I agree with the others. I'm based at home but have to go into the office sometimes which is 2 hours away – a few days of that back-to-back really grates. Doing it every day, week in week out, is madness. In the summer it's not so bad – in the winter you leave and return in the dark every day. Every weekday feels like you get up, drive, work, drive, quickly grab some dinner then get to bed early as you have to be up so early the next day. Weekends you're so drained from the week that you don't want to do anything, especially not drive anyway.

Assuming it's a 80 mile commute, that's 40k miles a year. You'll be having to get your car serviced or new tyres every few months. Even if you had a diesel that does a genuine 50mpg, that's well over £4000 a year in fuel. Any car you have will either depreciate like a stone, or if it's older, need constant running repairs. Your exposure to an accident increases a fair bit too.

If it's a dream job and you're able to make the other stuff work, be a little selfish and relocate.

Doing it every day, week in week out, is madness.

I totally agree with this, I did 18 months of driving to work (2-2.5 hrs, one hour on the motorway and an hour through quiet A roads) for just 2 days a week, and was totally burnt out for doing it.
Had to stop doing it, luckily they changed my working conditions but only as I'd basically handed in my notice.

Don't try it, either live in the location 4 nights a week or take another job.

nah go for it. whats 3 hrs each way? who likes family anyways?!

(that was for balance)

but no seriously, sounds crap. not least cos you will constantly be late one way or the other due to roadworks/snow/wrong leaves on the road etc etc.

i once had a 30min cycle ride on the flat each way. that was the perfect commute. think it was about 12 miles. usd to be able to get my head down and go for a pb each morning. turn up completely haggered. great fun. and as it was only 30 mins i recovered quick enough to start doing some work by mid morning!

Think about the Polar Bears 😥

I worked away during the summer and was doing a 2 hour commute each way 5 days a week.

I had no time to do anything other than work eat and sleep.

Days went like this:

Up at 5 for breakfast, shower dressed etc,
10 minute cycle to the train station,
Train departs at 06:10,
Arrive at work at destination 07:50,
15 minute cycle to office,

Leave work at either 16:30 or 17:10 (assume the latter)
15 minute ride to station,
Train departs 17:30,
Train arrives at 19:15,
10 Minute cycle home,

Prepare and eat evening meal 60-70 mins.
30 mins of STW/TV/Book…

Ablutions.

Bed by 21:00 if you want 8 hours sleep.

Utterly depressing.

think about the Polar Bears

Oh the Chinese had 2million new cars last year. I think its fair to say we are going to hell in a handcart!

I'm astounded that you're even considering it.
Fuel will be minimum £400 a month and you'll spend around 17% of your life driving to/from work.

😯

hmm. I do 1-1.5 hours each way, which is mercifully split up by frequently not working in the office. I find it OK, but am aware I'm missing out on a lot of stuff at home. I would never, ever work any further from home than I do now. (working in the cycling industry too)

If it's in the cycling industry I doubt it would pay enough to warrant that amount of time commuting to be honest, regardless of whether they do/don't pick up the tab.

If you could do it by train and you could work on the train and count it as part of your working hours, it'd be doable bearable.

I'm astounded that you're even considering it.
Fuel will be minimum £400 a month and you'll spend around 17% of your life driving to/from work.

+1 to this. It's bonkers.

Fuel will be minimum £400 a month and you'll spend around 17% of your life driving to/from work.

Plus you'll need to service you're car every 6 weeks or so.

It's bonkers

That's me!

Ok, so it's genrally agreed that it's waaaay too far to commute daily and as a job in the cycle industry is unlikely to pay enough to cover 4 nights in a hotel every week, how about this as a short term solution

My current commute is two hours each way and I've done this for over 4 years. It does mean long days, but it's not that bad IME.

Up at 6 out at 7.
Get to work for 9
Leave at 5
Get home for 7
Go to gym at 8
Come back at 10
Give me 2hours to do stuff before sleep and start again tomorrow.

I'm guessing you've not got a family, simonb512 – if I tried that timetable my wife would murder me!

Simon, that only gives you 6 hours kip a night. Most people couldn't keep that up. Plus your work day is somewhat short if you're taking lunch – again lots of people wouldn't be able to do 9-5.

My day is

Up at 6
Leave at 6.25
Train at 6.40
Arrive work 8.00
Leave work 18.30 onwards
Home 20.00 onwards
Dinner 21.00 onwards
Bed 22.00

Repeat ad nauseam (I have for the last few years). Frustrating thing is it leaves no bike time really in the week. Short of living in Central London (tried it once and hated it with a passion) have no way to really reduce it with the job that I do.

