Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Merlin, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Merlin and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Merlin
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Merlin:
- 40.103160, -75.579365
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Merlin
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Chester County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Chester County
- Since Merlin is near Erie County and also Montgomery County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Erie County
- eBird sighting report for Montgomery County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Merlin ...
We found four communities that share the name Merlin.
Within Pennsylvania, the name Merlin is unique.
Beyond Pennsylvania, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these four communities, three are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- Louisiana
- Ontario
- This Merlin lies 375 miles [603.5 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Merlin that is located in Chester County.
- Oregon
Curious and Interesting Names Near Merlin ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Birchrunville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birchrunville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchrunville
- Birchrunville is located in Chester County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Birchrunville <3>
- Bull Tavern
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bull Tavern have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull Tavern
- Bull Tavern is located in Chester County
- Cedar Hollow
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hollow
- Cedar Hollow is located in Chester County
- Chester Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Springs
- Chester Springs is located in Chester County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chester Springs <3>
- Corner Store
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corner Store have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corner Store
- Corner Store is located in Chester County
- Hallman
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest) - Hollow Run Farms
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollow Run Farms have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollow Run Farms
- Hollow Run Farms is located in Chester County
- Ironsides
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Pikeland
(Less than 2 miles to the west) - Planebrook
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Planebrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Planebrook
- Planebrook is located in Chester County
- Rivers Bend
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rivers Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rivers Bend
- Rivers Bend is located in Montgomery County
- Riverwalk
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast) - Seven Stars
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Stars have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
- Seven Stars is located in Chester County
- Williams Corner
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williams Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Corner
- Williams Corner is located in Chester County
How Far From Merlin to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Merlin to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Merlin and extending to:
- West Chester, which is the Seat of Chester County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from Merlin to West Chester, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 69 miles [111 km] to the west (W). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 113 miles [181.9 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,785 miles [9,310.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,492 miles [10,447.9 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,368 miles [7,029.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Merlin. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Chester County: www.chesco.org/
The official website for State of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Merlin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merlin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.1032, Longitude: -75.5794 In this case, the coordinates for Merlin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Merlin to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 306.936 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 302.545 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 303.609 degrees. |