I aim for 250 miles per day, after that it ceases to be fun.
...and it starts being plain transportation.
250 miles is a good point. I'm planning a 4 k miles in May to Ireland and Scotland. I allocated 650 miles in one day to get from Munich to Calais at the beginning (getting out of cozy Germany asap), and back at the end of the trip (just like taking off a plaster). These are the only 2 days of the trip in which I'll see highway. The other 2700 miles are secondary roads distributed in 13 days in which I have from 0 miles (I'll spend 2 nights in Dublin, exactly in the middle of the trip) up to 300 miles a day. Since I'm not taking direct routes between one hotel and the next, I can always cut the mileage (or increase it) if I feel so. Camera is in the tank bag and I don't think I'll be below 100 pics a day.
My reason for this daily mileage are the following:
- when I wake up at around 7 am, I like having a walk, breathing fresh air and listening to locals starting their day. It's a better way to get to know the folk than a museum later in the day. Afterwards I'll have a good breakfast. I don't usually leave the hotel before 10 am.
- now the driving. I usually have a morning drive until my stomach asks for food. 3 or 4 hours. By the time I found the right place and ate, I'm looking at 3 pm.
- another couple of hours driving and taking pictures, maybe taking a tour or visiting a national park or some other touristic attraction, to arrive to the next hotel anywhere between 7 and 11 pm. I always call the hotels to let them know my ETA.
- if I arrive on the earlier side of that window, I leave my stuff and hit the city/town/sunset pic opportunity and enjoy a nice meal, and finally hit the bed.
Munching miles is good for statistics, but does nothing for pleasure. My highest priority is keeping well rested and the average speed realistic.