Does anyone know...

[przed]

So, I'm in the final stretch of writing the Pros story that wouldn't end (it's now officially the longest thing I've ever written and heading firmly into novel length territory) and I find I need a couple of driving times. The British guidebooks I have are great on history and culture, but not so good on how long it takes to get around, and even Google has failed me.

So, does anyone know how long it would take to drive:

From Crossmaglen to Belfast

From Liverpool to London

At least I found times for Belfast-Liverpool ferries on the net.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

[tovalentin.livejournal.com]

From Crossmaglen to Belfast

Just over an hour; it's about 52 miles.

From Liverpool to London

3 1/2 hours; 112 miles.

Good ol' Mapquest.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Jeez, you would think I'd've thought of Mapquest. Or Google maps. In my defense, my brain is now goo. (49,000 words and counting, baby. And I'm just getting to the climax. Yikes!)

[faramir-boromir.livejournal.com]

Google Maps claims that it's 224 miles from Liverpool to London, and would take a little under 5 hours. Of course, you *are* planning to correct for the late 70s and different speed limits and freeways, right? *iz evil*

It's about 40 miles from Crossmaglen to Belfast, but the first 10 are on shit roads, so it might take longer than a projected one hour. Of course, Crossmaglen being in the midst of nasty territory, I'm assuming you'll have patrols across the road and checkpoints? *can't wait to read this*

[tovalentin.livejournal.com]

I'm so jealous.

But I can't wait to read it!

[tovalentin.livejournal.com]

I just looked at ask.com and they're saying 212 miles from Liverpool to London; I must have read the Mapquest one wrong. Time to go to bed, I guess.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I've found a site with a history of British motorways, so I'm going to check what roads would have been around in the early 80s. (I'm setting it just after the series ends.)

I'm going to fudge the checkpoints and have them drive on even crappier roads. And add more to the travel times, of course.

And I think tomorrow I'll be at the point where I can send you everything up to the climax. It won't have had a proper paper edits, but the scenes will mostly be written.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Don't be jealous. I'm in the part where it's just a long hard slog. But I can see the end of the tunnel.

And I should have something for you to read very soon. Fingers crossed.

[faramir-boromir.livejournal.com]

Weirdly enough, I could get Google Maps to show me Ireland and South Armagh and Crossmaglen, but it absolutely refused to calculate the mileage from a town **clearly marked on the freaking map** to Belfast. Measured it by hand. Stupid idjit program.

[przed.livejournal.com]

You've gone above and beyond the call. And shall be rewarded appropriately. *g*

(Idjit program indeed.)

[przed.livejournal.com]

Time for bed for both of us.

Thanks!

[justacat.livejournal.com]

I'm at VVC ... but I've actually been working on the story in my spare time! (I know I'm so delinquent, but it *is* happening). Glad to hear it's coming along ...

VVC is overwhelming as usual, but perhaps a bit more fun than usual! Full report to follow...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm almost certainly too late to help with this, and you've got at least one motorway site already, but AA Route Planner (http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/planner_main.jsp) double-checked with CBRD (http://www.cbrd.co.uk/reference/) (there's timelines for the A-roads and motorways) are really helpful!

Back then I would have allowed about 4 hours for Liverpool to Manchester, assuming motorway driving at 70mph (well, that's what the speed limit says) but depending heavily on the time of day. And bear in mind that I'm pretty careful about times "just in case"! I've done Manchester-London in two and a half on a good day, and Liverpool is only an extra half an hour on that. Same route as they would have used. If they were gonna hit London or Birmingham around 5pm it could have been more... If they're driving at night then much less. No speed cameras back then either *g* Mind you, it depends where in each city as well...

Okay, I'm not helping, am I?!

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'd found the CBRD site last nite, but the AA Route Planner is brilliant. And you are totally helping. (Bodie will be getting in to Liverpool at 6 a.m. so I reckon he can get to London by noon easily.

BTW, do you know if Little Chef was around in 1982?

[przed.livejournal.com]

Glad you're having fun at VVC. And try not to get too overwhelmed.

I'm hoping I'll have a first draft of the story done in the next two weeks. I reckon I've got 10,000 words or so to go, and I've been sticking pretty well to 1,000 words a day. 2,000 yesterday. Then I'll sling it along and we can decide what to do with the sucker.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in it's hey-day I think... First one opened in 1958 according to my googling (cos ya got me curious!) I think a Road Chef was actually the first place in England I ever ate actually, on the motorway from the airport!

And yeah, Bodie'd definitely make it there by noon... he'd easily miss rush-hour in Birmingham at 9 even, be past there by then *g*

[paris7am.livejournal.com]

No help for you, just wanted to say that WOOOHOOOO! I'm over the moon to hear that you're writing Pros and *lenthy* Pros at that! Wonderful, wonderful news :)

[kortirion.livejournal.com]

Ummm - I'd go on the generous side with times - and he'd have to use the M1 - the M40 didn't exist then - rushhour starts north of Birmingham at about 7.30-8am - driving from Manchester to 20 miles S of B'ham on the motorway system took me five+ hours in the late nineties, N to S B'ham is a distance of about 20 miles. [I hit the northern outskirts just before 8am]- you could easily half that for your time frame, but remember you've got 'London traffic' starting at High Wycombe - 30+ miles from the centre of London, speeds wouldn't be much over an average of 25-30 miles an hour [lots of crawling thro queues of near-static traffic when you got inside the North Circular]

Hope I'm not raining on your parade!

[przed.livejournal.com]

Actually, this is great. I really don't want him to hit London till close to pub opening times in the late afternoon, so if I can reasonably have him take a really long time to get there, it's better for the timing of the story. (Ah, the crazy things you have to look up when writing.)

[przed.livejournal.com]

Aww, you're too kind. And you're icon is appropriate since it's going to be a very Bodie heavy story. (And here I thought I was a Doyle gal.)

[justacat.livejournal.com]

I have sent an email off to you! I did it, *finally*! Man, I feel as proud of myself for finishing the beta of part 1 as you feel for finishing the whole damn story, I think! *g*

And yeah, hard not to let VVC feel overwhelming. It's fun, too, it really is - but I *always* have mixed feelings about this con. I'm home now, though, and my brain, hopefully, will recover fairly soon. :-)

[przed.livejournal.com]

The more I hear about VVC, the more I think I need to stay far, far away from it. Not that I'll be able to think of going for the next couple of years.