Henry Ernest Dudeney/Modern Puzzles/154 - The Way to Tipperary

Modern Puzzles by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $154$

The Way to Tipperary

The popular bard assures us that "it's a long way to Tipperary."

Look at the accompanying chart and see if you can discover the best way from London to "the sweetest girl I know."

The lines represent stages from town to town, and it is necessary to get from London to Tipperary in an even number of stages.

You will find no difficulty getting there in $3$, $5$, $7$, $9$ or $11$ stages,

but these are odd numbers and will not do.

The reason that they are odd is that they all omit the sea passage, a very necessary stage.

If you get to your destination in an even number of stages, it will be because you have crossed the Irish Sea.

Which stage is the Irish Sea?

Sources

• 1926: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Modern Puzzles ... (previous) ... (next): Unicursal and Route Problems: $154$. -- The Way to Tipperary
• 1968: Henry Ernest Dudeney: 536 Puzzles & Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Combinatorial & Topological Problems: Route & Network Puzzles: $411$. The Way to Tipperary