How did you get to school?

Cycled to school, primary about 2 miles and girls-only grammar school 5 miles. Occasionally my father was going along the cycle track at the same time on his Power-pack assisted bike (remember those?) and would put a hand on my back to push me along, but I preferred him not to be around as there was a often trio of boys, on their way to the nearby boys' grammar, whom my friends and I worshipped from afar!
I would be worried about my GCs cycling on today's roads, it is a different world!

It is definitely a different world! But what is clear from these posts is that we hot lots of exercise. It is shame that it is no longer deemed safe for children to walk to school.

Do remember a couple of years ago a couple who were reported to SSD for allowing their children to walk to school on their own?

Until I was eight we lived in Norwich and my mother walked me to school. It was her opportunity to have a chat with the other mums, walk the dog and do a bit of shopping on the way back - taking a dog into the butchers or green grocers never seemed a problem. Then we moved out into the sticks (now nearly a suburb) and I walked the two miles to and from primary school (no footpath) joining up with friends, stopping off at the rec to play on the swings. Days seemed much longer then!

Secondary school was a half mile walk, then a short bus ride to catch a connecting bus. Both were public transport so if the connecting bus had gone to soon it meant a three mile walk to school. The next bus wasn't til lunchtime.

It amazes me remembering how much independence we were given and being an only child I'd thought I had restrictive parents. If today's children had the freedom/responsibility how would Social Services ever cope!

I walked too, but didn't any of you have little boys who jumped out from behind hedges trying to kiss you during the primary years, scaring the hell out of you? Followed by secondary school encounters with first, a milkman who used to flash at you every morning so that you had to walk miles out of your way to avoid him, only to attract a pervy taxi driver (who I knew by sight as he used to bring my father back from the station) instead which resulted in you threatening to throw yourself out of his car? One of my sisters was assaulted as she crossed a park to get to her school.

I had half hour walks from the age of five, and yes, they kept me very fit and yes, sometimes they were beautiful walks. But those encounters are what stay in my mind, and so my own DCs weren't allowed to walk anywhere on their own until they were nine. If they weren't back on time, I went looking for them.

Soaked shoes, wet and numb legs, dripping hair, heavy school and games bags. Even worse on piano lesson days, the books were huge sometimes. Add cookery to the mix and I really don't know how I managed it. As I got frozen shoulder twenty years ago, maybe I didn't!

Two mile walk to primary, met friends in park and played on the swings, then ran hell for leather when the nine o'clock hooter sounded, getting to school 10 mins late and making various excuses. No punishment. At secondary school I used to cycle. Had to be there at 8.45. If we were late the nuns would always punish us, usually detention where we had to learn a poem in French - this was a French order. I can boast a good repertoire in French poetry ! Initially I had to cycle home and back at lunch time, so had plenty of exercise, until the sisters allowed us to bring sandwiches, most of us carrying these in oxo boxes. Their little earner with cooked lunches gradually diminished and I believe in the end stopped completely.
I loved my journey by bike and enjoyed the safe ride to and from school.

Walk to both infant and junior schools - about half an hour and with friends, not adults. Walk, two buses and cross the main road to secondary school except in the bus strike when it was a good hour's walk. Often, we couldn't get on the second bus as it was full so we had to walk or we would be late.
Sometimes, we would walk and spend our bus fare in the sweet shop - often a frozen Jubbly, a gobstopper or farthing chews.
Depending on the school year, the school bag might be a satchel, a duffel bag or a gondoler wicker basket full of books.

JaneA - I well remember the freezing soggy shoes. And chilblains like bruises, not only on my toes but all the way up to my knees! Girls now don't realise how lucky they are being able to wear trousers.

Also trying to transport a rice pudding plus homework books and bag of PE kit home on two buses - and failing miserably - balancing the pudding in the top of my satchel seemed like a good idea at the time. All my school books were stuck together and my nice satchel was never the same again! I think my mother, who never criticised teachers did write a letter on that occasion.

rubylady lol lol sounds a bit like me......... used to walk to junior school, bus n walk to senior (that's when I decided I would go ) when we used to do cross country running (we always sneaked off on route, nipped to mine had a jam butty and re joined at school) we even used to slap our cheeks and wet the front of our hair to make it look like we had been running lol got away with it for so long until someone snitched hates senior school..blaaaaaaa..

Oh although I feel really bad now, we used to spend our dinner money on boiled ham and cheese and sweets and go and sit in the cemetery then wander off to school..

