We all know Google maps is great for navigating new journeys. We rely on it a great deal for exploring new countries, especially when we have a long drive to a particular destination. But it doesn’t always go to plan, sometimes Google maps gets it wrong. So many times has it brought us to the wrong side of a river and merely suggested we cross it with no bridge. Or taken us on a suspect “short cut” that left us deep in muddy forests or scaling mountains on gravel roads with sheer drops. We have gotten ourselves into some precarious positions on the say so of Google maps. Here are some tales of our Google maps induced van life fails:
Off roading in Serbia
Google maps often takes us on some questionable roads but on this occasion I’m not certain it was a road at all. Having turned off a main highway deep in Serbia with our friend also in a Ford Transit Campervan (albeit this one a lot older than ours) it didn’t take long for the road to dissolve into gravel. Gravel roads are fine until they turn into wet slippery mud tracks.
At this point we did take another look at Google maps to check for an alternative route but by this point we were already miles along this road, and another route would take hours longer. So we deluded ourselves into thinking it would get better. It got worse. Those gravel roads turned into thick mud tracks heading through farm after farm. Sliding and skidding we pushed through up hills, over uneven bumpy ground and through fields, not daring to stop in fear of getting stuck. After what felt like 100 miles we finally made cross country onto the safety of tarmac. We made it and it was an adventure but Google maps? Really?
One way streets and narrow roads in the UK
The roads in the UK are known to be narrow. We fully came to appreciate that after driving abroad so much and having the luxury of wide roads. British country lanes would be a single track road anywhere else in the world. Even in older towns and villages the streets are narrow. You’d think we were use to that. On this day however that escaped us. Google maps was lost, taking us round in circles not understanding the one way system.
We were frustrated having seen the same sites pass us by again and again so we took things into our own hands. Ignoring the directions we navigated the streets using the map itself which took us down a particularly narrow road lined with brick walls each side and no path. The road ahead seemed to get narrower faster than we noticed and soon the side of the van was scraping along one of those walls. Oops! I’m willing to admit this could be user error.
Stuck in a farm in Portugal
Diversions! Need I say more? Alas I shall. There we were driving down a pleasant enough road on our way to who knows where when we are struck by road closures and diversion signs. Granted, that’s not normally an issue you just follow the signs right? Well, that’s what we did until there were no more signs around to follow. No signs telling us where to go, no end of diversion sign. We were lost. So back to Google maps to find our way back. It forged a route and we blindly followed as lost people do. Taking a turn onto a mud track was not particularly concerning until it got narrower and windier and the crops around us grew taller blocking our view. When suddenly the road stopped. Only it didn’t stop, it had a steep drop into the small farm below with another steep hill the other side to escape.
Thoughts of going back were cancelled due to the thick crops and the winding road we were totally blind reversing back. Creeping over the summit we could feel the back wheel lift off the ground as our front one went forward. Down we went, little did we know that was the easy part. After several attempts to get back up the other side we were close to giving up. Giving it all we had we had we couldn’t get back up. Will was trying to muster up his best Portuguese to humbly ask a farmer for assistance. Giving it one last attempt and having emptied as much we could from the van (including me). Will taking as a long a run up as he could put his foot to the floor and crawled up making it to the top (just). Phew.
Conclusion
There are many more tails where Google maps is involved, granted we still use it and it is mostly ok. We also have the backup of maps.me as well though which we can use offline for whichever country we are in. It all adds to the adventure though, so here’s to more off road fun!
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