Monday, August 8, 2011

Furthest From the Sea




I've just returned from a week in Maine, the annual family vacation, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It's always good to be by the sea; the sand in one's toes and the opportunity to gaze at the horizon and dream or think about life's less important details. Even the place we stay, Georgetown, and the neighboring Robin Hood have strong sentimental attachments.

Having grown up in England the sea was always an integral part of my life. My grandfather and several uncles sailed the seven seas for many years and family vacations were always spent by the sea. In fact, and this is one of those less important life details, it is impossible to be more than 72 miles from the sea in England (or Scotland for that matter). I was thinking about this as I gazed at the horizon on the beach at Reid State Park last week and decided to find the exact spot where one is furthest from the sea; a worthy mathematical exercise.


And what better authority to call upon than the good old BBC. So here it is. Church Flatts farm (pictured above) is the furthest most spot in England that one can possibly be from the sea. A single step in any direction brings you one step closer to the sea. To be exact, the coordinates are Latitude 43 52.6 and Longitude 1 37.2.

This just goes to prove that absolutely everything in our world can be quantified mathematically and that it's lucky I only spend one week a year gazing at the horizon.

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