Hop skip and a jump to infant school, unaccompanied, over what was considered a busy road for those days.
Junior school was maybe ten minutes there, it took us twenty - and half an hour back after a visit to the sweet shop for whatever was flavour of the month.
Senior school was a bus ride away, very useful for finishing homework as others have said.
janerowena my friend and I both have painful sloping left shoulders. The result of carrying our satchels? No other reason that we can think of.

Walked and, later on, cycled. For which I am truly grateful. It was through the countryside and I remember the early morning frost on the spider webs, and the icy ruts I used to charge over at breakneck pace.

Walked until Senior school than cycled

Infants and juniors, we walked must have been close on a mile to school.
When I got to grammar school, a school bus picked up at the top of the village for the half hour journey to school, and back at teatime, but we had to show our passes to get on the bus. If we missed the bus for any reason, even with our passes we had to pay the fare on the regular bus. When I was nearly 13 I left home to live with my grandma on the other side of the Pennines. Getting to school then was local bus into town, then a goodish walk to school, must have been close to a mile, and all uphill, all the time watching out for teachers and prefects if we weren`t wearing our hats, the penalty being to wear it all day in school.

Primary school was just down the road, so no problem. But Grammar School was on the other side of town and I had to walk. It was never an option to hop on a bus. But eventually I pursuaded Mum to buy me a bike and that was wonderful! However, I did have a couple of accidents including a memorable one where I was stung by a wasp which caused me to brake suddenly and fly over the handlbars in a very undignified manner..... and it was on the day I was due to sit my English O level!
(they let me take it a few days later in a room on my own).

I lived 2 miles out of town where primary school was located. When it suited my father's working shift he took me to school on the bar of his bike with a cushion tied to it, all downhill. After school I walked home...uphill...alone. country road, aged 5 - 10 years.

We then moved into town.

Walked when at primary school. Secondary was two bus rides away, an hour each way, one bus into the city centre and another one out.

Walked.

Primary school was a short distance from our house.I crossed the road outside our street, them another road in front of the school.

Secondary school was about a mile and a half away. Involved crossing the road outside our street, then walking about a mile to get to a major road, crossing it, then walking the rest of the way having to cross a less busy road to the school.We moved house after two years, and my new secondary school involved walking about a mile then crossing one major road.

I can never remember either of my parents accompanying me.

I walked to infant school 3/4 mile and went on my own after the first day or two, the junior school was another 1/4 mile further down the road. To get to the first school I had to cross a very busy major road and two smaller ones, to reach the junior school I had two major roads and seven minor ones to cross. I won't let GDs cross my street without holding my hand.

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Oops - old thread!

Primary school,I walked there and back and home for lunch. A semi rural walk which I loved., and mostly walked with other children.
At secondary school I cycled about 2 miles each way. Most children cycled and we had vast dark cycle sheds beneath the school. Never any vandalism though.

In my my case I just walked up the stairs to the kitchen table when Mom called school time. We were homeschooled I attended online school for Grade 9 and high school, but that was at home as well.

My mom had to take a city bus to get to school as a little girl - her city didn't have school buses in those days. Later she attended a girls' boarding school in high school. Dad lived on a farm so he took the bus. Unfortunately his parents' farm was the closest to town so he was the last one picked up and had to ride in the front with the little kids as all the good seats were taken!

When I was in Grade 12 (final year of high school in Alberta; I was 17) I wrote one of my diploma exams (GCSE equivalents, roughly) in the high school Dad had attended. Dad took me to the school as we were visiting his parents at the time. The same secretary who had been there when he was a student was still working there! He showed me his graduating class photo on the wall and those of his siblings.

Old thread but fascinating stories. My first school was at the top of our (very long) street so I walked from 5 years old (don't remember my mum taking me at all). We then moved and other than the first day I went on my own again - this school was probably about 2 miles away and I had to cross several main roads - used to meet up with friends along the way. They closed this school recently and I went back to visit and look round - everything looked so small!

When we started secondary the first 3 years were in the old school which was another long walk - then we were moved up to the new school even further away for the last years. There was a bus which we sometimes caught but as we had to walk in the opposite direction to get it mostly I walked or cycled. In bad weather very occasionally my dad would take me in the car but as this was garaged a long way from our house he would get soaked going to get it! I called for friends on the way and we often dawdled along but usually managed to arrive before the bell. The aim coming home when we were about 13 was to get behind two boys we fancied - one day I was carrying my cookery produce (a treacle tart) and was mortified when I dropped it in front of them. We still laugh about it as I ended up marrying one of them

My own sons were lucky as each school they attended was at the top of the street we lived on so they walked.