When I was 7, I was walking a mile each way to school (with a friend) and also coming home for lunch some days- so 4 miles a day.

It's good to promote exercise in children.

Depends on the kid, the route and their extracurriculars but I'd say NO it's not too far. 2 miles takes 30 min when walked briskly and ink ow cuz I walked 2.5 miles from my home to my secondary school.
There was a bus but I hated it. I had to walk 1.5 miles in the opposite direction to catch the bus then wait for the bus, then being the last pickup there were rarely any seats left and if you missed the bus, you had to walk to school anyway (and now the walk was 3.5 mi on top of the 1.5 id already walked). To me, no discussion...walking to school was better

Hot, windy, rain, snow, ice? Yup.
Early morning (leaving home at 6 to be at extracurriculars by 6:45) yup.
Late afternoon (leaving school by 6, after band or drama or yearbook) yup.
Carrying books, art supplies, my tuba? Yup.
Did this for years, 20 yrs ago.
It was fine

Personally, I think no. But then I live somewhere with PT which means that nobody walks that far to school or work unless they really want to.

The bag(s) my kids have to carry around at school (plus their coats) are far heavier than what I had to manage and I also had a small locker where I could store some things. They stay later at school, too. I feel like that would be exhausting.

FTR, my kid's school is about 2.5 miles away so would be like them walking every day.

What about when they have to take cricket kit and their double bass? (Exaggerating for effect!) What about when they have to stay late for a rehearsal? What if they are sent home sick or have an injury. Obviously it’s not too long to walk- but you have to have contingency plans.

Could possibly cycle but that worries me more! Some busy-ish roads.

Also I really don't know if this is landscape dependent but as I said, their school is about 2.5 miles as the crow flies, but it takes about 45 mins to walk there. I do walk down that way in summer for leisure purposes - but that isn't at speed for a deadline in the worst traffic. I think that added pressure will ultimately add to stress and exhaustion levels over time.

So no, I wouldn’t choose that school. However many Mumsnetters used to yomp 20 miles across icy tundra every day…..

When I was at school 3 miles was the cut off for a free bus pass.
Whether I expected my child to would depend on the nature of the walk; if it is constant heavy traffic or no pavements that’s different from a walk through quiet streets.

Yes these are my concerns!

My DD’s school is about 2.5 miles. She walks about 50% of the time, DH and I sometimes drop or pick up depending on our work and her extra curriculars, or she gets a bus. Not an issue at all. Her older sister used to love the walk home as a chance to decompress after school.

Our nearest school is 1.6 miles so not much difference and this is a much better school

It would be too far for me. I’m glad my children’s school is only an 8 minute walk.

How long does it take her?

My youngest is in 6 form now but all 3 of mine have done this since year 7. We do have a school bus, so they have the choice but often choose to walk (especially the boys). Occasionally they mentioned its a pain if they have lots to carry on a specific day however I pointed out they'll have lockers and could predict this utilise the lockers.

I think it’s too far. Uber? If it’s just once a week or so.

Late Spring / Summer / early Autumn should be fine though I should think if the child is happy and well so that won’t be a year round expense.

My DC walk to secondary school and back - a 4 mile round trip. I love it and actually they love it. They get fresh air and exercise, they have a mac for when it rains. I can only take them sporadically because of work; this week they’ve had a lift a couple of times because they are fighting off colds and it’s been Baltic. They walk with friends, I might feel differently if they were the only ones, but there is a stream of kids walking and many walk further. In fact my big son walks about 3 miles each way because he goes back on himself to meet a friend… I think it’s absolutely brilliant to encourage the exercise and resilience.

Haha it’s so funny isn’t it? Exercise is great and sometimes a 40 minute walk will be fine but I dare anyone to tell me I need to walk 40 minutes with my heavy home economic ingredients when it’s raining and I’ve got a cold so feel crap.

2 miles should be fine for that age, we walked 1 mile to primary from reception age

I think it’s too far. Most kids school bags weigh a tonne and that’s without Pe kits. I would get a bad back if I had to do that walk with dd1s schoolwork.

My sons is 3 miles. I drop him off on my way to work every day but he walks home!

in my village the secondary is 2.5 miles away and the vast majority walk. It’s kind of a thing. They all get excited for year 7 and meet in little groups, and it just continues.