Did you cycle to school?

[francovendee]

I lived about 4 miles from my school in NW London and took the bike most days.

We had a bike/ smoking shed to leave them in. I never locked up the bike but took everything easily removable with me in a rucksack.

I'd keep looking out at the weather just before home time. If it was really wet I'd wear a heavy cape which made cycling hard if there was much of a head wind.

This was all in the 50's and traffic was nothing like today's.

[Mike Sales]

I often did, to secondary school, four miles on main roads, and occasionally thirteen miles when we moved.
My primary school was usually next door (school house).
This was in the sixties..

[Syd]

I lived less than a mile away from both my primary and secondary schools so just walked.

[Tangled Metal]

I cycled to primary when it was cycling proficiency classes. Also a bit at other times. It had a huge bike shed with heavy, wooden wheel bender racks. Nobody locked bikes up and the worst that happened was someone borrowed your bike to try out and put it in a different spot. That was the 70s in an old school with a girls and a boy's entrances. The bike sheds were built at the same time along with the outside toilet block which crazed being used decades before I reckon.

Mostly I walked the mile trip primary school. You met up with your mates on the way and even collected conkers in your way home. There was a long straight, cul-de-sac off the main road we walked which was lined with horse chestnut trees. Walking was better for collecting.

High school was a very long way away from where we lived for my first 2.5 years. Car and school bus was needed. Still took me 2 hours to get home. Later on despite living 4 miles away I just got the school bus. Don't recall there being bike sheds at my school come to think of it.

[Mike Sales]

I cycled to primary when it was cycling proficiency classes.

I remember cycling proficiency in the school playground, taught by a policeman. What I learned then has served me well all my road using life.

[simonineaston]

I lived too far for me to cycle - about 14 miles. I used to get the tube (although the line, made famous by John Betjeman, was decidedly overground, after Finchley Road. My stop was Preston Road and I alighted at Moor Park, leafy suburb and home to not one but several golf courses... I was always slightly envious of my class-mates who cycled, on their natty 5 speed racers, casually streaming down the school drive, jacket coats flying in the wind... and even more envious of our visiting science teacher, an exotic-seeming Canadian with a big bushy beard, who drove a tatty old Porsche 356!!

[Mick F]

I cycled to secondary school every now and then as the fancy took me.
Four or five miles each way, but I had to climb the infamous Parbold Hill on my way in. This put me off somewhat, but I still did it on my 3sp Hercules.

[Tangled Metal]

We had a teacher with a Healey 3000. He turned the ignition and everyone heard it no matter where I'm the school you were. It positively growled!! The wire wheels were amazing!!

[Tangled Metal]

Parbold hill? Not Ormskirk/Ruffled neck of the woods by any chance??

[gbnz]

our visiting science teacher, an exotic-seeming Canadian with a big bushy beard, who drove a tatty old Porsche 356!!

Surprised. We Canadians always skied to school, half timbered, Country Squire Station Wagons being the preferred car (Nb. They were tiny, the micro version only being 22-23' long, with a 4.9 litre engine )

[Mick F]

Parbold hill? Not Ormskirk/Ruffled neck of the woods by any chance??

We lived in Newburgh. Went to Shevington County Secondary 1964 to 1969.

Born in North Wales, moved to Standish when I was three, then went to St Michael's Primary in Wigan.
Moved to Wrightington in 1962 and then Newburgh in 1966.

Mrs Mick F is Burscough-Girl.

[tatanab]

Walked to Junior school and then grammar school until I took up club cycling at the age of 16. The school was less than a mile away, so I would drop off my bag and then ride out to meet a friend cycling in from 6 miles away. Late 1960's.

[peetee]

I didnt have a bike before the age of 18
I always walked to school when it was in the same town. Even when I was given money for the bus.

[Audax67]

I did, once I had a bike: down to the Newtonards Rd., then around 4 miles into Belfast, then Waring St., Donegal St., Carlisle Circus and up the Antrim Rd. to Cliftonville Rd. About 5½ miles in all, with tramlines in places and a couple of fiddly junctions. Used to go to chums' houses out in West Belfast every so often, then home along the Hill Foot & Kings Road. That could be a lovely run in summer.

I suppose my mum used to worry herself sick until I was home, but she never said anything. Thank God mobile phones didn't exist back then.

[merseymouth]

O mickF, Newburgh! Tell your lass that Scout wallahs camping at Tawd Vale, would always walk out the back lanes to sup at the Red Lion. Often got turfed out for singing miserable songs, "Let's all weep, Let's have a ruddy good cry. Always remember the longer you live the sooner you're going to die" .
Wish that I still had my belt that was almost branded to nothing at the Feast of the Lanterns. Nice area. TTFN MM