Walkable amenities

[tapandteacake]

Hi everyone

I'm trying to decide how important/useful it is to live within walking distance of certain amenities when you have children, ie primary school, doctor, shop, maybe a cafe or pub etc.

Some people I've spoken to say it's amazing and they'd hate to have to load the kids into the car twice a day for the school run for example and some say it's a nightmare walking because it's often dangerous/stressful with multiple kids or too slow or it rains all the time etc.

If you live walking distance to the primary school, how often do you actually walk it? Do you love it? If you don't live within walking distance, do you wish you did?

It seems that houses in walking distance of primary schools are often more expensive so I'm having to decide if it's better to have a larger house but have to drive to the school or shop or have a smaller house and be able to walk.

Thank you for any input!

there is research showing that having a short commute and being in walking distance to amenities makes people healthier and happier. driving is dead-time and is bad for both your health and the planet.

I mean who would honestly prefer to wrangle small children into a car in order to get somewhere rather than walk if you could? Walking is free, easy, predictable, healthy, better for the planet, more sociable... Why on earth wouldn't you!!

I agree that it may initially be a struggle to get your Reception aged child to walk to school, ( I have memories of carrying mine home), but they do get fitter.
My country dwelling cousin has children who are overweight as they have to be driven everywhere.
Also helps as they get older and can get themselves there and back independently.

Have done both and infinitely prefer walking. Have done 10 min drive, if traffic ok, but no guarantee of parking near school so you end up parking at least 10 min walk away. Or get there 20
mins early and sit in the car! So it takes up a lot of time and is uncertain. And the time the car had to go to the garage was a nightmare as it was too far to walk.

Relocated so different school. 20 min walk was fine for child, adult had 2 x 40 min walk. Then moved again so 10 min walk. It is a great way to get to know other parents, now we share out the drops offs and pick ups and there is always someone happy to help out for illness or work meeting over-running.

It's much more sociable walking. I noticed the conversations with children are so different. Barely anything said in the car, whereas walking I hear so much more about the day and friends and what's on their mind.

Another vote for walking to school/shops etc. I don't do the school run with them anymore and miss the walk! It does mean I have a bit more time morning and evening as kids are old enough to walk themselves.
We're about 0.7 miles from school and have done a mix of buggy, scooters, bikes or just walking over the years. There are parks and a shop on route which can help with motivation on the way home when they are very little.

I live in a small town (20k people) just out of the town centre. It is so convenient for everything and I'd never want to live in suburbs or rurally again (have done both before). My preteen/teen kids like it too.

10 mins walk to primary school, Sainsburys Local, chemist etc.
15 mins to bigger shopping area, M&S, secondary school, park, cinema
Hairdresser, coffee shop, pizzeria, corner shop etc at the top of the road, so <5 mins
Also we are close to public transport options so it's easy for teenage kids to get about and get home.
It is brilliant living where I do. We have kots of local friends and I only use the car maybe 2-3 times a week, max.

I'm trying to decide how important/useful it is to live within walking distance of certain amenities when you have children, ie primary school, doctor, shop, maybe a cafe or pub etc.

MASSIVELY helpful to family life.
Don't forget it's not just school.

It's cubs or Brownies, and / or football or dance.

It's about someone else being able to collect / bring your child home when you've got stuck at work or in hospital or just traffic, or you've had an operation or accident and can't walk for a week.

It's about still being able to get them there when your car is in for it's MOT, or off the road for some other reason.

It's about friendships - both theirs and yours, that you develop on those walks.

Once they get to the top end of Primary, it's about them gaining independence by walking home without you when they are familiar with the route, and lots of other parents are around, to bridge the transition to secondary school.

It's about them having that bit of independence to start going to the library, or park, or swimming baths, or shops by themselves.

It's about fitness and the environment.

I know everyone isn't able to walk to Primary school, but if you have a choice, I would 100% recommend it.

Opposite where I live...cheaper housing is closest to all the amenities. The big developments are further away from the local amenities and very expensive housing. Many are not able to afford the large properties on the developments. Need to be a dual income household really.

I prefer cheaper housing and being a two minute walk to primary school, convenience store and chemist. I have no desire to be driving daily.

Personally I think it's all about parental attitude. It was non-negotiable for us that we'd be walking to school, so we did. Because we were in the habit of walking everywhere our DC largely just cracked on. But even where we've had the odd tricky time it remains non-negotiable so we work through it.

However, if you're the sort to say it's too tricky so you'll go in the car, that's exactly what will keep happening.

We did walk to school in reception.

It was two miles across fields. (No school in the village). I bought them walking g shoes (normal school shoes do not stand up to actual use!). I loved it.

Really helped them burn energy off after school as well.

Once I got a job we went by car because the timings meant we had to.

Imo you need to live very near school, because that is a journey you do twice a day every day for years. Living a five minute walk from school, with a safe walking route, will make your quality of life hugely better. Other amenities are great but it’s a trade off and depends how often you go to the pub/use a corner shop etc. My DC do a sports club in the nearest city and it’s a pain in the arse driving there twice a week, but depending on whether they are in the city a lot of the locals have to drive there too. And twice a week is not twice a day!

