AIBU to cycle 7 miles with my kids for the school run?

[Yestoday]

I have DC 9, 6 and 2. We have just lost our second car and it might be a while until we get it back (3/4 weeks maybe?). DH can take the 2 year old to nursery on his way to work but he’ll need to leave at 7:15.

I was thinking I can cycle the older two to school and back each day. It’s 3.5 miles each way. We practiced today and it’s about 40 minutes one way. It’s mostly on field paths and farm tracks so safe enough.

Do you think it’s doable? I’d take drinks and snacks and change of shoes etc. I’m thinking they’ll be knackered the first few days but will get used to it. DH thinks I’ll end up begging friends to give us a lift after a few days!

i agree with this.

we love our cycle commutes.

Personally I think that's insane for young kids to do before a full day at school.
I know someone will come on and harp on about how "back in my day we'd walk 15 miles just to get some milk" but come onnn, 7 miles is harsh!!

Exactly! A little 6yo who has sports and PE too no doubt.

3.5 miles on a bike is nothing. Any active 6 year old should manage that no bother. Great healthy habit to get into.

Just check they're not about to start doing the "daily mile" at school (where everyone walks round the school field before starting lessons) - that always felt very unfair on those who had already walked a mile to get to school!

No idea where you live, but I live in the North East and when the dark winter days come, they come with driving rain, blowing a hooley and when we’re really lucky, hail, sleet or snow 😃 The rural paths and farm tracks are guaranteed mud for at least four months of the year.

I walk in all weathers but wouldn't want to do that journey every day on a bike with a 9 and 6yo in tow.

I would say it will be fine some days and not others. I'm an experienced cyclist with good bikes and kit but there are still days when I prefer not to ride. It will be fairly miserable if it's very wet and windy. As a short term measure you'll probably be ok, but you probably need a plan B in the event of really bad weather. Hopefully you won't get any ice or snow before you get your car back but wet weather could be an issue, particularly as you'll be riding off road - if the tracks get muddy it will be really hard going and potentially very messy. And remember the clocks go back in a couple of weeks so you could have some dark mornings to face. Have you all got some decent lights?
That said, if it's only a few weeks and one of them is half term hopefully it will be fine but I think you need to be prepared for the novelty to wear off pretty quickly if we get a spell of bad weather.

So you’d be doing this journey 4 times a day?
40 mins there, then back home - then the reverse? Or do you work where they go to school.
id say it would be fine in the interim but in depth of winter may get tricky.

It's only temporary so I think this will be fine and agree it will be good for the kids, great exercise and they will probably sleep like a dream each night 😅

Is there a bus? You could take them on the bus there but have your bike with you so you can cycle home. And then cycle there for pick up but get the bus home. 9 year old might be fine if he’s used to cycling a lot, but I think it’s quite cruel to force a 6 year old to do this if there’s a bus. Or car hire. 3.5 miles is quite far to travel for a primary school!

And in the afternoon after a day at school when they are tired and whingey? I could get onboard for the 9 year old, the 6 year old not so much. Particularly trying to do it 5x a week.

The next month, weather is likely to change for the worse. Honestly, I would be trying to borrow/rent a car or ask friends if they can help out at least a couple of days a week.

What does your DH suggest you do instead, if he thinks you will be begging for lifts?

I think it’s worth a shot assuming the return cycle twice a day for you works around your own job!

Could your husband take your school age kids early, perhaps a breakfast club and you cycle to the nursery run?

Another thought - have you got some basic tools and are you confident about dealing with punctures and other simple mechanical issues en route? Maybe practice changing an inner tube a few times before you start.

I cycle 3.5 miles to work every day and it takes me about 25 mins at a fairly leisurely pace, so once the kids are used to it then you will probably do it quite a bit quicker. I don't think 30 mins of exercise before and after school for kids should be too much or leave them too tired to do PE (in fact I would worry if it did). You need waterproof trousers if you are going to cycle in the rain plus mudguards on the bikes. If it's really wet boots rather than shoes. It might be helpful for you to get panniers to put book bags in to save the kids carrying them. It will probably be tough for a few days while the kids get used to it but it's great exercise and a good way to spend a bit more time with the kids.

People are so negative! Where I live it's windy and rainy as hell and I still choose the bike over the car whenever I can, with kids or without - trailer until they were 5 but now on their own bikes. Exercise isn't something to endure, it's fun and it makes you feel good, especially if you do it regularly so you have reasonable fitness levels.

It’s a shame it’s not the summer! It’s not ideal. I think I’d be getting my husband to drop off the little one and then drop off at school to avoid this and book the after school club and get him to collect
winter isn’t great for this

I think it will be great for the kids OP and totally doable. Do them the world of good, in fact. And if it’s a state school, they don’t do nearly enough exercise at school anyway. Maybe twice a week. It would be good to have a backup plan eg taxi/lift with friends if you get a very rainy day here and there. Next 3 weeks look pretty settled weather wise where I am. Take the kids a snack to eat after school and before you head home, to give them a boost!

I’ll be doing it 4 times, yes. The kids twice. I’m hoping the bits I do on my own will be much quicker though. I work from home.

I agree it’s a shame it’s not summer or spring. I’m hoping the good weather lasts for a few more weeks! Sadly there is no after school club, and DH needs to start work at 7:45

An EXCELLENT point, thank you

I think give it a whirl then and see how it goes and if it does work then maybe ask someone if they’ll take your kids with theirs and offer to contribute towards fuel or something.

it is a shame there’s no wraparound care to use, I thought all primary’s had to have some sort of provision now?? Not free provision although some areas do this (but a bit of a postcode lottery!) but I thought there had to be something in place.

I cycle regularly as one of my main nodes is transport for local routes.

I think if I were you, I would investigate paved routes at the very least for your cycle to and from school without the kids as that will be much faster. I would also be tempted to see what paved routes might be suitable with the kids as it will be a hideous amount of effort once it gets muddy - once tracks get churned up they become almost impossible to ride along. But as you're not planning all winter it's likely to be fairly okay. I would probably go for a tube of "goo" for the tyres which I think you can often use to quickly fix a puncture.

Surely they’ll be absolutely exhausted cycling seven miles a day plus school? Surprised at so many people saying it’s fine.

Well the kids will winge and complain I imagine when tired, especially when weather is bad. And you will have some cold wet days by Nov. I’d be begging for lifts if it’s raining. 😀