All western coaches had been quickened lately by tidings of steam in the North, which would take a man nearly a score of miles in one hour; and though nobody really believed in this, the mere talk of it made the horses go. There was one coach already, known by the rather profane name of Quicksilver, which was said to travel at the almost impious pace of twelve miles an hour.
R. D. Blackmore - Perlycross: A Tale of the Western Hills (1894)
The novel was published in 1894 but set in 1835 to 1836 when Blackmore would have been ten or eleven years old living in the rural Doone country of Exmoor. Imagine his excitement as a boy in an age of horses, carriages and carts when he first heard tales of a magical machine from the North which could carry passengers almost twenty mile in one hour.
Come to think of it, I only averaged about 18 miles per hour for my daily Nottingham commute. Progress I suppose.
6 comments:
Market Towns are roughly 12 miles apart - meaning that people only had to walk or ride 6 miles maximum to get to them. And 6 miles back again. A different pace of life altogether.
DJ - surely that's 12 miles there and 12 back.
If twelve miles apart then, at worst, wherever you are, the nearest market is six miles away.
Seems about right. I am equidistant between Wincanton, Sherborne, and Stalbridge. Each about 5 or 6 miles depending on route and method. It is possible to walk to Sherborne on a fine day, with time on my hands, not least for a coffee and cake before returning home. Wincanton is the easiest by bike, taking the scenic route across the marsh to avoid hills and busy roads.
Last year I took my bike to be repaired in Wincanton, when it was ready for collection I thought, I'd walk there and cycle back; a lovely day and plenty of time. But I lost the footpath — or maybe it lost me— arriving much later than expected, just in time to find the bike shop closed. No coffee shops open, and so a walk home, this time along the A357, a shorter, familiar route, but not suitable for foot traffic.
djc - it depends on assumptions I suppose. I assumed that different market towns would have different attractions and different reasons for going there such as market day.
Not an area I know, but I remember going through Wincanton years ago on our way to Swanage. Not sure why, maybe it was a diversion, but it was a pleasant drive.
Apparently, coaches like Quicksilver travelling at the
unprecedentedly mind boggling speed of 12 1/2 miles per hour, were thought by medics to risk mental derangement of the passengers. Ah experts! Always the same eh?
Tammly - yes, experts are like bad weather always spoil things eventually.
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