Selfsufficientish.com

....is your allotment from you?
Do you drive to your allotment?
How far would you walk if you had to?

Basically I am on the list for my local allotments which are only a couple of minutes walk from my house. Three became available this year and I am 20th on the list
I don't drive so getting to other sites means a reasonably long walk or cycling. Which is fine unless I need to take tools over or need to bring lots of veg back home lol.

I am suspicious that I may be being a bit pathetic

How plausable would allotment gardening be for other forumites if you had to walk half hour each way to your plot....or do many of you already do this?

We are very fortunate as our lottie is at the top of the road, even so loaded down with tools and seedlings it can seem like a lot further, so I probably wouldn't be able to travel much further without some transport, and possibly need a trailer of some kind for a bike.

I am thinking of making a bike trailer (can't afford to buy one new, that's for sure!!)
I am not the worlds most confident cyclist though But I suppose when needs must....
I am going to be using a share of my parents plot, this is on one of the closest of the 'not very close' sites so I will see how that goes this year. It has the benefit of them having tools there that I can borrow so won't need to cart much around.
The down side though is the limited space and working in their schedule (they have the only key).

Its so good to get growing, best of luck with all your plans

I really love my allotments, (I've got two) but I suspect I wouldn't be nearly so keen if they weren't just a couple of minutes from home. pbf

mine is about a 45 minute walk away or a walk and a bus in 10-15 minutes... i ususally get the bus and used to cycle before baby arrived, with front and back baskets on bike! nowadays, every now and then i need to enlist the help of a willing driver (usually the mum or dad taxi service) to transport big (and smelly) items such as our kitchen composter.

it can be done and is good exercise, i suppose! people sometimes say its a cop out if you drive to the gym so i like to think the same applies to the allotment!

Walk down hill to plot a mile away and catch the bus home. Luckily it's huge enough to have space for a shed. I'd be a lot more organised if I had to take tools as well. But the appeal of plot was the space for compost heaps, cold frame and shed. Don't do small. And it's only just big enough for all the things I want to do as it is!

Now if I could vault over the big fence I could walk it in 10 minutes, but I can't so walking takes me 15 minutes if I'm on my own, and up to about 45 minutes with LO who, at this time of year, has to stop and smell every single daffodil, dandy lion and tulip along the way.

If I can go alone, I prefer to go on bike though, which cuts it down to about 7 or 8 minutes.
If I didn't have a plot at that site, I would take one at one of the next closest, which would be an extra 10 minutes on my bike, but I wouldn't take Katie that until she's able to ride her bike with me.
I only occasionally use the car if I need to take or collect something that I can't manage any other way, like when I took my compost bins there. I have managed to acquire a duplicate set of garden tools so that I can keep one set at home and the other at the allotment so that I'm not constantly carrying them. Some people think that's risky as there have been instances of sheds being broken into, but the shed at the allotment is probably more secure than my home shed with all the fences and razor wire, plus there are scores of sheds to choose from and I'd have to be pretty down on my luck for them to pick mine. Whenever people have reported break-ins, it seems the kids are more bothered about taking knives rather than spades. I'm also rather skeptical about the reports of break-ins. It seems that people are still telling the stories of things that happened back in the 80s, and a recent break-in, when someone apparently removed palings from the fence, broke into a big storage container and stole a generator was told to me by the same woman who reckons she, on her own, chased a load of kids who had knives down the allotment path and over the (very tall and topped with razor wire) fence. Not saying she makes things up, but if she's in the right mind she wouldn't chase a load of knife-brandishing youths on her own. Hmm.

Erm, yeah! So mine's pretty close and I would travel, but not too far. Just remembered that the bus that passes my house also passes another allotment site, so that would be an option, even with Katie.

Yeah, busses are an option ocassionally, but during dry weather (if we get any that is ) it would just cost too much to go and water, so generally I have ruled busses out.

I suppose I will see if the distance is reasonable, using my parents' plot this year and if it proves successful then I can look at other sites next year.

I will be growing salad leaves, herbs and a few other bits in my spacially challenged garden so at least those will be quick to get to

You are not pathetic at all, I am 2 miles awaty from my allotment and have always driven to it.
If you find one this far away or further, could you keep the tools at the allotment?

Keeping tools there would be possible.....if I could get a spare set....would have to give freecycle a visit lol.

I think as much as anything it is the 'would I be bothered to go?' thing.

Maybe I will start gathering bits as I see them this year so I am ready kitted out next year for a whole plot of my own.

I am sure I will get a plot on the closest site eventually, but I am expecting it to be a few years going on how long others I know have waited. I will just have to do what I can until then......Just need to get growing

Mine is about a mile away and althoguh when I ahve lots to carry I drive I cycle if not and stuff things in the paniers. We freecyled for spare tools, most are old and therefore don't look worth nicking.
Others down our allotments walk about a mile, lots cycle, relatively few drive.
You'd be surprised how quick your cylcing improves when you stick at it, I could hardly keep on a bike a few years ago, now I cycle to work (nearly 3 miles) and carry my shopping home all laden down (motorists do steer a bit clear of me then!)
A bit of freecycling and biking is better than waiting years for the nearest allotment.

At the risk of making everyone hate me...

...our allotment is at the end of our garden, the other side of a public foot path. We can even run a long hosepipe from our house to our allotment beds!

Yes, I know I'm very very lucky.

JustinFun wrote:At the risk of making everyone hate me...

...our allotment is at the end of our garden, the other side of a public foot path. We can even run a long hosepipe from our house to our allotment beds!

Yes, I know I'm very very lucky.

Haha... you know, we should ask John Headstrong for a 'slap' smillie!!