D&D General Travel In Medieval Europe

[Tonguez]

The response to my point about sea trade was that overland was significantly safer.

And it’s funny you would mention trade from Boston to New York when the vast majority of trade between those points would be by ship. Until you had trains, no one in their right mind would walk between those points. You certainly wouldn’t have significant movement of trade goods going overland between Bodtonand New York until after railroads.

look up the Boston Post Road
the Old Conneticut Road section was in use in 1630 and was based on an older Native American trail connecting the Massachusetts Bay to the Conneticut Valley. The Road then extended via Hartford and New Haven to NYC.

it was the major postal route linking New England towns and become US Highway 1

heres a 1962 map showing the old postal routes in red

 

[pemerton]

In the late nineteenth century, my understanding is that the cost of droving livestock from inland Australia to a port (probably Sydney or Brisbane) was about the same as, perhaps more than, shipping them from Australia to Britain.

Historically, trade by sea is far cheaper and more efficient than trade overland. Assuming FR has post (itself a somewhat anachronistic assumption), I can imagine a post road linking all the little towns and hamlets down the coast. But it would be for carrying messages between those places. It wouldn't be for carrying trade goods on a large scale. Those should be shipped.

 

[Hussar]

look up the Boston Post Road
the Old Conneticut Road section was in use in 1630 and was based on an older Native American trail connecting the Massachusetts Bay to the Conneticut Valley. The Road then extended via Hartford and New Haven to NYC.

it was the major postal route linking New England towns and become US Highway 1

heres a 1962 map showing the old postal routes in red

I’m not denying that roads exist. I mean come on. We all know that roads exist.

What I am denying is that significant trade would go north and south overland compared to by sea I the Sword Coast or in historical Eastern United States.

 

[Tonguez]

In the late nineteenth century, my understanding is that the cost of droving livestock from inland Australia to a port (probably Sydney or Brisbane) was about the same as, perhaps more than, shipping them from Australia to Britain.

Historically, trade by sea is far cheaper and more efficient than trade overland. Assuming FR has post (itself a somewhat anachronistic assumption), I can imagine a post road linking all the little towns and hamlets down the coast. But it would be for carrying messages between those places. It wouldn't be for carrying trade goods on a large scale. Those should be shipped.

Not anachronistic as you’d think. The first postal systems date from 2000BC (Egypt, China) via a system of roads served by regular posthouses. Xerxes had a mounted post system in 6th century BC.
_
The Mongol Yam was a postal/supply route system that linked Asia to Europe along the Silk Road (it was the route Marco Polo and others Traders followed). Initially the posthouses were available to all but later Merchants wrre charged for its services. At its height it was boasted that “a maiden bearing a nugget of gold on her head could wander safely throughout the realm" - the Pax Mongolica.

after the disintegration of the Golden Horde the Yam system was retained by Tsarrist Russia with a levy charged to villagers and merchants along the way to pay the Yam courier. There are still towns in Russia whose names include the word Yam

 

[Hussar]

Aaand you failed to address any of my points or answer my questions. Again.

No I did answer. All the setting material I’ve seen for Waterdeep and Baldurs Gate go to considerable lengths talking about how trade by sea is the major focus of trade.

Overland trade is barely mentioned. Maybe I’m just looking in the wrong supplements. But sea trade is the whole reason why Waterdeep exists. So I’m rather at a loss as to what answers you are expecting from me. If overland trade is the major part of trade on the Sword Coast, can you point me to where that’s talked about?

 

[pemerton]

sea trade is the whole reason why Waterdeep exists.

A port by any other name would smell as salty . . . ?

 

[Zardnaar]

That figure feels about 50% too ambitious.

Being able to walk that speed for an hour or two is one thing, 5-6 hours a day for several days… I don’t think so. That would be considered power walking and is described as the upper limit of the natural range for walking gait. Certainly not comfortably sustainable for normal people.

Power walking - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I've been taking up hiking and even on the flat 5km an hour give ur take is comfortable pace.

If the terrain is bad that can drop down to about 1km an hour or even worse I suppose.

That's lighly loaded. One track here is 53 km long and it's a 4 day hike on a track in an alpine area.

Faster you go more chance of getting hurt as well.

Overloading yourself is also a thing just because you can lift it is different to carrying it for 8 hours.

 

[Zardnaar]

When I was younger - and much fitter - I would hike with around 40-50lbs, including camping gear: on easy paths (most English footpaths), I would make around 12-15 miles per day, 18 at a push, if it included easy tracks and byways.

When I hiked in the Adironacks, or the Baxter State Park, or the Cascades - with much rougher paths, and frequent changes of elevation - then 10-12 miles per day was more realistic, and 15 was a real slog.

5mph is way too fast for a sustained pace. This is what a constant 5mph looks like:

How about 13 kilometers per day?


Bit rugged.

My soft option I've done 3 times since February.


Ridgeline isn't to bad getting up there though...

Might do it once more before it gets a tad cold up there.

 

[TheSword]

I've been taking up hiking and even on the flat 5km an hour give ur take is comfortable pace.

If the terrain is bad that can drop down to about 1km an hour or even worse I suppose.

That's lighly loaded. One track here is 53 km long and it's a 4 day hike on a track in an alpine area.

Faster you go more chance of getting hurt as well.

Overloading yourself is also a thing just because you can lift it is different to carrying it for 8 hours.

I think the good Doctor was talking about 4-5 mph.

I totally agree with you on Kmph.

This thread is making me want to put my hiking boots on. Snowdon is calling! Though I know our mountains don’t compare to NZ!

 

[Zardnaar]

I think the good Doctor was talking about 4-5 mph.

I totally agree with you on Kmph.

This thread is making me want to put my hiking boots on. Snowdon is calling! Though I know our mountains don’t compare to NZ!

Good doctor was talking about comfortable exercise on a treadmill. That's not a typical walking pace and you're wearing exercise clothes not travel clothes.

And you're not carrying anything. That's not a typical example.

We used to break gym bunnies at port. Exercise and real world are two different things.