Is a 30 min walk considered short?

[MontyVeda]

The current state of journalism does seem to be regurgitating debates from reddit or mumsnet and somehow making it newsworthy.

as opposed to the old way... regurgitating articles from Reuters

 

[mistyoptic]

Or she could just be lazy... I think that it's best to avoid snap judgements though.

over ten years of neighbourness is hardly a snap judgement but I consider myself suitably reprimanded 😉

 

[MontyVeda]

How old are the children? If you have every tried to get children to go anywhere on time, you will realise that it's quite hard. If secondary age they usually require a bag with several tonnes of books, PE kit, musical instruments etc etc. At primary they should just be able to scoot or cycle, but they tend to be reluctant when it is cold or wet for example.

...

Must be an age thing.

My mother has an anecdote she likes to trot out regarding my first day at infant school... i cried all the way there. Not because i didn't want to go to school but because she was taking me and I thought I was a big boy and old enough to go on my own. The next day she walked me to the end of the road and kept an eye on me whilst i made my way to the lollipop man, who'd ferry us safely across the road. I was too young to remember much of infant school, but i don't recall ever being taken to school. Hardly any kids were in the 70s. High school was the same, rain or shine, sleet and snow, we all seemingly walked with our bags of books and PE kit and briefly in my case, a tuba!

 

[Arrowfoot]

The context is that US residences are not walkable to the equivalent of our high street shops, malls or to the nearest chicken and chip shop. Unless you live in the City. You have to drive.

 

[Baldy]

Wouldn't consider 30 minutes a "walk", that's just a stroll. Walking 30 minutes to the shops is just normal part of everyday life. Going "for a walk" is generally an all day thing, if not multi-day.

 

[pawl]

Depends how much effort you put into that 30;min walk

 

[Dayvo]

I walk to work (35 mins each way) and have done nearly every day since the middle of May, come rain or shine.
I’m up early and enjoy the peace and quiet esp. the last 5-10 mins through quite a dense wood.
I plan on starting cycling to work again (different route) once the autumn sets in (20 mins).
I think that 35 mins is a decent warm-up to start the day with, and a peaceful and relaxing way to wind down after a busy day.

If I was to walk for pleasure as opposed for a ‘commute’, I’d walk for a minimum of an hour, with food/drink in a day bag or knowing there’d be a cafe en route.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I think the only right answer is 'it depends', as others have said.

If I use my legs to go to the nearest shop, that's about 10 mins there, 10 mins in the shop and 10 mins back - so half an hour, but definitely not 'a walk'.
When I used to drive, or if I go somewhere with friends, and I/we stop somewhere, there might be a 'wander around' if the stop is for anything less than an hour, but if we stop 'for a walk' it'd have to be longer; that has applied wherever I've lived in the world; anything less than an hour is not a walk, it's 'a look around', 'a bit of a wander' or 'a stroll'.

'Going for a walk' is to me a specific activity; walking to the library, the shop, the post office, the doctor is NOT 'going for a walk' even if it takes half an hour or more, but is rather using my legs as a means of transport to or from a local place.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Depends on the provision on pavements/sidewalks and the weather.
The US is often very hot or very cold. Plus sidewalks are not regular. The country is set up for motor vehicles.
I expect most people in the UK would be unlikely to walk 15 mins each way to the shops. But would go longer on a recreational walk

Not walking 15 mins each way to local shops is crazy.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

How old are the children? If you have every tried to get children to go anywhere on time, you will realise that it's quite hard. If secondary age they usually require a bag with several tonnes of books, PE kit, musical instruments etc etc. At primary they should just be able to scoot or cycle, but they tend to be reluctant when it is cold or wet for example.

Which is no more than we carried when we were kids. I used to carry my Euphonium on the rack on the back of my bike. Bikes are perfect for carrying those sort of loads to / from school.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Not walking 15 mins each way to local shops is crazy.

I didn't walk 15 minutes each way to the local shops yesterday. I intend to repeat the not-feat today. Does that make me crazy?

Or just someone who didn't need anything from the shops.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Depends how much effort you put into that 30;min walk

Not really as walking more briskly doesn’t make 30 mins any longer.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I didn't walk 15 minutes each way to the local shops yesterday. I intend to repeat the not-feat today. Does that make me crazy?

Or just someone who didn't need anything from the shops.

Even more crazy walking there and back if you didn’t want anything when you got there 😂

 

[icowden]

I was too young to remember much of infant school, but i don't recall ever being taken to school. Hardly any kids were in the 70s. High school was the same, rain or shine, sleet and snow, we all seemingly walked with our bags of books and PE kit and briefly in my case, a tuba!

To be fair, I was the same. We walked to primary school (we didn't have a car at that point as my dad didn't see the need).
When I moved to Prep we took the bus ands then walked across the city centre.
Senior school we had moved house to the countryside. My mum used to drive us up the hill to the coach stop, where the coach would take us to school (usually).

Thanks to increased communication and the newspapers we are more terrified than we used to be. We don't let kids out to play by themselves any more.

 

[Julia9054]

and briefly in my case, a tuba!

I used to carry my Euphonium

Oooh! Please let me start a cyclechat brass band!