School run from Richmond to Barnes

[HopeNY1]

Hello, hoping someone can help. Can anyone tell me how long it would take to drive from Richmond to Barnes during school run? Our dd has a place in a school in Barnes but we would rather rent in Richmond. Wondering if it would just be a silly commute in the car! Thank you !

It all depends on how old your child is. If your daughter is starting at Reception, a drive to Richmond not only would be tiring for her, but also will prevent playdates, and make afterschool activities difficult.

If your DD is older - there is a school bus option. If it is Harrodian that you are talking about - there are definitely school busses. A number of friends' kids take the bus from Fulham and Kensington. There must be one from Richmond as well.

I used to do this commute every day (but in the other direction!) for about 15 years. The traffic is much much worse than it used to be, and it can take anything from 15 mins to 45 mins depending on various factors. If you are renting on the Sheen side of Richmond it will be easier as Richmond town centre is bad to get out of, particularly the lights at Richmond Circus or Church Road. The Chalkers Corner junction is always bad with long queues from the Richmond direction, so you might be better off coming in along the Upper Richmond Road through East Sheen, but you will get held up at one of the level crossings cutting through to Barnes as a result.

It's not a silly commute in the car, just get to know some of the back routes.