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[WARNING: Minor spoilers for the Starter Set]

We played the first two chapters of the Starter Set with me as Loremaster, and all enjoyed it very much. We'll be moving on to the rest in a few weeks and I'm currently taking my notes on the Most Excellent Fireworks adventure, however, there's one thing that does not seem right when it comes to locations.

The adventure starts out with the PCs chilling in Bag End when "when the horizon to the south-east suddenly lights up with a display of dazzling colours! You can see thin tendrils of smoke curling up in the darkening sky". These phenomena are, of course, caused by fireworks, which we later learn were messed around with near Whitfurrows. Now according to the Shire map included in the Starter Set, the distance between Hobbiton and Whitfurrows are at least 10 leagues (~ 30 miles or 50 kilometers) as the crow flies. I think that's way too far to notice fireworks, even the ones made by Gandalf.

What are your thoughts on this? My idea is to change the first scene to take place in or near Whitfurrows instead of Bag End. But then they should encounter Bruno on the way, because after he messes around with the fireworks, he leaves the estate and goes drinking with his dwarf buddy in Whitfuttows. Alternatively, they could be on their way from the Marish, between Stock and the Boffin family estate, maybe after a visit to Buckland.

This is a more than reasonable objection.

The national Fireworks display is operated every year here in Plymouth (Devon, UK) in August or thereabouts. To the north of Plymouth is the high moorland of Dartmoor, a region extending a few tens of miles across central Devon, which runs right down to the edge of the city itself.

You can get a superb view from the high ground around Princetown (approx 15 miles away) to the coast and to the English Channel - and they obviously launch the fireworks over the water. So it seems obvious that the Plymouth fireworks could be noticed from that height - weather permitting.

To my shame & ignorance I have never driven up to have a look from there, but the only way I can suggest that the Fireworks story is plausible is to have:
(i) a very dark night to see the high contrast (ii) the fireworks seen being only the rockets (iii) the observers are on the highest spot (The Hill clearly) with nothing in direct line of sight to block a view down towards that way.

I note that 30 miles (10 leagues) is TWICE the distance from Princetown to Plymouth. And that Princetown is very high up - 1400ft above sea level, thanks Google - or roughly 400m above Plymouth. I somehow wonder if the Hill is even 300m above the level of Whitfurrows, or any other part of the Shire, it would be called the Great Hill or even the Small Mountain as it gets close to 1000ft. wouldnt it?