I live a mile away from ds's school...

[twentypence]

And we usually cycle to school on our cool tandem, but today ds said he wanted to walk. So we did.

When we got to school our neighbour was unloading her child from the car and asked us how long it took us to walk.

How do you live just a mile from a school, go every day for over 2 years and have never walked it?

I find that as hard to fathom as people that don't use their recycling bins.

It's tricky isn't it. We live 3 miles from school and I know this is too far for my DD1 (5) to walk (luckily she gets a taxi so it isn't an issue). TBH there are no pavements and single track lanes so I'd worry a little about walking even if it wasn't too far. However, maybe I'm being a wuss! Not sure yet if she will walk when she goes to secondary school which is 3-ish miles in the other direction, but again, no pavements and part of it on a busy B road.

However, it's also a mindset - many of our neighbours drive to church which is probably less than 1/2 a mile. They all drive past us while DD1 is walking along - a walk she has been doing since she was 2.5.

I think unfortunately the only thing that will wean us (me included!) out of our cars is cost. I have dreams of a utopian future where oil is so expensive that no-one would even think of driving unless they really had to, so there will be less cars on the road, less pollution, and it will be safer for our children to walk!

well there is if it leaves you all pissed wet through and annoyed

and then you do it again 90 mins later

and then again 2 hours later

Bramshott- maybe a bike with a child seat at the back would be a solution?

Olive oil- maybe invest in a good quality waterproof jaclet and wellies?
There must be at least one of those journeys you could walk

You could buy an umbrella, too?

not in the rain, no

Mrs Ruffalo - yes, I must dig my bike seat out and try DD2 in it for this summer. Town is 3 miles away (everything is 3 miles away from us!) and we go at least twice a week so I am hoping to cycle that in the summer (and get fit too). Can you use a trail-bike and a bike seat at the same time?

I think the worrying thing here is that she can't guestimate how long it takes to walk a mile! sounds like she never walks anywhere. I live a mile from DS's school - I usually bus it there, and walk back - DS meanders (mild SN) so a mile can easily take 45 minutes! When the weather improves I'll ditch the bus.

I think so Bramshott- we are looking into buying a trail-bike now too.
They do love riding on the bike's don't they?

Oliveoil - you need one of these!!www.dawginc.com/starvisor/images/rct100_103prod.jpg&imgrefurl=www.dawginc.com/industrial-safe ty-products/yellow-rainsuits-raincoats.php

Or this more stylish option www.belecia.com/ProductImages/MycraPacLongRaincoat.jpg&imgrefurl=www.belecia.com/browseproduc ts/A-Must!-Mycra-Pac-Raincoat.html

Oh shit, neither of those links worked - sorry!

www.dawginc.com/industrial-safety-products/yellow-rainsuits-raincoats.php

www.belecia.com/browseproducts/A-Must!-Mycra-Pac-Raincoat.html

mrsruffalo i agree with you, i do already find the cost of diesal very high and cannot afford to drive that much even if i wanted to. I'm hoping to et a bike in the summer and if i manage to ride it successfully i want to put a seat on the back for my dd. my don rides hies bike very well now, and has great joy tellijg people that he taught me to ride a couple of years ago when i borrowed a friends bike so we could go out together ( before i had dd). i havent tried since so am hoping i can manage it.
question for those who have a bike seat on the back. is there some kind of cover can put on dd to stop her getting soaked whilst in bike seat?

Bramshott I don't think you can use a rear bike seat and a trail bike at the same time.

you could use a front mounted one but it would make the bike very heavy.

LOL Bramshott- I was wondering why she would need a cigarette extingiusher-now we know why she doesn't like walking in the rain- gets her fags wet!!

I am sure there is such a thing, dylsmum- maybe try decathlon?
My dd holds an umbrella on the back sure that's against health and safety

love the umbrella idea mrsruffallo!

A-hem...I am a genius, iheart

I can't understand it either. At our school it's a nightmare to park and the traffic is awful so no-one in their right mind would drive IMO unless they had to.

I do drive there when I'm on my way to work but not when I don't have to.

My two boys literally explode out of the house in the morning - I am doing the school a favour by walking some of their energy of first thing. We must be about 3/4 mile from school and it takes about ten minutes. Recently become a one car family so we walked every day in last weeks horrendous storm

My DS1 is nearly 7 and to be honest I would trust him to walk to school on his own if I wouldn't be villified by the playground mafia. The reason so many people drive their kids to school and then go to work is because they won't let their kids walk on their own or with their friends anymore.

We live less tahn a mile from school. I drive every day and it takes two minutes. The sad fact is that I would love to walk (and I do twice a week to pick up DS4 from preschool) but we live on a busy country road with two blind bends and no pavement. Too scarey with three on foot and one in a pushchair.

My dad always drives to their local shop, which is about 2 minutes walk. It really annoys me.

I live 2 miles from our school. Main reason I don't walk is the time factor. I would need to do three round trips (have a nursery pick-up at mid-day also) which would probably take 3-4 hours in total - not including time waiting for them to come out, etc.

The car journey only takes 5 minutes or so.

Our school is about 2 miles away and I drive, I do feel guilty sometimes about it, but I find it's just that little bit too far away to walk with a 3-4yo, especially after school. I have walked it in the past and it took me 40 mins. Because my daughter is at part time nursery I also find that walking would just take too much of my time and that I couldn't do much else inbetween the short time that I've got for myself.
If this country had decent cycle paths, I'd cycle for sure. I think with parking and stuff it would take me just as long to cycle, then to drive. I don't think cycling is used enough in this country. In Belgium, where I'm from, most people cycle rather than walk. It's quicker and still environmentally friendly.
A walking bus wouldn't be any good form me I think. Our school is only small and we seem to live on the opposite side of the village so noone would join us until we were almost there I think.

I know a set of parents who drive their dc's approx 500 yds to leisure centre for swimming

"Because otherwise they'd be worn out for swimming"

same as me then

I would walk there - 30 mins
back - 15 mins (as on my own)
there for dd2 - 30 mins
back - 30 mins
there for dd1 - 30 mins
back - 30 mins

add in all the moaning and I would rather drive