Jumping in - How long was your journey to work?

Hap

Hap

Well-known member
One of my first jobs was a youth scheme, paying £29 a fortnight, but did include a travel payment.
So, on such poor money, I decided to keep the travel benefit and walk.

Guitarzan was a popular music instrument shop in South Bank and I lived in a badsit on Yarm Rd.

A walk of about 2 and a half hours.

I got sacked for being frequently late and absenteeism.

I have never been so thin 🤣
 
My first job: travelled from Linthorpe to Stockton High street 5 days a week,god that was depressing!
But this was in the mid 80s and a job was a job!
Moved to London after a year however,and took 2 mins to walk.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Hap
In my first year as an apprentice at Haverton Hill, I relied on my dad for a lift from Normanby to the corner of Middlesbrough Road, near the A66 roundabout by the MOT Centre. From there, I had to wait 20 minutes for the free bus to Haverton Hill that Smith's Dock used to put on.

The journey home was more of a hassle. We had to take two buses, both of which we had to pay for. The first was from outside the shipyard to The Central in Middlesbrough. Then we had to sprint to catch the 97 outside The Cleveland Centre, which would drop us off in Teesville. If we missed it, we were stuck waiting another 40 minutes for the next one.

The 97 would go up to Eston Square, sit there for ten minutes, and then head back to Middlesbrough. The clippy on that bus was always nasty with us, not that we made life easy for her. We all knew her family, and we used to wind her up constantly.

One day, I fell asleep on the bus and woke up outside the South Bank Bus Depot heading back to Middlesbrough. I jumped off and had to walk up the lines all the way to Normanby.

After that, I never tortured her again.
 
Last edited:
Once lived past Barking and worked in Kensington. Walk, bus, tube, change tube, bus then walk. Repeat ad nauseum.
A good day an hour 10 mins. Bad day 2 hours plus to get home.
If West Ham played at home I'd stay at a mates place in shepherd's bush as always got hassled by tvvat ammers fans trying to suss out if u were a rival supporter, or just northern so they could start some chew.
Ended up moving into Shepherds Bush and could walk on 30 mins max.
 
I was a drivers mate for delivering packages from Cannon Park. I lived in Ormesby at the time. Used to cycle down there took about 20 minutes. Was as skinny as a rake for a year.
 
I have to walk from South Gosforth to Longbenton/Four Lane Ends.
It takes around 25 minutes.
 
Door to door takes me an hour using the London Overground but if anything goes wrong I just go back home as other methods of travel would take several hours.
 
Sheriff Hutton to Toys R Us in York. Started as a 16 year old, and my parents rarely took me so cycled. It was exactly 10 miles and took me 26 minutes on the way home on a £200 mountain bike despite the traffic on the ring road and a couple of half decent uphill gradients. Wish I'd realised how fast that was just a few years earlier, and I might have had a different career! I'd struggle to do it in 46on a carbon fibre racer these days.
 
Remember my wife telling me her Grandad walked from Boosebeck to ICI and back everyday. Winter or summer. Worked as a welder I think.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Hap
Bit like the OP, I was on a trainee scheme wage and I had to travel from the old end of Thornaby to south bank.
I used to get a bus from thornaby train station to south bank high street, I remember it seemed like an eternity. Quick google says it would be 2hr30 to walk from smogg towers
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hap
Train from Rockville Centre to Penn Station, subway to 96th St. and a walk across the park to 5th Ave. Took about an hour.
 
smoggs03 said:
Bit like the OP, I was on a trainee scheme wage and I had to travel from the old end of Thornaby to south bank.
I used to get a bus from thornaby train station to south bank high street, I remember it seemed like an eternity. Quick google says it would be 2hr30 to walk from smogg towers
Click to expand...
I just mapped my route out from St Peter’s on Yarm Road, to Guitazan and it was just over 7 miles.

That would be me clocking over 14 miles a day, on foot, on a diet of scampi fries, mars bars and pickled onions.

I think I lasted about six months at most.

I must have been quite unpopular in those days *laughing emoji*
 
Last edited:
My first job was Linthorpe to Smiths Dock Haverton Hill, I walked the length of Linthorpe Road, over the boarder and was a foot passenger on the Tranny, then walked through Port Clarence to Smiths Dock, took and hour on a good day.

Now I just jump in the car and drive from Berwick Hills, to Teesport, 10 mins either via the A66 or the 174 3 days a week and the short trip to the Town hall or Fountains court the other 2.
 
I currently have a 15 minute walk.

The drive has to take a bit of a loop round and isn't much quicker, and paying £400 a year for parking isn't worth it.

Its become quite an important part of my day.
 
First commute was on the works bus to Tees Dock early 80’s which picked up at the bottom of Ormesby Bank. I had a 20min walk to get there (from the top of the bank) and the bus took about 20mins - great in the summer not so good in bad weather. Later in life I did Yarm to North Shields thru the dreaded Tyne tunnel and that could take 1 to 2 hours each way urgh. Takes me 15 mins now Brookfield to the dock just a quick blast down the parkway
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hap
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top