Travelling Speeds
Oct 29, 2020 23:30:41 GMT -6
Post by Nessa Arandur on Oct 29, 2020 23:30:41 GMT -6
Here it is! The rough guide to medieval and other Travelling Speeds. 
This list is a mish-mash of info from different places, but the main source I used was Florilegium ---> Be sure to check this site out as there is a whole lot of interesting information here. This version includes some additions by someone back on PPENN (Dabbler?). I can't remember who. Feel free to add your own resources for travelling speeds to this thread.
Here are a few assorted travel speeds from various secondary references such as Braudel. The dates of applicability are in the 1300-1500 A.D. range, and the region of applicability is Italy, France, Germany, and parts of England. The distances cited account for major bends in the straight-line route between destinations, but ignore all the little wiggles that could add 30% or more to the actual distance covered.
SHIPS:
A cargo ship (either sail, or a sail-equipped galley) on an extended trip seems to have averaged 35 km (56 miles) every 24 hours. For comparison, 'standard' voyage times to and from Iceland by the Norse indicate expected speeds in favourable weather of from 160 to 260 km (256 to 416 miles) every 24 hours. The furthest distance sailed in 24 hours by a replica of the Gokstad ship (1893) was about 415 km (664 miles).
River barge traffic on extended trips seems to have averaged 12 km (19.2 miles) every 24 hours.
Clipper ships: 16-18 knots (1 knot = 1.15 mph). The Clipper “Star Flyer” 110-m (360-ft) ship average speed of 17 knots
Keelboat going upriver: 3-4 months approx 1036 mi New Orleans to Louisville KY
Columbus to the New World: about 5½ weeks in 1492 with a crew of 90 on 3 caravels
Ship – England to Boston (17th and 18th centuries): about 1 ½ month many instances of 3-month voyages. One 1640 voyage lasted 6 months Note: because of prevailing winds and currents, many trips take longer on one direction, than the other.
Viking longboats: roughly 100 miles (62.5 km) a day. Cargo ships were slower, and the later medieval ships were slower also.
PEOPLE:
Ordinary person on foot: 10-24 miles (6.5-15 km) per day, more with a decent road.
Highly trained person on foot: 70 miles (43.75 km) in a twenty four hour period. The Apache Indians trained this thoroughly, but I don't think any European culture did.
Man walking in mountains, healthy, with a pack: 25-30 km/day (8 - 10 hrs @ 6km/hour – a reasonable amount [of course this greatly depends on terrain and weather])
Man walking on flat ground: 50-60 km/day
Strolling: When you are out walking at a leisurely pace, maybe with a toddler, taking photos or admiring the scenery and you take half an hour or more to cover a mile (1.6 km), then this is called strolling.
Average walking pace: Walking at 3 mph (1.8 kph) or taking 20 minutes to walk a mile is called the average walking pace for women, for men it is 3.5 mph (2.1 kph). It is often termed walking briskly but as everyone is different you may find your walking briskly pace is a little slower or faster than this.
Power walking is a 12 minute mile or up to 5 mph (3.1 kph).
Speed walking reaches speeds of over 5 mph (3.1 kph).
Olympic walking, sometimes called race walking, here speeds of 9 mph (5.6 kph) are recorded.
Infantry soldier with pack: 20-30 miles per day easy marching, 40+ miles per day exhausting. "Harold's Lightning March". Battle of Stamford Bridge, a force of some 7000 men about 30 miles a day over well a maintained old Roman road between London and York.
Inca relay messengers on foot 250 miles/day
Roman runner/messenger 75-100 miles a day
HORSES, OXEN, MULES:
Horseback: 40 miles (64 km) easily, 50 miles (80 km) normally, 60 miles (96 km) if you pushed it. Pushing it will cause the horse to founder sooner or later. Another source suggests the average distance a horse could travel in a day is only 25-30 miles (40-48 kms) travelling mainly at a trot (very uncomfortable for the rider, who would be sore). This same source says that modern endurance horses can travel 50, 75, or even 100 miles (80, 120, or 160 kms) in a day (on the trails), but endurance horses require special diets and training, which includes the riders as well.
