Commutes to Work

Work is 8 miles, takes me fifteen minutes. It takes me less than a minute to drive to my yard (a few minutes walk from the front door) as i keep mine at home although I did used to do a 70-80 mile round trip to Heathrow for a few years and then onto the yard but only went to the yard in the evenings as was on a livery yard.

Would I change jobs for more money but further away? Hmmmm tricky one as I value going home at lunch to let the dog out so not sure! I was approached by an agency about a job last week but although it was only 18 miles away and for more money I said I wasnt interested as going home for lunch wouldnt then be possible even though the job sounded pretty good!
 
8 miles, which takes around an hour in the mornings (school traffic is *delightful*) and 20 minutes in the evening. Yard is maybe two miles from the office (and office has changing rooms/showers) so it all works out nicely, seeing as I only have my share horse during the week.

Well, it would, if work hadn't decided to move the office 20 miles away. I'll be working from home 2/3 days a week, but either way I'm going to have to go 10 miles after work to get to the horse, so next winter's going to be even darker and more miserable than this one. (AND they're charging us to park at the new office. *grumble*moan*complain*)
 
In all honesty, about 1 hr 15 each way. I only work part time now, but this commute together with a long working day almost killed me so i took my horse full livery as i hated it. Diy yard didn't have great facilities and no assistance. So it depends on yard setup too.

DIY only works if you have really good facilities and assistance with turn-out/bring in and no children or other commitments after work and a very understanding (or otherwise engaged) OH.
 
Work is 4 miles from home, journey is anything between 10 and 20 minutes depending on the traffic and the time of day (it took me 90 minutes one day last week, I could have walked it quicker!). I usually go to the gym on the way to work so my morning 'journey' takes about 90mins. Horses are 1.8 miles away. My friend does mornings and I do evenings in winter. Sometimes I go straight from work if I'm in a real hurry but it's only about 1/2 mile detour to go home to change so I usually do that.

I wouldn't change either to be honest. Our hacking isn't great - lots of roads - but the horses are rock solid in traffic and the only way we'll improve the hacking is to move about a 20 minute drive away. I'd rather have them close to home and box up to go for a decent hack. I don't ever intend to work any further away from home than I do now and have not applied for promotions as they'd mean a 30 minute motorway drive. Not a huge distance compared to some but my time is more precious to me than a few extra grand and the stretch of motorway I'd have to do is notoriously prone to traffic jams. I also drive a Defender - the only journeys of more than 4 miles I ever want to do in that are towing the horses!

OH on the other hand is in the police and enjoys the fact we live 20 miles away from where he works - he doesn't want to be arresting his neighbours! He shares lifts with someone who lives a few miles away to keep costs down. He'd rather have a 30 minute commute.
 
I have worked from home for the past ten years and wouldn't want it any other way now. In the past I always tried to find accommodation close to my place of work to enable me to have my dogs and to exercise them during my lunch hour so I have never had a really long commute. It is something I would try to avoid at all costs.
 
For me it's max hour and a half, door to door/desk. So 3 hours commuting on the train & tube into central London from Kent.

I hate it.

I took a new job in October because my last employer was taking the absolute pee out of me and I was miserable. So new job, money works out to only an extra few quid take home per month after travel card is paid for.

I knew this when taking the job but didn't feel I could stay at last place as I hated the job so much and new job seemed much better prospect long term... but now looking back, I did hours 8-4pm & was flexible (with core hours) and if I had no work, I could pretty much go home whenever I wanted. My commute was a 30 min drive so I'd be at the yard by 4.30pm each day. I'm really missing it, especially as we're still in the worst part of the year!!

New job is 9-5, but because of the much longer commute, I don't get to the yard until 6.30pm on a good day. By this time, all my friends have already ridden and are getting ready to go home, so my social relationships are affected, too. I don't get home until 8.30pm earliest.

I was promised I could do 8-4pm in new job after training but stupidly didn't get anything written down/officially agreed as took it in good faith the promises would be kept. When I asked about it after training period, I was told I have to wait 6 months until I can apply for 'flexi-time' (apply for, as in they could still reject it). We can work from home but we must ask permission and they get funny about it, so a couple of days from home isn't on the cards.

I discussed at length with them at interview about having a horse and how important it is to me to strike a good work/life balance (and changing my hours!!) and they agreed to it all saying that the company holds these value very highly, but the reality seems very different!!

Feeling cheated and very unhappy as I'm losing so many hours, wasting them sitting on a train. I don't feel too exhausted even though I don't get in until 8.30pm, as OH is amazing and has dinner ready so walk through the door, eat, shower, sit with OH or watch TV for an hour or so, then in bed by 10pm to get up at 6am to start again. So am getting just enough sleep but it's cutting out of time with OH.

I absolutely HATE the actual commute, too, even at 7.25am train is already packed and the commuter mentality of push and shove and fight just to get a seat just stresses me out (I already have anxiety issues!) and worry about it every day.

So yes, probably looking back at old job with rose-tinted spectacles but I really miss it now! I know I had to move on for my own as well as OH sake (better progression so could bring more to the household eventually).

I would be VERY careful about the possibility of a long commute. Work things out properly, would be my advice.

I know I make my experience sound a bit like a horror story (or that I just want my cake and to eat it, too) and it does work very well for some but commuting doesn't suit me at all.

Sorry for the rant, it's just such a constant worry for me :(
 
Last edited:
I'm 12 miles from the house to the office; on a good day (school holidays or when the motorway improvements are finished) I can do it in 25 minutes; on a bad day anything up to and over an hour. Same at the end of the day. Have moved my working hours from 9-5 to 8-4 to try to miss the worst of it; 4 days out of 5 I usually do.

Horses are at home on our yard which is behind the house; during deepest, darkest winter OH is finished up there by the time I get home (I tend to do more overtime during the winter so finish later). Now the nights are lighter, I'm home, changed and over the yard for 4:45 so can potter around until about 6pm. I don't need to do anything in the mornings as OH is there during the day and his dad works nightshift so does morning feed/water etc. on his way back to the house before he sleeps for a couple of hours.

Even though I don't have a long distance commute, sitting in traffic after work for upwards of an hour drives me mad. I think of it as wasted time as I do a lot of extra-curricular activities which eat into any 'free' time I have, and sitting in my car makes it worse!
 
I've done all commutes from 2 miles from home but had to detour about 5 miles to the horse to 35 miles, so 70 mile round trip a day but the employer were really flexible so I packed my full time hours into four days and took Fridays off to recoupe from the tired!


I'm trying to make a job for but it'll be a 120 mile round trip if I get it and I don't want the horses fitness suffer (not that he's fit at the moment). I could get someone to keep him exercised but then I'd feel like I was t doing the work!

It's quite frustrating weighing up the pro's and con's but ultimately I suspect the horse is gunna win out! ��
 
Was taking me an hour each way just to get to work, and then was a further 30mins to get to the yard (house sat in the middle of work and office in opposite directions!).

I was going mental just sitting in traffic for so long every day so we opted to move closer to work to reduce my commute. This puts me further from the horse but it's only 10min extra to get home in normal traffic, and I have my horse on full Livery which I don't think I could survive without. As it stands I don't get to the yard until 7.30 most evenings, and there would be no way I could get there to do kinds in the morning and make it in time for work.

I also travel to London regularly for work (from Ireland) and could spend up to a week at a time there, so the livery is a necessity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top