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Original poster

5yo - what distance is ok to walk to school?

43 replies

treedelivery · 20/02/2010 18:54

What do you think? Assuming ok-ish weather and a good nights sleep and big breakfast etc etc. On a day with no afterschool clubs etc.

cast your votes please.

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watsthestory · 20/02/2010 18:56

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compo · 20/02/2010 18:56

Mine walk about a mile, 20 minute walk

CarGirl · 20/02/2010 18:57

A mile is no problem if it's much further then I suggest a scooter to speed it up.

sarah293 · 20/02/2010 18:57

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Wags · 20/02/2010 18:57

Mine is 0.35 as the crow flies! Must be a bit more going round the roads, takes 10 minutes. They do it easily and on the way home we go longer to take in the park as well. Mine would be OK with 20 minutes.

Original poster
treedelivery · 20/02/2010 18:59

Oh - with me and dd2 in pram

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whyme2 · 20/02/2010 19:00

We do about 20 mins which is 0.8 miles according to google. Manage okay and my 3 year old does the round trip twice daily of course.

watsthestory · 20/02/2010 19:03

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Original poster
treedelivery · 20/02/2010 19:04

Oh arse it's too far isn't it. It's 2.3 miles.

I hate driving, the bloody car seats and parkin gin mud and getting stressed about being late because I can't park blah blah blah.

No blooming bus either.

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CarGirl · 20/02/2010 19:07

With him on a scooter you should be fine you can probably do it in 40 minutes.

smee · 20/02/2010 19:11

Get him on his bike. You could cycle alongside on the road/ him on your bike. Even if you walk and he cycles he can coast a bit and rest his legs.

PixieOnaLeaf · 20/02/2010 19:15

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Original poster
treedelivery · 20/02/2010 19:16

40 mins eh? Thats not so bad. By the time we have fluffed about with car seats and p0arking the 5 min drive is probably more like 10-15 with fooling about.

So it's triple.

Oh that doesn't sound so great we'd leave at 8. That doesn't sound so bad......

she loves her balance bike so could charge along at a great pace.

Does anyone drive part way then bail out and walk? It would be a huge faff and time consuming but at least she would get some more stamina building activity. She really lacks stamina and appetite.

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compo · 20/02/2010 19:18

Loads of parents drive to nearby places and then walk, some over field routes as that's nicer than walking by the road

Original poster
treedelivery · 20/02/2010 19:20

I think we will start with that. First non-sleety morning we get. She would love it. I would love a school about a third of mile away. That would rock.

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sarah293 · 20/02/2010 19:27

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CarGirl · 20/02/2010 19:31

you could always start by walking there in the mornings and then collecting her by car at the end of the day. What I loved about walking is that you could get the baby settled in the pushchair a good 10 minutes before you needed to leave.

I hated it when I had 3 to all strap in the car and then upstrap and the fight for the parking spots - stress city.

Original poster
treedelivery · 20/02/2010 19:31

Speedy!

have the kids alwyas done it? I'm worried about knackering her out. She's bushed at the end of the day.

Am I being pfb?

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onlyjoinedforoffers · 20/02/2010 19:53

for those who walk miles serious question What do you all do when its torrential rain, blizzard or Thunder and lightning etc it must be miserable then?

CarGirl · 20/02/2010 19:56

torrential rain, wellies and raincoats?????

I have before now taken them with a change of clothes in a bag.

Not everyone has the luxury of access to a car.

onlyjoinedforoffers · 20/02/2010 19:59

i never said they had and i used to have to walk a mile when i was little but cant remember much about it old fogey luckily primary and secondary schools were near for ds1 and ds2 gets taxi because he has asd i was just wondering

Original poster
treedelivery · 20/02/2010 20:00

I just did a route finder to the school I went to. It was 0.9 mile each way and we must have just done it in all weather as we had no car and there was no bus.

I remember it as being miles and miles and miles. I'm a bit gutted to learn it's less than 1!

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HSMM · 20/02/2010 20:08

Used to walk mine 2.5 miles to school and back once a week and we used the car the rest of the week (I walked with my bike, so I could get home in 5 mins).

MumNWLondon · 20/02/2010 21:24

With no buggy board - around 1 mile is reasonable - we live I think 0.86 miles from school and DD has walked from start of reception (just turning 5) - DS sometimes walks (nearly 4 in nursery) but sometimes in buggy. If its pouring we drive, and they often moan as we get close to home.

However there is a family in DD's class who always walk and live around 2 miles from school; they have P&T buggy and their daughter age 5 (nearly 6) walks some of it and goes for part of time in buggy. Little sister in the nursery goes in buggy. Could also do that distance with buggy board.

HennyRettaBadaBada · 20/02/2010 22:35

Onlyjoined: what you do is get the waterproofs out. If you ever decide to venture out in the rain with children, don't take a brolly - I have a plastic old lady-type hat which is far more practical, and doesn't cover my eyes in the way a hood does. I suppose we could drive as it's nearly two miles to DS's school, but don't choose to (not least as it would take just as long). There are worse things in life than getting cold and wet, and the DCs are so used to it that they don't complain (though will presumably be starting threads on MN in 25 years' time about mean mummies who made them walk in the rain ). If it's raining, they wear wellies and carry their school shoes. Their coats are waterproof (not shower proof). If I am sodden when I get home, clothes soon dry in the airing cupboard.

All that said, I wouldn't make DD, who's five, walk 2.3 miles twice a day, and I'm quite hardcore. Biking would depend on how busy the roads are.