How far.......

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ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
.....generally does it take to cycle to a point on the horizon? This is a genuine enquiry. I can just see the Dartford suspension bridge struts on a clear day from my office and was wondering how far it was and how long it would take me. Obviously I can look at a map but I wondered if there is any rule of thumb. I keep meaning to tackle this as a ride home but I've chickened out so far. If I can make it to the bridge I can almost certainly drag myself home from there.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
ChrisKH said:
.....generally does it take to cycle to a point on the horizon? This is a genuine enquiry. I can just see the Dartford suspension bridge struts on a clear day from my office and was wondering how far it was and how long it would take me. Obviously I can look at a map but I wondered if there is any rule of thumb. I keep meaning to tackle this as a ride home but I've chickened out so far. If I can make it to the bridge I can almost certainly drag myself home from there.


Um, you'll never reach the horizon... I don't know if you've heard, but they've pretty much concluded that the earth is a sphere...

The less facetious answer being, I don't know. Are you talking about a completely flat area? How far you can see will be affected by your altitude, how tall those struts are etc... At sea, isn't it meant to be 3 miles or something?
 

Tim Bennet.

Entirely Average Member
Location
S of Kendal
If you consult any marine almanac you will find 'Distance to Horizon' tables. You enter your eye height and it will give you the horizon distance.

Obviously as taller objects will peek over the horizon you need to combine their horizon distance to your height of eye and that will give you the distance at which you will just raise them over the horizon (visibility permitting).

Of course on land it all has to be adjusted for relative heights due to the topography. Good luck.
 
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ChrisKH

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
Well I'm on the 25th floor so would have to factor that in. But otherwise it's flat (East London/Essex Borders).
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
ChrisKH said:
.....generally does it take to cycle to a point on the horizon? This is a genuine enquiry. I can just see the Dartford suspension bridge struts on a clear day from my office and was wondering how far it was and how long it would take me. Obviously I can look at a map but I wondered if there is any rule of thumb. I keep meaning to tackle this as a ride home but I've chickened out so far. If I can make it to the bridge I can almost certainly drag myself home from there.


I have some vague recollection that at sea it's something like 12 miles but that's probably bollix.
 
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ChrisKH

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
My calculations would make it 25.3 miles if I'm 425 feet above the ground.
 
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ChrisKH

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
Well there's only one way to find out I suppose. I just need to get a new wireless cycle computer.........
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Dayvo said:
Yeah, I heard that if you were standing at the water's edge, and the sea was calm, then the horizon was 11 miles away. But that's probably changed now, what with all this global bollox warming! :blush:;)


I must be taller than you Dayvo if I can see 12m but it seems unlikely at 5'7". Maybe the air is denser in Sweden:wacko:
 
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