In fact, we did have the help of a sat nav as we drove down to Austria this half term (from York, via the overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam). Unfortunately our sat nav is rather elderly and not recently updated - the traffic feature has ceased to work, and it steadfastly refused to update the maps prior to departure despite our best efforts (and annual subscription...)
Despite this it actually did a reasonable job as we travelled on the main roads down through The Netherlands, into Germany and eventually to Austria. Yes, the rather optimistic estimated time of arrival kept getting later, and the traffic wasn't accounted for, but things were OK until we came closer to our destination, Ramsau, close to Schladming.
As we passed Salzburg, the traffic abated somewhat, but it was dark and snowing lightly. The snow got steadily heavier, the visibility reduced, and suddenly the sat nav (with the rather surreal voice of C3PO) told us to turn off the main road. We did as instructed, then rapidly decided that this was possibly not the best decision ever. We found ourselves on a single track road completely covered in snow, with very few tyre tracks on the road....
We asked the sat nav to select another route, convinced that this couldn't be right (as we still had almost 20 miles left to travel!) but it appeared disgruntled at the prospect (in as much as a sat nav can express emotions in the voice of C3PO...) and offered the option of a further 30 minutes of travel. Reluctantly we continued, having no evidence that the alternative didn't also involve a single track road.
Several miles and half an hour later, we were travelling through a blizzard on a snow covered road in pitch black conditions, and had begun to wonder whether the road was even open, having not seen another vehicle at all. Our concerns were soon relieved (sort of!) when a bus approached from the opposite direction. The sudden appearance of a large bus travelling at twice our speed in the opposite direction to us on a single track road in a blizzard was not an experience I'd like to repeat again anytime soon, despite our winter tyres. Our attempt to put on the snow chains in the dark and with temperatures of -12 degrees C was also something not to be dwelled on. The hair-pin bends were also an experience - bad enough on the way up the mountain, but when we started to descend, we wondered if we would even survive the night, never mind reach our destination!
Another half an hour later, and the lights of Ramsau came into view - hooray! Unfortunately we still had to find the chalet,and unfortunately it was at this pont that the sat nav decided that it's only advice was "oh dear, turn around where possible" irrespective of the direction we took... A few phone calls later, another scary ascent on a minor road through 20 cm of fresh virgin snow and we at last arrived at our destination - exhausted and an hour and a half later than planned.
This would all have been just another holiday experience to recount to our friends later if we had not then discovered that our sat nav had taken us the "scenic route" recommended only in the Summer and for those who enjoy pleasant views (none to be had in driving snow in the dark!). So a new sat nav is definitely on our wish list!
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I entered the Flythomascook GPS Competition:
Our trusty car in Austria (complete with less trusty sat nav)!
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