Horseback – Exchanging Mounts: 100 miles/day
Horse-drawn wagon: About 20 miles (12.5 km) a day.
A courier on horseback on an extended trip (such as Venice to Bruges) would be expected to cover 55 km (88 miles) every 24 hours in mixed weather. Another source suggests 100 km (160 miles) every 24 hours.
A pack train (horse or mule) on an extended trip seems to have averaged 18 km (28.8 miles) every 24 hours. It seems that in this era assorted delays (poor tracks, tolls, brigands, tolls, bribes, tolls, detours, tolls, and weather, to name but a few) accounted for a significant proportion of the slow pace. England was said to be comparatively free of such delays. Long-distance trade did not often use carts or wagons at this date, due to the shortage of any extended road network.
Oxen-drawn wagon: 10-12 miles (6.25-7.5 km) a day.
Mule-drawn wagon: 20 miles (12.5 km) a day.
Covered wagon: 15 miles/day Oregon Trail
Wagon caravan with pedestrians: 11-18 miles/day medieval
An average, easy-paced, 5-day wagon train: Averaging about 16 miles (10 km) per day, travel for two days, take a layover day, and then travel two more days back.
Roman chariot: with good roads and relays of horses, 100 miles (62.5 km) a day. This is Caesar speed because Julius Caesar demanded such service in his domain.
17 century English Flying Coaches: 100 miles (62.5 km) a day, often on bad roads, with relays of horses. Had a higher accident rate than other forms of travel too. "Posting" the technique used to ride in English saddles, was invented by the postilions of these coaches to save their derrieres.
Medieval Courier on horse: 60 miles/day
Courier on horseback: 55 km every 24 hours in mixed weather
Knight on destrier or palfrey: 50-60 miles/day
Persian relay riders: 177 miles/day
Mongol relay riders: 250 miles/day
Pony Express Mail relay: Relays of horses and riders, 200 miles (125 km) a day.
OTHER ANIMALS:
Homing Pigeon: 44 mph
Racing Pigeon: 90 mph
Camel (Bactrian) with pack: 29 miles/day
Camel (Arabian) with rider: 100+miles/day
This list is a mish-mash of info from different places, but the main source I used was Florilegium ---> Be sure to check this site out as there is a whole lot of interesting information here. This version includes some additions by someone back on PPENN (Dabbler?). I can't remember who. Feel free to add your own resources for travelling speeds to this thread. Travelling Speeds
Here are a few assorted travel speeds from various secondary references such as Braudel. The dates of applicability are in the 1300-1500 A.D. range, and the region of applicability is Italy, France, Germany, and parts of England. The distances cited account for major bends in the straight-line route between destinations, but ignore all the little wiggles that could add 30% or more to the actual distance covered.
SHIPS:
A cargo ship (either sail, or a sail-equipped galley) on an extended trip seems to have averaged 35 km (56 miles) every 24 hours. For comparison, 'standard' voyage times to and from Iceland by the Norse indicate expected speeds in favourable weather of from 160 to 260 km (256 to 416 miles) every 24 hours. The furthest distance sailed in 24 hours by a replica of the Gokstad ship (1893) was about 415 km (664 miles).
River barge traffic on extended trips seems to have averaged 12 km (19.2 miles) every 24 hours.
Clipper ships: 16-18 knots (1 knot = 1.15 mph). The Clipper “Star Flyer” 110-m (360-ft) ship average speed of 17 knots
Keelboat going upriver: 3-4 months approx 1036 mi New Orleans to Louisville KY
Columbus to the New World: about 5½ weeks in 1492 with a crew of 90 on 3 caravels
Ship – England to Boston (17th and 18th centuries): about 1 ½ month many instances of 3-month voyages. One 1640 voyage lasted 6 months Note: because of prevailing winds and currents, many trips take longer on one direction, than the other.
Viking longboats: roughly 100 miles (62.5 km) a day. Cargo ships were slower, and the later medieval ships were slower also.
*****
PEOPLE:
Ordinary person on foot: 10-24 miles (6.5-15 km) per day, more with a decent road.