We moved so we could be a 5ish minute walk from primary school. The DCs walked every day come rain or shine.

When it came to secondary, it was a 30 minute walk but they all insisted on walking as it gave them time with their friends.

Luckily we're in a smallish town without horrendous traffic but I think they'd have preferred walking even if the roads were bad.

One year I was at school 4 times a day. I cannot imagine the faff of trying to park near school that many times a day. People regularly sit in their cars for 45 mins to get a decent parking space, it's crazy.
It's just so convenient to be able to walk to school, shops, dentist and doctors. We don't have to ferry the older DC to the cinema, swimming or bowling etc.

Try not to just think about Reception or Infant age dc.
It becomes even more of a bonus as they get that bit older and take steps towards independence.

We live in London zone 2 so we have almost everything we need within walking distance. We barely use our car, just a few times a year for certain day trips or shops where it's easier to transport big items. Primary school is 5 mins walk, DH's office is a 10 min cycle, and tube is a 5 min walk, which have the biggest impact on our quality of life. DH has been at every assembly, concert etc that has bee open to parents at the school, and he is able to drop them off and be home for dinner and to help with homework wvery night.

We are 3 mins walk to a high st with supermarket, chemist, hardware, banks, clothes, and most other general shops you'd need. Leisure centre is 15 min walk, but we take a bus/tube to a few extracurriculars because they have better teaching and opportunities.

The dcs doctor and dentist are a bus /tube ride away (there are nearer ones but we chose different ones for better quality). So I don't think it's essential for those to be walking distance (the dcs have only ever been for necessary checkups/vaccinations). And we don't use the local cafes/restaurants that often, as it's an occasional treat and we don't mind travelling somewhere to try something different.

I don't think it's important to be walking distance to secondary school. We have a good one in 20 mins walk, but we are considering others up to 30 mins away by public transport.

About 20 minutes for me and I walk it 2 or 3 times a week unless it is icy or raining.

The walk really clears my head out.

I live in walking distance of all amenities in our village (primary school, shops, library, leisure center, churches, parks, hair dressers, and public transport) and wouldn't want if any other way. I do not have access to a car when husband is working so it's a necessity for us. We walk everywhere. The reason I chose this village to move to was due to the amenities on the doorstep. My children are all nursery and infant school age but as they get older it will be lovely for them to walk places themselves.

We do not have a pub in the village however our nearest one is only 2 miles walk across fields which is never a problem.

We only use the car if we are travelling further afield

It was a long time ago but I lived within a 10/15 mins walk of my children’s school but I always drove as I would then be going off too work or coming back from work for pick up and I love walking, it was just too stressful and slow in the morning to walk.

Long-term it'll mean your DC have more local friends, so much easier to organise play dates and for pick up, also if parents are ill and need someone else to pick up/drop DC off at school, you're more likely to know someone. I always walked DD to school, unless I was going somewhere else further afield in that direction. I enjoyed it and good for both of us to get some fresh air/exercise. A nearby cafe is nice to pop to for a change and easy just to go to after school drop off with another Mum. Again pub for a quick last minute visit, if you want a drink. If you're well enough to walk to GP, not worrying about parking (hard to get parked at ours).

We've lived close to facilities for 27 years, DD no longer living with us, but we wouldn't have it any other way. It was also easier for a teenager as there were always others around she could arrange to meet, buses to town etc.

We live 1.7 miles from the nearest school, it's perfectly walkable distance with a 4-5 year old. It's relatively safe walk (no pavement on some bits but part of the route is lovely bridleway/footpath ) . Wouldn't want to take a buggy/pushchair that doesn't have decent wheels though.

Top notch smugness 👌 well done 👏

Parking around primary schools is a nightmare. We’re only a couple of mins walk from school, also have a co-op, parks, doctors, library etc all within 10 mins walk. One of the main benefits now DD is in the upper years of primary is that she has easy access to lots of her friends within walking disatance. They pop in and out of each others houses to play after school and at the weekend and now they’re in yr 6 they can walk to the park together and hang out.

I hated putting the kids in the car when they were little.

The key question is probably do you like walking? I love it for physical and mental health. I don't care if it's cold of raining, I still feel better for it.

I live rurally but can walk to the next village for a co-op, post office, pre school etc. It's a three and a half mile loop I walked twice a day every day to take my older children to nursery while on mat leave.

Brilliant for me, torture for someone else.

I love the country and originally thought I'd live out with a village but I wouldn't live in a fully rural location unless there was a footpath. Being surrounded by fields and having to go everywhere in the car would frustrate me.

Often rural roads are fast and pavements non existent so you can't walk on them, especially with kids.

I would love to be able to walk to school and nursery, but it very much also depends on the rest of your life. If you work close to the school too, or wfh, or don't work, then it would be lovely to be able to walk. If you work elsewhere, you might end up having to drop off your kids to breakfast club en route anyway, unless your own logistics allow you to walk them there en route and still get to work on time. I do live within walking distance of a primary school, but it's nowhere near my work and it doesn't have any wraparound care, so it's unlikely my kids will even be going there, let alone walking.