Straight line mission
A straight line mission is an outdoor recreational activity where participants attempt to cross an area in a completely straight line, typically on foot. Straight line missions have been popularised by British YouTuber Tom Davies (GeoWizard) who has attempted a number of ambitious straight line missions and documented them on his YouTube channel.[1][2][3][4] These videos have inspired others to attempt similar missions.[5]
Another similar challenge is Beeline Britain, where participants travel (using kayaks, bikes and on foot) from Land's End to John o' Groats in a straight line. This was first completed in 2014 by a four person team.[6]
Straight line missions also have some similarity to parkour, where practitioners attempt to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible, though are usually attempted over much longer distances across non-urban environments. Well known parkour practitioners Storror have attempted straight line missions.[7] Walking in a straight line following a specified compass bearing is also a commonly required skill in wilderness navigation.[8] The revolutionary organisation the Situationist International suggested walking in a straight line as a potentially revolutionary act[9] though most straight line missions are attempted for recreational or entertainment purposes. The artist Richard Long completed a straight line mission across Dartmoor[10] the map of which is held in the MoMA collection.[11]
History
[edit]Between 800BCE and 100BCE, Paracas culture in Palpa province created straight line geoglyphs in what is now Peru.[12] Also in Peru, between 500BCE and 500CE some eight hundred straight Nazca lines were later created for purposes including astronomy, the longest was around 9 miles.[13]
In the 21st century, civilian GPS became widely available.
Criteria
[edit]Straight line missions can be planned using software such as Google Earth and tracked using a GPS device.[14] Mapping the line on software such as Google Earth ensures the line is a great circle and does not depend on the map projection.[15]
Straight line missions are scored according to a number of criteria based on the largest deviation from the planned route. With max deviations less than a certain amount achieving the following grades
- 25m - Platinum
- 50m - Gold
- 75m - Silver
- 100m - Bronze
A total score (Burdell score) can also be computed for the entire line.[16]
Notable Missions
[edit]Straight line across England
[edit]At the end of the 20th century, a north-south crossing of England in a straight line was achieved by geographer Nicholas Crane[17], though using a much less stringent boundary of 1km either side of the line.
The first east-west crossing of England in a straight line was accomplished in 2024 by GeoWizard[1][3] on a route going from near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway to Bamburgh, Northumbria.
Straight line across Scotland
[edit]The first crossing of Scotland in a straight line was achieved in 2022 by Adam and Archie Fieldhouse.[5] The longest straight line mission at the time, 49 miles, was completed in the Cairngorms National Park from the Pass of Drumochter to Corgarff.[18].
Straight line across Wales
[edit]| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Mission Across Wales - Attempt 1 (2019). GeoWizard | |
| Mission Across Wales - Attempt 2 (2020). GeoWizard | |
| Mission Across Wales - Attempt 3 (2021). GeoWizard | |
| Mission Across Wales - Attempt 4 (2023).[2] GeoWizard |
The first crossing of Wales in a straight line was accomplished in 2023 by GeoWizard on the fourth attempt[2] a feat which received national media coverage.[19] The line was 42-miles long from Craignant, Shropshire, to Tal-y-bont, near Barmouth, in Gwynedd.
Straight line across Latvia
[edit]The first crossing of Latvia in a straight line was completed in October 2024 by an Estonian couple, Iti-Jantra Erikso[a] and Toomas Erikso [20]. The mission received national media coverage in Latvia. [21] The route began at the Lithuania-Latvia border and ended at the Gulf of Riga, totalling 75.4 kilometres.
Straight line across Estonia
[edit]The first crossing of Estonia in a straight line was completed in April 2025 also by Iti-Jantra Erikso and Toomas Erikso.[22] The line began at the Estonia-Latvia border and ended in Vainupea beach, on the north coast of Estonia, totalling 176 kilometres. The mission received media coverage in The Baltic Guide tourism newspaper. [23]
Longest possible straight line
[edit]The longest possible overland straight line mission goes from Portugal to China over a distance of 11,241 km.[24]
Popularity
[edit]Due to the popularisation of the idea by GeoWizard a number of others have attempted straight line missions across different countries such as Scotland[25] and New Zealand.[26] Other attempts focus on lines of the longest possible distance,[27] use different modes of travel[28] or are simply recreational.[29]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ Credited under her maiden name, Iti-Jantra Metsamaa, in coverage of the Latvia and Estonia missions.
References
[edit]- 1 2 Campbell, Oliver-James (16 February 2021). "Meet the Man Who Walks Across Entire Countries in a Straight Line". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- 1 2 3 GeoWizard. "Mission Across Wales (Attempt #4)". YouTube. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- 1 2 GeoWizard. Straight Line Mission Across England. YouTube. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ GeoWizard. Mission Across Norway Series. YouTube. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- 1 2 Herbert, Miles (23 March 2025). "Could you walk across the UK in a perfectly straight line? Inside YouTube's strangest challenge". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ Lewis, Ciaran (16 June 2014). "She's Beeline Britain record breaker Welsh". WalesOnline. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ Storror. Attempting STRAIGHT LINE Mission up a Mountain. YouTube. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ Cowdrey, Chris (6 May 2020). "Navigation Techniques: Following a Bearing". At The Edge Mountaineering. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ "GeoWizard and the Mission Across Wales". Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ Barkham, Patrick (16 April 2017). "Richard Long: 'I'm proud of being the first person to cross Dartmoor in a straight line'". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ Richard Long. "Walking a Straight 10-Mile Line, Dartmoor, England". Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ Greshko, Michael, "Exclusive: Massive Ancient Drawings Found in Peruvian Desert", National Geographic, 05 April 2018
- ↑ https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/90365-longest-pre-columbian-line.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Rachel Hall (11 June 2021). "Straight story? The YouTuber taking a direct route to success". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ "KML Reference". Google Developers. Google. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ "Straight-Line Mission Scorer". Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ Crane, Nick (2000). Two Degrees West: An English Journey. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0140272369.
- ↑ Angie Brown (1 September 2021). "Pair complete UK's longest straight-line challenge". Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ "YouTuber Tom Davies walks straight line across Wales". Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ "Straight Across LATVIA". YouTube. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ↑ "Pilnīgi taisnā līnijā pāri Latvijai. Igauņu pāra piedzīvojumu misija". tv3.lv (in Latvian). 23 November 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ↑ "Straight Across ESTONIA". YouTube. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ Online, W. S. I.; toimetaja (8 April 2026). "Hiking Across Estonia on Foot". balticguide.ee. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ Frank Jacobs (30 January 2023). "The world's longest straight line connects Portugal to China". Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ "Former cross-country athlete crosses Scotland in straight line". The National. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ "Kiwi trio want to become the first to walk a straight-line across New Zealand". RNZ. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ Ramage, Tom (27 April 2025). "Aviemore constable and son go on straight and narrow for a record distance". Strathspey Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ "Cycling live blog: 19 September 2024". road.cc. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ↑ Allf, Bradley (15 August 2022). "The Peculiar Appeal of Straight-Line Hiking". Backpacker. Retrieved 17 September 2024.