Measuring a Mile

Mile post in Athlone, Ireland

I keep track of the miles I walk as a way to motivate myself. Arbitrarily, I do not tabulate any walk that measures less than a mile. A mile, which is a Roman term derived from 1,000 times the left foot touched the ground (a pace) –  mille passus – seems like a sufficient minimum exercise. Although, again, this is completely arbitrary.

In the United States, the measurement of a mile is commonplace and widely understood. Yet, the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the combination of streets that runs from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace, is one Scots mile. A Scots mile is 1.12 English miles. Because the measure of a mile varies depending upon the stride of the individuals, measurements in different places also varied. The differences between Scots, English, Welsh and Irish miles led to great confusion. We never stop to think about what an arbitrary nature of the English mile and how it reflects the history of English dominance over the British Isles, and later the subsequent British Empire. It is little wonder that much of the world opted for the more rational metric system.