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 who has attempted a number of ambitious straight line missions and documented them on his YouTube channel. These videos have inspired others to attempt similar missions.
Another similar challenge is Beeline Britain, where participants travel from Land's End to John o' Groats in a straight line. This was first completed in 2014 by a four person team.
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. Walking in a straight line following a specified compass bearing is also a commonly required skill in wilderness navigation. The revolutionary organisation the Situationist International suggested walking in a straight line as a potentially revolutionary act though most straight line missions are attempted for recreational or entertainment purposes. The artist Richard Long completed a straight line mission across Dartmoor the map of which is held in the MoMA collection.

Criteria

Straight line missions can be planned using software such as Google Earth and tracked using a GPS device. Mapping the line on software such as Google Earth ensures the line is a great circle and does not depend on the map projection.
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 can also be computed for the entire line.

Notable Missions

Straight line across Wales

The first crossing of Wales in a straight line was accomplished by GeoWizard on the fourth attempt, a feat which received national media coverage. The line was 42-miles long from Craignant, Shropshire, to Tal-y-bont, near Barmouth, in Gwynedd.

Straight line across England

The first east-west crossing of England in a straight line was accomplished by GeoWizard on a route going from near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway to Bamburgh, Northumbria. A north-south crossing of England in a straight line was achieved by geographer Nicholas Crane, though using a much less stringent boundary of 1km either side of the line.

Straight Line across Scotland

The first crossing of Scotland in a straight line was achieved by Adam and Archie Fieldhouse. The longest straight line mission at the time, 49 miles, was completed in the Cairngorms National Park from the Pass of Drumochter to Corgarff..

Straight line across Latvia

The first crossing of Latvia in a straight line was completed in October 2024 by an Estonian couple, Iti-Jantra Metsamaa and Toomas Erikso. The mission received national media coverage in Latvia. The route began at the Lithuania-Latvia border and ended at the Gulf of Riga, totalling 75.4 kilometres.

Longest possible straight line

The longest possible overland straight line mission goes from Portugal to China over a distance of 11,241 km.

Popularity

Due to the popularisation of the idea by GeoWizard a number of others have attempted straight line missions across different countries such as Scotland and New Zealand. Other attempts focus on lines of the longest possible distance, use different modes of travel or are simply recreational. There is a dedicated Reddit community for discussing straight line missions.