Why did you hate living in central London, out of interest?

I do an hour each way on the bike, and that is at the top end of what is a sensible amount of time to commute, especially with a kid on the way. I'd certainly not do it if it was wasted time sitting in traffic jams. It is only because it is productive time (riding my bike, having fun), that it is worth doing. Same is also true when I commute by bus or train every so often – that gives me time to read stuff / do a bit of work, so I don't have to stay at work so long. 3 hours each way would drive me mad. What's the point in having kids if you're only going to see them at weekends (and you'll probably be knackered then anyway).

Repeat ad nauseam (I have for the last few years). Frustrating thing is it leaves no bike time really in the week. Short of living in Central London (tried it once and hated it with a passion) have no way to really reduce it with the job that I do.

Blimey, 52 hour working week before you even count the trains? Surely you could do some work on the train or similar, and leave 2 hours earlier – you can't be very efficient at work with that long a working week anyway? Presumably no kids / wife?

Joe

Molgrips I lived in London for 2 years and hated every minute of it! why does every rush to work on the Underground?? FFS, it's TO work, hurry home from work! Horrible place! Would never live there or even close, and would most definaetly never live in london ever again. That was also straight out of uni when I was single and was earning a very good wage. no way Jose!

why does every rush to work on the Underground??

Question is, why were you rushing to work on the underground? You've got a bike, haven't you? 🙂

Biking is definitely the way to go in London, never tube if you can avoid it.

I liked and disliked London. It was busy and all but there were some great things – never spent so many hours with mates in great pubs and restaurants as I did there. Then again, I was young and itinerant, so that worked out for me 🙂

Not a chance I was going to do that! No showers or any storage facilities at work so it just wasn't an option. Plus I didn't have my bikes in London at that time, again no where to store them and certainly no where really to ride.

I was also young and itinerant but I hated it! Having been brought up in Cardiff where I had city, beach and mountains within a 30 minute cycle of my front door, London was just horrific. I have to accept I was spoilt as a kid in where I grew up.

I managed it without showers – just didn't go too hard on the way in, changed clothes when I got there in the bog. Locked bike outside with a big lock.

Beach in Cardiff? You mean the mud flats of Penarth or the inaccesible stony shore at Sully? Lovely!

I used to like Cardiff but now I'm getting kind of fed up of trying to get somewhere nice to eat and/or drink. There's only so many times you can go to a Brewer's Fayre full of chavs and eat the same microwaved food 😉

Oh and the reason people rush to work btw is so that you can get home earlier.

Only if you have a boss that allows you to!! Being a girl cycling to work without a shower is very different, no thanks I just wouldn't in London with the way it is there. Having long hair makes a big difference you'd be surprised 😉
Penarth yup, sully yup, off down to Ogmore which is what 40 min cycle (from where I lived) lovely place. Up to Castell Coch and over to Caerphilly for the mountains, keep going over Sirhowy and into Cwmcarn … before the days of trail centres! gosh can't even think why I ever thought going to London was a good idea, but each to their own. Would never even go close to working that way again, no thanks no for me.

Being a girl cycling to work without a shower is very different

How so? Is it that girls get sweatier than boys? Or is it the other way round?

The thing about London is that you have to know how to use it.

Reckon you'd have to be utterly insane. Factor in the (approx) 30 hours weekly drive time on top of the job itself, and unless the salary's ridiculously big, you'll be devoting sh*t-loads of time to the job for what probably amounts to peanuts.

joemarshall – I do work on the train (when I don't fall asleep!) And yes, married 3 years ago, my wife is a lawyer so compared to her my working week is short and sweet….!

Moved out for the biking and space really, in London I spent any precious free time trying to get out of the place with the bike for some peace and quiet. I was too old for it really, I think.

kevonakona – Member
Up at 5 am, leave at 6am for 9am start. Leave at 5pm get home 8pm. 5 days a week.

Sorry did you say you had a family?life?

Way too much, have you also considered extra costs? Fuel, parking, coffee from the services to keep you awake too & from work?

3 hrs. It'll kill you. Literally.

I did a 3 hr weekly commute for 12 months then 4.5 hrs for another 6. Just once a week was way too much.

Lunacy.

you mention your kids, my dad was in a similar position years ago, he only had an hours commute but again on busy roads. Now he is a dead laid back guy but after a couple of months we used to almost dread him coming home. Dont get me wrong he wasnt violent or aggresive but it put him in a bad mood all the time. eventually we moved and he was back to normal.

Oh, and to state the obvious you'll spend almost as long in the car as in work, not my idea of fun!!!