How did you get to school?

My first school (a CofE convent) was a walk, a bus ride, crossing a main road, then another walk - and I would do it by myself at age 5!

I then went to a primary school and had to walk a mile there and back - on my own.

Secondary school was a contract bus - it used to terrify me as we had to go down a very steep hill with a sharp bend at the bottom and I always feared the bus might tip over as they went down the hill at breakneck speed!

Primary school was a half hour walk and involved crossing the A12.

Secondary meant 2 buses to school, taking over an hour each way, I did this journey for 7 years, a lot of the time standing like sardines.

I made sure that my children only had a short walk to school.

I walked to Primary,Junior and Secondary School till I was 13 then I got a bus outside my house which stopped outside my school...

Walked until I was 11 and from then on I cycled. It was about a kilometre each way and we always went home for lunch.

A short walk to the bus stop, then a 3 mile journey on the school bus to get to junior school. We were never accompanied by our parents, totally unheard of in those days.

Senior school was in the same town, so another 3 mile bus journey, but this time on the public bus, using a bus pass. And then we moved when I was 13, so the 3 mile bus journey became 15 miles, which took an hour by bus.

I do not remember either of my parents taking me to school- it would have been very difficult because there were only around 3 buses a day so they would have had a job getting home again. This was pre car. Anyway, both worked full time. I went on the bus with my friends who were the same age as me, around 8 years old, the stop being close to our houses, but it was a good 1/2 mile walk from the bus stop to the school. The latter being on the edge of the small town.

Reading these posts is fascinating compared to the experiences of the children today. At age 5 years I had to walk alone up a deserted country road for about 3/4 of a mile, catch a bus for about 2 miles into a small town, walk through the town for about 1/2 mile, including crossing a main road. I don't remember a zebra crossing. Then of course the journey was reversed at the end of the day, making sure I got the right number bus. I remember once losing my bus money (kept in a small bag with a strap across my body). As a result I missed the bus home. Fortunately a kind lady paid my fare on the next bus (an hour later). This was the only time my mother met me from the bus. She must have been frantic with worry!

At the age of just 9 we moved house but I was allowed to stay at my junior school which was then out of catchment. I cycled 4 miles there and back along an unmade road with open fields on both sides. Senior school involved a 5 minute walk.

I think my Mum took me to primary school for the first couple of days and then I walked with friends. We did have two quite busy roads to cross. Our parents would probably be reported today !

At primary school we walked just over a mile which we did on our own.
Along the road, down a path to the village station, across a viaduct, over a level crossing, through a wood and down the road.
Secondary school was the public bus with a bus pass.

A short walk to primary school with no main roads to cross. A half hours walk to secondary school as where I lived was not on a bus route. Used to arrive at school looking like a drowned rat if it was raining.

I got to school by walking.

For my first school, I walked about 45-60 mins each way (with mum first few weeks, then with a friend or on my own). The second one was about a 5 min walk, the third one about a 20 min walk.

I got a public bus to my first secondary school as it was about 2 miles away - but I occasionally walked home. I got the school bus to my second secondary school because it was 8 miles away.

My infants' was the other side of the road to our house. Mum would stand at the front gate and watch me go on to the playground. Juniors was a 10min bus ride away then a walk through town. Senior school I rode my bike the two miles each way.

Primary, we poured ourselves out of bed.

Secondary, walked to bus, if missed bus (as often happened as I hated that school) then walked and dawdled through the woods. Got there about lunch.

From the age of 5 I walked about a mile on a pavement next to a busy road. Had to cross several side roads and run past the convent which I was confused about and thought that it was a coven and the women dressed in black were witches. Mum took me on my first day. After that I was on my own.

When I went to Junior High I had to cross a busy road to catch a bus to school. It was over 3 miles so I had a bus pass. When I got off the bus I had to cross a busy dual carriageway to get to school.

Although I lived just over 3 miles from the secondary school there was no direct bus so I had to catch a bus to the bus station in the city centre then catch another bus to get home. The whole journey was just over 10 miles and took around an hour and a half.

Yes I walked about a mile to school mostly uphill crossing many side roads and one main road from the age of five on my own or with brother 18months older. Home for lunch also so four miles a day.
Secondary school was on a very old upright heavy bike. I had failed my 11+ so only got a second hand bike instead of a new one! The ride was across a large playing field, up the side of a cemetery before joining the public roads for about 2 miles. Stayed for school lunch though!

Walked a mile across fields to primary school, back home at lunchtime like Brendawymms, on my own or sometimes met a friend.
Secondary school was one and a half mile walk to town to get bus to Bath 12 miles away. I resented leaving home at 7.15 and not getting home until 6 pm...... If I missed the bus home it was a 2 hour wait for the next one.

Junior school was a five minute walk. Secondary was a bus ride or, depending on how energetic I felt, a bike ride.

Secondary school. First 3/4 mile either walk if dry, or car of wet.
Then bus for 8 miles. Then another bus[different company] for 1 mile.
It was well known by school that if the first bus wasnt in on time[happened a lot], we would miss the second, and have to wait another 20 minutes.
Even if the two buses did match up, we[5 of us from our area] were nearly always latest out of the whole school. We missed many teacher talks,[our friends had to fill us] and some school assemblies which followed. It was a pain, but the only way we could get there from our area.
Oh, and to add further humiliation at that age, at the end of the week, us, and a few others from a nearby area, had our school bus fare[2nd bus] reimbursed at the end of the week from the school office, which meant we alwasy had to rush out at the end of the last lesson on the friday[hoping that we were not too far from the school office] as the first bus on the way back came quite early, so we had to be careful not to miss it!

It was a five minute walk to junior school for me, and then secondary school was a fifteen minute walk away (ten minutes if you ran). I was very lucky to live so close . I was quite envious of my country friends in the winter. When it started snowing the school busses came for them and they went home early. Us townies had to stay in school and lessons went on as usual.

This is sounding a bit like the Three Yorkshiremen Sketch that the Pythons used to do, "shoes, you ad shoes? you were lucky!" Etc.[ grin]
however, it does show how times change doesn't it, I had to walk to school alone as well, about a mile and a half, though it seemed longer at the time when you are only about six years old.I returned home the same way, although I do remember some Mothers meeting their children at the school gate and wishing my Mother was there, But I knew she worked until 5 pm, so not only did I go home on my own but was home alone for several hours afterwards, even in the depths of Winter, and with no fire!
When I was 11 I then had a walk, two bus journeys and another walk to do each way.

Infants and half of primary school was in London and I walked with my cousin who lived upstairs (in the same 3 bed terrace house) about half a mile along a very busy road to school- back at lunchtime (called dinner). we moved to Clacton and the walk was longer about a mile which I di four times a day on my own- there was never any suggestion that I should be taken by parents. Grammar school I biked the three miles there and back in the first year but it was not the done thing (most people got dropped of in cars or on the school bus) so I walked sometimes with other girls. After school most days was sport of some kind so I walked back home alone across a park sometimes in the dark.

Lived in same street as junior school , seven houses then the school

Primary school was just round the corner. Secondary school was a mile and a half bike or walk. DH had a mile walk, seven mile train ride, quarter mile walk. And the train riders got house demerits if they were late. Even on the day the train derailed. Happy Days!