Walking to school in the 60s and 70s

Easterside to St Thomas's. Walk on the morning, run home for lunch, run back to school, then when school finished got the bus from Belle Vue to home. Flipping eck, I was very fit in those days.
 
Used to walk to school from near the Porthole Cafe to Bertram Ramsey via Belle Vue shops. I was always early for school the time I got the bus I was always late.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
The days before fear was spread by the media and people became frightened of each other, and more compliant....we seen that at league football, rules are rules. Conform or you're out, backed by the fans who consider everything dangerous, whether it is or isn't.

Now we daren't let our kids walk to school, they don't play outside unless it's organised, fields are empty, tadpoles and minnows safe, the paths are full of conkers, hide and seek is an indoor sport.
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Ironically kids are far more at risk from the fleet of SUVs dropping off precious cargo round every school each day.
 
Acklam to St Mary’s College for five years over “Devil‘s Bridge”. Went upmarket in the last few years by getting a bike!
 
In the 60s early 70s ,as a junior it was a 15 min walk linthorpe to Geen Lane)and about 25mins when I moved to seniors(hustler)..
Hated it in the winter as I was the first home I used to have to "make" the fire. I don't think they would let kids mess with coal ,paper wood and matches indoors these days.
 
Blf said:
In the 60s early 70s ,as a junior it was a 15 min walk linthorpe to Geen Lane)and about 25mins when I moved to seniors(hustler)..
Hated it in the winter as I was the first home I used to have to "make" the fire. I don't think they would let kids mess with coal ,paper wood and matches indoors these days.
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Me too, I was the oldest and made the fire when we got in.
 
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Walk to primary school was 20 minutes each way. Secondary school biked in all weathers, 30 minutes each way. Kids have it so easy these days, especially if dropped off and picked up
 
Blf said:
In the 60s early 70s ,as a junior it was a 15 min walk linthorpe to Geen Lane)and about 25mins when I moved to seniors(hustler)..
Hated it in the winter as I was the first home I used to have to "make" the fire. I don't think they would let kids mess with coal ,paper wood and matches indoors these days.
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We had a coke fire with a back boiler when I was young. That was too complex for little kids to light, thank goodness.

Mind you there is an event involving the fire that one of my older brothers still takes the **** out of me about.

My dad and mam were sat in armchairs either side of the coke fire. With a fireplace separating the two of them. When I was little I used to sit on the fireplace next to the fire. On one side of the other.

I was sitting there on my dad's side and my mam said for me to move. As she wanted to stoke the fire. I did not hear her. Probably as I was watching telly. She then started opening the door to the fire. It slipped out of her control. The hot door with the metal and glass front hit my bare leg.

Apparently, in shock, I did not move. I just said "move me I'm burning".

For some reason my brother still thinks that this is funny.
 
r00fie1 said:
2 buses each way.
Left home every morning at 07:20.
didnt get home till after 5 pm at night.
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It's worse than that for kids in rural France even today. School starts at 8am and many need a lift before an hour on a bus, then the same in reverse when the school closes at 5pm. It's the reason many bigger schools have dorms.
 
spanishman said:
We had a coke fire with a back boiler when I was young. That was too complex for little kids to light, thank goodness.

Mind you there is an event involving the fire that one of my older brothers still takes the **** out of me about.

My dad and mam were sat in armchairs either side of the coke fire. With a fireplace separating the two of them. When I was little I used to sit on the fireplace next to the fire. On one side of the other.

I was sitting there on my dad's side and my mam said for me to move. As she wanted to stoke the fire. I did not hear her. Probably as I was watching telly. She then started opening the door to the fire. It slipped out of her control. The hot door with the metal and glass front hit my bare leg.

Apparently, in shock, I did not move. I just said "move me I'm burning".

For some reason my brother still thinks that this is funny.
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For some reason, so do I. I'm so sorry.
 
Infants in the 60s was about 5 to ten minute walk to Whinney Banks. My Mum took me the first day. After that I walked alone. Usually an adventure was had along the way ... even if it was buying penny sweets from Maynards. Or a lucky bag if I was flush.
Half way through 1st year juniors we moved to Linthorpe, so I moved schools to Green Lane. Can't have been more than a ten to 15 minute walk, usually with mates.
Then went to Hustler, so it was walking up Roman Rd, down to Tiollesby Fields, then either through the Arty and Acklam Woods or up Tollesby Road via the shop to pick up some midget gems, black jacks, refreshers or whatever. The Arty on the way home usually involved some caper or other on a tarzy, or being stupid enough to chuck a log into a wasps nest .... it didn't end well.

Like most kids of that era, we'd be self reliant from a very early age. Going out in the morning with some malt loaf, a banana and some pop to make dens somewhere and generally get mucky. Coming home about tea time.... or later in the summer.

I do remember my Mum goin mad with me once. Pre-school I used to go and see a lady in the next street, Mrs Stevenson, who had a big aviary with budgies, and some nice dogs. She usued to make my dinner for me and stuff. One day, coming back from Whinney Banks, it was raining .... it might even have been the day it went totally dark (remember that?). There were massive puddles everywhere. The lady's husband, Mr Stevenson, saw me, stopped and offered me a lift home ... in his cortina. Of course, I got in and he dropped me at home. Mother went apeshit with me for accepting a lift .... "But he's not a stranger ... it's Mr Stevenson", I reasoned. I couldn't understand her ire .... then, years later I realised that it probably co-incided with the Moors Murders.

I did get my daughters walking home from school together by the time they were about 6 or 7. Same with my son.
 
pierrequiroule said:
It's worse than that for kids in rural France even today. School starts at 8am and many need a lift before an hour on a bus, then the same in reverse when the school closes at 5pm. It's the reason many bigger schools have dorms.
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Didnt know that.

Huge country.

What I`ve seen of it - love the place (y)
 
We'd get home at 3:45 and be waiting at home on our own til about 17:30 when our parents got home, never thought any thing of it but imagine get in trouble for that these days
 
I remember the clocks going back and my aunty bringing us all bright orange bags from the Dannimac to carry so we would be seen in the dark and wouldn’t get run over.
 
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