The dangers of relying solely on sat-nav

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From The Sun:

Tourist ends up in pub instead of Windsor Castle

AN American tourist hoping to visit the Queen was stunned when her sat-nav led her to a pub 100 miles away - called The Windsor Castle.

The dozy sightseer set off from a hotel in Bath, Somerset, in the hope of finding the Royal family's country pile in Berkshire.

But her hire car's sat-nav sent her in the opposite direction to Weston-super-Mare, Somerset - and into the car park of The Windsor Castle boozer.

Bemused staff informed the hapless Yank, who did not give her name, that the real castle was two hours away and sent her on her way with the correct directions.

Assistant manager Andrew Cassidy, 24, said: "I started work at 3.30pm and this American woman came in shortly afterwards and asked if the pub had WiFi. I said it didn't and asked if I could help her. She said she had wanted to travel to Windsor Castle and had ended up here. When I asked if she meant the real Windsor Castle she said yes and I laughed. I told her this was the Windsor Castle but probably not the one she was looking for. She said it was quite funny but not really as she had driven from Bath. I have been working here for six years and have always wanted someone to come in and say that and it has finally happened. It was funny because she had her sat-nav, iPod and phone and even with all that technology, she ended up here."

Staff directed the holidaymaker, aged in her early 30s, to a nearby McDonald's where she could get a WiFi signal.

She then continued on her journey to the correct Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, despite barmen telling her it would probably be shut by the time she got there on Thursday.

Greg Jeffrey, 42, second chef at the pub, said: "In the two years I have worked here it was the funniest thing I have come across."

Should've taken the train. I'm sure ticket office staff at Bath are used to dealing with geographically challenged Yanks! 

[readytostart]

I got a table of four to get their passports ready at Berwick Upon Tweed recently, I may have let out a silent chortle when they complied!

[LiskeardRich]

i drove somewhere using mine, and it took me across farm tracks and alsorts, never solely rely on it anymore, i just use it once i reach destination town now to find street etc

[Chris from Nailsea]

I got a table of four to get their passports ready at Berwick Upon Tweed ...

 

[johoare]

There is a Windsor Castle Pub in Maidenhead too.. I've seen a similar story in the Maidenhead Advertiser about people trying to deliver something there that was meant for the proper Windsor castle 

[inspector_blakey]

Should've taken the train. I'm sure ticket office staff at Bath are used to dealing with geographically challenged Yanks! 

I know one of said ticket office staff personally - apparently the Yanks are relatively easy to deal with, the main problem arises with geographically-challenged non-English speakers!

I got a table of four to get their passports ready at Berwick Upon Tweed recently, I may have let out a silent chortle when they complied!

Nice job that man! When I was working in Oxford a friend of mine worked with an overseas colleague who told her that he was planning to spend the weekend visiting Wales. She told him (jokingly, never for one moment thinking he would take it seriously...) that he would have to go to the Post Office to obtain a Welsh Visa stamp in his passport and also some florins as currency.

My friend then thought no more about it until a few days later when her colleague returned to work one afternoon extremely hot and bothered having spent an age queuing in St Aldates post office only to be laughed out of the place when he finally got to a counter and made his requests 

[LiskeardRich]

likewise to you two above, i collected an australian friend from plymouth airport, coming down towards the tamar bridge, he asked what the toll booths were. i promptly said passport control to get from cornwall to England.
never thought no more of it, until i dropped him back to plymouth airport a couple of weeks later. As we passed through the Saltash tunnel, he got his passport and visa out to show at "passport control" 

[Ollie]

Nice job that man! When I was working in Oxford a friend of mine worked with an overseas colleague who told her that he was planning to spend the weekend visiting Wales. She told him (jokingly, never for one moment thinking he would take it seriously...) that he would have to go to the Post Office to obtain a Welsh Visa stamp in his passport and also some florins as currency.

My friend then thought no more about it until a few days later when her colleague returned to work one afternoon extremely hot and bothered having spent an age queuing in St Aldates post office only to be laughed out of the place when he finally got to a counter and made his requests 

Post of the month!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Another anecdote:

Years ago, a couple of traffic officers from the Avon & Somerset police attended at the old Severn Bridge tolls, to deal with some offence having been committed. While one of them took down details from the witness, the other, to relieve his momentary boredom, stood at the nearest toll booth and made a show of asking "passports, please" to those in cars, just to see their reactions.

Within moments, a chap jumped out of his car, very apologetically explaining that he didn't have a passport: he was an illegal immigrant.

So: an arrest, and even more paperwork for that particular policeman, then.

[inspector_blakey]

Post of the month!

Thanks! Think that's the first time I've won...

[smokey]

There's an awful lot of drivers using Sat-Nav these days,

Reckon in a couple of years, there will be a lot of people who CAN'T read a Map.

Something I don't like is this, you can set a Sat-Nav for Walking directions, but the Sat-Nav I've got when set to walking will direct you along Railway lines, well anyone with half a brain WOULDN'T walk down a Railway.

But some are BRAINLESS.

And if driving with a Sat-Nav (in walk mode) giving instructions to turn Left or Right ONTO a railway may explain why some off the GOONS do just that.

Something for RSSB^▸ (Rail Safety and Standards Board) to take up with Sat-Nav makers.?

[LiskeardRich]

we've just bought a brand new nissan with a built in sat nav. most of the time we used to forget to take the sat nav, and let common sense take over, with a built in one i'm worried the mrs will rely 100% on it.

[devon_metro]

I tend to use sat nav in the background, i.e. sound off - that way I am navigating - but it will get me out of trouble if I go wrong/have no idea where i'm going.

As it turns out I lost signal on the A303 the other day and subsequently the sat nav went into meltdown and had to navigate my way from the wilderness of Wiltshire to Salisbury and beyond 

[Chris from Nailsea]

... from the wilderness of Wiltshire ... 

Melksham? 

[devon_metro]

... from the wilderness of Wiltshire ... 

Melksham? 

Unfortunately not