"As the crow flies" describes the distance between two points if one could go in a straight line without needing to follow the constraints of existing roads and paths. Is there a standard phrase for the distance if one does need to stick to existing roads, that parallels "as the crow flies" and is used to contrast with it? I've only ever heard humorous "antonyms" like "It's ten miles as the crow flies, but fifteen miles as the Toyota Camry drives along Route 119."
Learn English – widely-accepted opposite of “as the crow flies”
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Best Answer
By road would be a natural choice, as opposed to "in the air" implied by the crow.
It even has a dictionary entry and example:
(The distance between London and Gretna Green is around 270 miles as the crow flies)