I was trying to work out the length of a sea journey from the borderlands with Scotland on the east coast to near Bristol in the west, and I came across a modern sailing distance calculator, which was just the thing. It allows you to plot your course, and then tells you the nautical miles. From there, it’s a simple (hah!) matter of working out the likely speed of your craft, taking into account the season (and therefore the weather and the prevailing winds and currents), the likelihood of pirates and storms, and any time in port along the way. And there you have it.
You’re welcome.
https://plainsailing.com/sailing-distance-calculator
See also my other posts on this perennial topic:
Average travelling times in the Regency
Travel times from port to port in the Mediterranean in the Regency
Thank you for the 3 links! I had read previously about traveling by foot and horse, but never anything about sailing. It is eye opening to see the sea journeys duration! Travel was not for the faint of heart!
Indeed! The book I’m editing for a client is set in the 12th century, so a fortnight at sea in summer was far preferable to the 800 miles from the borders with Scotland to the west of Southern England.