How to measure distance?

[debi340]

Does anyone know of a website that would help measure distance from a postal address to a school address? This needs to be as the 'crow flies'/walking and not by road. I need to know this for a school appeal, so it needs to be accurate and not just a ruler measure. Thank you

[Tom Braider]

Try Transport Direct. Lots of govt departments use it.

http://www.transportdirect.info/Web/Templates/ Home.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7b9B2CE BBB-B2D4-4022-A0D1-5B939541864D%7d&NRORIGINALU RL=%2fTransportDirect%2fen%2fHome%2ehtm%3fcach eparam%3d9&NRCACHEHINT=Guest&cacheparam=9&repe atingloop=Y

[pug100]

Try this website. Its an application running from google maps so is very accurate.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

Before starting select options and choose uk from the top drop down menu. Then type the place , town or city you want. Once you have the map at a suitable zoom level to see what you're doing choose start recording on the left of the page. Now double click on the map to mark the points you need to pass through it should display pushpins on the map as you go along and a totla distace will appear in the box on the left. There is also an option (complete) for a return path along the same route.

[Tichfield]

You need thias website:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/cgi-bin/inyourarea/dist .pl

[debi340]

Thank you all, the last answer was the most useful. I tried the first but that was for road/travel distance. The second answer I just couldn't get to work. Bingo third! Thank you anyway I shall use them all in the future.

[Lil O'lady]

Debi - bear in mind that the distance by road can only be measured accurately by someone walking it with a measuring wheel. This is because detours to safe crossing points etc all add up.
Sometimes local authorities use maps to assess the walked distance but don't take road safety / avoiding lonely alleyways into account, so it is reasonable to challenge a 'given' walking distance if you can prove that the real journey on foot is different.

[kempie]

debi340 - also bear in mind that your prefered choice of calculator includes the following disclaimer:

Please note that results obtained from this tool are based on the postcode area mean and as such should not be used as the definitive measure of distance for school admissions or other purposes.

[Mamjet]

Why not attach a tape measure to a crow and make it fly from your house to the school?

[toby99]

Get a map with a measurement scale on it i.e. 1 cm = 5 mile etc and put your ruler in a straight line between the two distances and measure the distance according to the scale.