December 13, 2004

Haugesund to Trondheim, the long way round. Ask Microsoft's Mappoint route-finding service to plan the quickest route from Haugesund, in Norway, to Trondheim, also in Norway, and it suggests a forty-seven-and-a-half hour drive-athon involving a ferry to England, the Channel Tunnel to France, and an overland trek on through Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden before getting back into Norway.

Other services find a rather better route: twelve hours is still a long time, but it's better than two whole days.

posted by ThreeDayMonk 20 years ago
  • It is quite a distance, but you really shouldn't need to leave the country to make the journey.
  • Unless you're charging it all to the company expense account.
  • *offers five kroner for gas*
  • Dude, that's hilarious. I just tried a long route on that service (Halifax to Ottawa, we did it this summer) and it wanted you to go through Maine. There is no reason for that trip to go through Maine! Not to mention you'd have to cross the border, then. I think I'll stick to Yahoo maps, thanks.
  • This software just acknowledges the fact that all roads lead to London. With the exception of the M25.
  • hmm, the service appears to be down now... oops!
  • This is the shorter, scenic route. "Fjord Norway along the coastal highway E39" Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. There are a few photos on the "Fjord Norway" page, but they don't do justice to the country. At least there's some travel description posted, which beats what Mappoint tells you. We had the good fortune of taking the "Hurtigruten" coastal voyage journey up the coast of Norway from Bergen to Kirkenes on the Russian border. The trip takes a week. Those with Flash capability can enjoy a Virtual Cruise of Norway. It's like a different world. This software just acknowledges the fact that all roads lead to London. Has anyone tried a Rome-to-Venice routing?
  • Hmmm... the Route from Ohio to TX looks ok. It's not the prettiest route, but it's an ok one.
  • One of the things about the mapping services is that many of them seem to go for the shortest route regardless of complexity (obviously not in this case!). When I used Mapquest to find the location of the NJ meetup a while back, it took me around a bunch of back roads, when it should have dumped me off the highway one exit later and given me a straight shot to my destination. I shudder to think what Microsoft would have done with that route. I've have gone through Manhattan or Delaware.
  • Anybody here remember the Where do you want to go today? ad campaign?