Highly trained person on foot: 70 miles (43.75 km) in a twenty four hour period. The Apache Indians trained this thoroughly, but I don't think any European culture did.
Man walking in mountains, healthy, with a pack: 25-30 km/day (8 - 10 hrs @ 6km/hour – a reasonable amount [of course this greatly depends on terrain and weather])
Man walking on flat ground: 50-60 km/day
Strolling: When you are out walking at a leisurely pace, maybe with a toddler, taking photos or admiring the scenery and you take half an hour or more to cover a mile (1.6 km), then this is called strolling.
Average walking pace: Walking at 3 mph (1.8 kph) or taking 20 minutes to walk a mile is called the average walking pace for women, for men it is 3.5 mph (2.1 kph). It is often termed walking briskly but as everyone is different you may find your walking briskly pace is a little slower or faster than this.
Power walking is a 12 minute mile or up to 5 mph (3.1 kph).
Speed walking reaches speeds of over 5 mph (3.1 kph).
Olympic walking, sometimes called race walking, here speeds of 9 mph (5.6 kph) are recorded.
Infantry soldier with pack: 20-30 miles per day easy marching, 40+ miles per day exhausting. "Harold's Lightning March". Battle of Stamford Bridge, a force of some 7000 men about 30 miles a day over well a maintained old Roman road between London and York.
Inca relay messengers on foot 250 miles/day
Roman runner/messenger 75-100 miles a day
*****
HORSES, OXEN, MULES:
Horseback: 40 miles (64 km) easily, 50 miles (80 km) normally, 60 miles (96 km) if you pushed it. Pushing it will cause the horse to founder sooner or later. Another source suggests the average distance a horse could travel in a day is only 25-30 miles (40-48 kms) travelling mainly at a trot (very uncomfortable for the rider, who would be sore). This same source says that modern endurance horses can travel 50, 75, or even 100 miles (80, 120, or 160 kms) in a day (on the trails), but endurance horses require special diets and training, which includes the riders as well.
Horseback – Exchanging Mounts: 100 miles/day
Horse-drawn wagon: About 20 miles (12.5 km) a day.
A courier on horseback on an extended trip (such as Venice to Bruges) would be expected to cover 55 km (88 miles) every 24 hours in mixed weather. Another source suggests 100 km (160 miles) every 24 hours.
A pack train (horse or mule) on an extended trip seems to have averaged 18 km (28.8 miles) every 24 hours. It seems that in this era assorted delays (poor tracks, tolls, brigands, tolls, bribes, tolls, detours, tolls, and weather, to name but a few) accounted for a significant proportion of the slow pace. England was said to be comparatively free of such delays. Long-distance trade did not often use carts or wagons at this date, due to the shortage of any extended road network.
Oxen-drawn wagon: 10-12 miles (6.25-7.5 km) a day.
Mule-drawn wagon: 20 miles (12.5 km) a day.
Covered wagon: 15 miles/day Oregon Trail
Wagon caravan with pedestrians: 11-18 miles/day medieval
An average, easy-paced, 5-day wagon train: Averaging about 16 miles (10 km) per day, travel for two days, take a layover day, and then travel two more days back.
Roman chariot: with good roads and relays of horses, 100 miles (62.5 km) a day. This is Caesar speed because Julius Caesar demanded such service in his domain.
17 century English Flying Coaches: 100 miles (62.5 km) a day, often on bad roads, with relays of horses. Had a higher accident rate than other forms of travel too. "Posting" the technique used to ride in English saddles, was invented by the postilions of these coaches to save their derrieres.
Medieval Courier on horse: 60 miles/day
Courier on horseback: 55 km every 24 hours in mixed weather
Knight on destrier or palfrey: 50-60 miles/day
Persian relay riders: 177 miles/day
Mongol relay riders: 250 miles/day
Pony Express Mail relay: Relays of horses and riders, 200 miles (125 km) a day.
*****
OTHER ANIMALS:
Homing Pigeon: 44 mph
Racing Pigeon: 90 mph
Camel (Bactrian) with pack: 29 miles/day
Camel (Arabian) with rider: 100+miles/day
