Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Speedwell, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Speedwell and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Speedwell
- 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 Speedwell:
- 36.815209, -81.174744
- 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 Speedwell
- 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 Wythe County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Wythe County
- Since Speedwell is near Grayson County and also Smyth County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Grayson County
- eBird sighting report for Smyth 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 Speedwell ...
We found seven communities that share the name Speedwell.
Within Virginia, the name Speedwell is unique.
Beyond Virginia, we know of another seven communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these seven communities, six are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Kentucky
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Ontario
- This Speedwell lies 467 miles [751.6 km]<1> to the north of the Speedwell that is located in Wythe County.
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
Curious and Interesting Names Near Speedwell ...
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.
- Cedar Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Springs
- Cedar Springs is located in Smyth County
- Cripple Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cripple Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cripple Creek
- Cripple Creek is located in Wythe County
- Crockett
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crockett
- Crockett is located in Wythe County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crockett <4>
- Eagle ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east) - Eagle Furnace
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Furnace have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Furnace
- Eagle Furnace is located in Wythe County
- Elk Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Creek
- Elk Creek is located in Grayson County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elk Creek <4>
- Fallville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Grubb
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north) - Lower Elk Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Elk Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Elk Creek
- Lower Elk Creek is located in Grayson County
- Noble Furnace
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noble Furnace have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble Furnace
- Noble Furnace is located in Wythe County
- Rural Retreat
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Retreat
- Rural Retreat is located in Wythe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,448 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rural Retreat <4>
- Turkey Fork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turkey Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Fork
- Turkey Fork is located in Grayson County
How Far From Speedwell to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Speedwell to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Speedwell and extending to:
- Wytheville, which is the Seat of Wythe County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Speedwell to Wytheville, with an average speed<5> 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.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 211 miles [339.6 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 12 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 267 miles [429.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 11 days and walking would take 16 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,163 miles [9,918.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,870 miles [11,056.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,746 miles [7,637.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Speedwell. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Speedwell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Speedwell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.8152, Longitude: -81.1747 |
| <2> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Speedwell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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 Speedwell to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.409 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.999 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.155 degrees. |