Transport speeds
Summary
| Mode | Speed | Daily range | Sustainable duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man on foot | 3–4 mph | 15–25 mi | 24–40 km | Weeks to months |
| Horseback | 4–30 mph | 30–70 mi | 48–112 km | Days to weeks |
| Wagon | ~2 mph | 10–20 mi | 16–32 km | Weeks |
| Sailing ship | 3–8 knots | 60–150 nm | 110–275 km | Weeks to months |
Man on Foot
Speed: ~3–4 mph (5–6.5 km/h)
Daily Distance: 15–25 miles (24–40 km)
Sustainable Duration: Weeks to months, assuming rest days
Notes: Trained messengers (like royal couriers or pilgrims) might manage 30+ miles on good roads. Terrain, load, and weather greatly affect speed.
Man on Horseback
Speed:
- Walk: 4–5 mph (6–8 km/h)
- Trot/Gallop (short bursts): Up to 25–30 mph (40–48 km/h)
Daily Distance:
- Normal travel: 30–40 miles (48–64 km)
- Hard push (military courier or urgent dispatch): 50–70 miles (80–112 km), with horse changes
Sustainable Duration:
- With horse changes (relay): Several days
- Same horse: 2–3 days at hard push, longer at 30–40 miles/day
Notes: Elite couriers (like Genghis Khan’s Yam system or Roman Cursus Publicus) used relay stations to cover 100+ miles/day.
Wagon (Ox- or Horse-Drawn)
Speed: ~2 mph (3 km/h)
Daily Distance: 10–20 miles (16–32 km)
Sustainable Duration: Weeks, but requires frequent maintenance and rest for animals
Notes: Terrain greatly affects wagons; rough roads or mountains slow them significantly. Horse-drawn wagons are faster but tire more easily than oxen.
Sailing Ship
Speed: 3–8 knots (3.5–9 mph / 5.5–14.5 km/h), depending on wind and ship type
Daily Distance:
- Average medieval ship: 60–100 nautical miles/day (110–185 km)
- With favourable wind: Up to 150+ nm/day (275+ km)
Sustainable Duration: Weeks to months, depending on supplies
Notes: Coastal navigation was common. Open-sea travel depended on weather, currents, and sailing skill. Cogs and caravels were typical ships later in the medieval period.
Fishing boat (Fabra’s)
| Pace/effort | Speed (knots) | Speed (mph/kph) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustained/Cruising | 2-3 knots | 2.3-3.5 mph (3.7-5.6 km/h) |
This is the speed the fishermen could maintain for several hours on calm water without exhausting themselves. This is the best average to use for travel time |
| Max Effort/Sprint | 3.5-4 knots | 4.0-4.6 mph (6.5-7.4 km/h) |
Possible for short bursts (5-10 minutes) when escaping danger, racing to a known fishing spot, or desperately manoeuvring in an emergency. They would be exhausted afterwards. |
| Against Wind/Chop | 1 knot or less | 1.1 mph or less (2 km/h or less) |
Any significant headwind or strong current would drop the rowing speed dramatically. Sometimes, simply holding position is the best they can do. |
| Condition | Speed (knots) | Speed (mph/kph) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal Conditions (Reaching) | xxx | xxx | A moderate breeze (Force 3-4 on the Beaufort Scale) coming from the side. This is the fastest, most comfortable, and most efficient point of sail for a boat of this type. |
| Favourable (Downwind) | xxx | xxx | A wind pushing the boat directly from behind. The boat is heavy and can't outrun the waves, limiting the top speed. |
| Light Wind | xxx | xxx | When the wind is light, the sail can still make slow, steady progress, but the crew will likely start rowing to supplement the speed. |
| Upwind (Tacking) | xxx | xxx | A lug-rigged boat is not great at sailing directly against the wind. It must tack to make slow progress into a headwind. A top speed of 3 knots is its actual forward progress toward the destination, even if the boat is moving 4-5 knots through the water. |
| Maximum Burst | 7-8 knots | 8-9.2 mph (13-15 km/h) | Possible for brief periods when surfing down a large wave in a strong gale, but the boat would be hard to control and the crew would be highly stressed. |
Sailing
4-6 knots 4.6-6.9 mph (7.4-11 km/h)
3-5 knots 3.5-5.8 mph (5.5-9.2 km/h)
1-2 knots 1.1-2.3 mph (2-3.7 km/h)
1-3 knots (Speed Made Good) 1.1-3.5 mph (2-5.6 km/h)