Supposed size of Westeros?

[Kyriakos]

A royal convoy with a leisurely pace and a fat, comfortable king would not reach near as much, though ^^
Adds that even with roads, terrain is not flat, and that a road doesn't go in straitgh line so if it's 2000 miles on the map, it's probably closer to 2500 or 3000 on the ground.

So count maybe 10 to 15 miles a day, for 2500 to 3000 miles... It's closer to one year than one month

Which brings up back to how poor an idea it was for known Westeros to be the size of South America

And really Martin had no reason to do it, even if Westeros should 100% be its own continent. Since no one knows what is north of the Wall anyway, what is south could just be Britain-sized with not as much issue. The different weather/climate is an added problem there, but then again that isn't that needed an idea in this scale either (why should Dorne be a desert at all? It could just be a lot warmer than in the Wall, but still continental-like, and i am sure they will model it on the euro med anyway in the show).

 

[Yeekim]

it is noted that the King and his party "ride for months" to get to Winterfell

It is also noted that they traveled with a huge train which includes huge and cumbersome "wheeled house" for royal family and frequently (ab)used the hospitality of the lords on the way.
A fast courier would certainly cover that distance in fraction of the time.

Robert Baratheon in the first novel refers to the North as larger than all the other kingdoms combined.

Given context of that statement, it is also very plausible he said this jokingly/was exaggerating.

 

[Kyriakos]

^Also Roose Bolton says the North is about the same size as the rest of the seven kingdoms together (at least in the tv series)

 

[Yeekim]

They probably based that quote on what Robert said in the books.

 

[Mise]

I posted this thing earlier, which I think is probably authoritative: http://orbis.stanford.edu/

Foot = 30km/day
Horse = 56km/day
Fast military march = 60km/day (slightly more than 1 horse power)
Horse relay = 250km/day

If couriers used horse relays to deliver messages then you could expect 3200km (2000 miles) to be covered in 13 days. OTOH, assuming a King's carriage and entourage travel about the same as walking pace, Robert Baratheon would have taken nearly 4 months to travel the same distance.

Horse relays you guys. Genius.

 

[bhsup]

Heh. I am sure there have been many others in history, but the only horse relay I know of is The Pony Express.

 

[Kyriakos]

I don't see Robert Baratheon using a horse relay (and in Westeros communication to distant lands is done by magical ravens. Now just how a raven can travel for an entire continent to get from the North to Dragonstone... is magic).

Editors should have picked up this minor issue of scale :\

 

[aelf]

In 1805 a fast paced French army division could cover about 20 miles a day in good weather; forced marching could add another 10.

A Napoleonic army is not all horsemen.

Granted wagons and whatnot in addition would be very slow. But at least from what I recall in the film version, there was no need for a huge train, and Robert was a warrior king so his traveling fairly light doesn't seem inconceivable. Hence I used the speed of a horse's walk to do an estimation, kinda similar to the figures given by Mise.

And the Kingsroad runs pretty straight, and if it's comparable to Roman roads, I'd say it's probably quite flat too.

 

[illram]

Maybe it does take a long time but the time scale is screwed up and that's why everyone seems to be between 13 and 16 years old.

 

[Zack]

Maybe it does take a long time but the time scale is screwed up and that's why everyone seems to be between 13 and 16 years old.

That's one of the few things I'm glad the show changed (aging everyone up). I think it fits into the overall narrative better, plus people wouldn't be so excited about seeing Dany's butt if she was 13...