Got lost!

DipLloyd
DipLloyd Posts: 23
edited August 2012 in Road beginners
As the title suggests ... i got lost :lol:


Went out for an easy 40 min ride, as I'm trying to ease myself into cycling, this being only my fourth venture out. Ended up about 5 miles away from Mablethorpe according to the road signs!


Was roughly 40 miles according to google maps and boy are my legs feeling it :shock: . I was bricking it as I didn't have a phone or any kind of reflectives/lights on my bike either, on unlit roads, whoops!


Anyone here had this experience? Is it some sort of right of passage?

Comments

  • Wirral_paul
    Wirral_paul Posts: 2,476
    How do you get lost so close to home?? :D:D
  • DipLloyd
    DipLloyd Posts: 23
    Oi shuddup!


    I don't have a car so don't really know the roads too well. Feels like I've done a few rounds with John Holmes lol.
  • ilikecycling
    ilikecycling Posts: 50
    I sympathise as Road signage can be crap and very sporadic.

    Cheap option: buy a road atlas at a decent scale from Poundland (or similar), tear out the page with your town on it, fold to convenient size, put it in a sandwich bag (or similar) and carry it in your back pocket whenever you go out.

    Expensive option: buy a Garmin!
  • teulk
    teulk Posts: 557
    " Easy 40mile ride " and " this being only my fourth venture out ". I could think of shorter distances to easy into cycling :D
    You could of went back to your " last known" position and just went home. Generally if im going on a new route i do it quite early on so it then leaves plenty of time for getting lost etc without having to worry about it getting dark. I do how ever have a Garmin 705 and an Android phone so getting totally lost doesn't really happen.
    As already mentioned take a map with you if you don't have a Garmin or a Phone.
    Good luck with your route finding
    Boardman Team 09 HT
    Orbea Aqua TTG CT 2010
    Specialized Secteur Elite 2011
  • DipLloyd
    DipLloyd Posts: 23
    I said 40mins not miles! Christ gimme a few months :p


    I do have an iphone and will be taking it next time ... but I'm on vodaphone so i don't see the point of even taking it lol.
  • teulk
    teulk Posts: 557
    DipLloyd wrote:
    I said 40mins not miles! Christ gimme a few months :p

    I should have put my glasses on :D , im not suprised your legs were aching a bit then.
    Boardman Team 09 HT
    Orbea Aqua TTG CT 2010
    Specialized Secteur Elite 2011
  • Gizmodo
    Gizmodo Posts: 1,928
    I remember one of my first rides, I went out for a 10 mile spin before taking my wife to a hospital appointment. But of course I missed a turning and ended up on a road that I didn't recognise. I did have my phone and got up Google maps to find a way home, but it was then my longest ride to date and made it home just in time.

    Bought a Garmin 800 the following day.

    If you've lived in the area for donkeys years and know it like the back of your hand, great. If not you will get lost and road sings are designed for cars, they take you the long way round on major roads - not what a cyclist wants.
    Summer - Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 Team
    Winter - Trek Madone 3.5 2012 with UDi2 upgrade.
    For getting dirty - Moda Canon
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Regularly.
    _
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    I always go out and back on the same roads when I'm looking for new routes.. pretty hard to get lost...
  • GBR1
    GBR1 Posts: 97
    download an app like OutDoors and then download your relevant area, not cheapest but works This way the phone only needs GPS signal and doesn't need any phone signal.

    I have found this very accurate and useful on new rides..

    GBR1
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    How old are you ? Do you not get out much ? I'd be amazed if i could get lost on a 40 min bike ride. Even as a kid starting off I dont remember getting lost.
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    I got lost on a point to point 100 mile ride. Unexpectedly it really shook me up for a few minutes until I regained control and thought it through. Like a fool I tried to rely on phone-based navigation without taking a back up map. :roll:
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • Velonutter
    Velonutter Posts: 2,437
    Pigeon navigating and follow the direction of the sun, always worked for me unless it is dark or the sun is not out!
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    C'mon, this is Britain! I doubt if it's possible to get truly lost on the road.

    You might lose your bearings for a bit, that's all. If in doubt, you can always ask someone for directions.

    Anyway, to not be facetious for a minute, you will soon get to know your local roads very well and I bet it never happens again.
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I stick an OS map in my jersey pocket if I'm venturing into unfamiliar territory. Been navigating that way for 45 years. They are quite a bit cheaper than a Garmin 800, and the battery life and coverage is exceptional.
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    keef66 wrote:
    I stick an OS map in my jersey pocket if I'm venturing into unfamiliar territory. Been navigating that way for 45 years. They are quite a bit cheaper than a Garmin 800, and the battery life and coverage is exceptional.

    On the money. Everything you need to know really. :)
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • El Zomba
    El Zomba Posts: 164
    You didn't get lost. You were exploring new routes.

    Think positive, dude!
  • mikeabanks
    mikeabanks Posts: 116
    On one of my first longer rides north(ish) of Northampton - I got a fright when I passed Coventry Gliding club!!!
    Luckily for me it is nowhere near Coventry being just north of Naesby :-)
  • simon_masterson
    simon_masterson Posts: 2,740
    I've lost my way and taken wrong turnings whilst trying to get to places, but that happens to all of us at some point. Quaint English villages and country back roads don't necessarily have the level of signage that is more common on major roads and in towns and cities.

    But don't worry about it. Everybody loses their bearings sometimes, and it depends on where you live, as well; if you've upped sticks at some point and moved across the country you may not know the roads as well as if you spend your childhood cycling around on them. Etc. Follow your nose, use any signs you find, ask for directions... As was said in a post above, it's quite hard to get truly 'lost'. And you can always retrace your steps.
    Retro(ish) TT 2017-
    Fixed TT 2015-2016
  • Gizmo_
    Gizmo_ Posts: 558
    And why is it that it's just when you're starting to think you might be lost, you come up to a hill that looks like the north face of the Eiger? :)
    Scott Sportster P45 2008 | Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra 2012
  • DipLloyd
    DipLloyd Posts: 23
    I generally have a good internal compass and knew which way to keep pedaling/ aim for the next turn left... but it was more the fear of the dark with no lights that had me a tad worried. :lol:


    I'm 22 btw, but i'd never cycled/been through that part of the county... ever.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Peddle Up! wrote:
    keef66 wrote:
    I stick an OS map in my jersey pocket if I'm venturing into unfamiliar territory. Been navigating that way for 45 years. They are quite a bit cheaper than a Garmin 800, and the battery life and coverage is exceptional.

    On the money. Everything you need to know really. :)

    That'll teach me. 2 days after posting this I found I'd strayed off the edge of the map and ended up going a lot further than originally intended :oops: If you do navigate by OS map, it does pay to look at the thing occasionally!
  • snoopsmydogg
    snoopsmydogg Posts: 1,110
    managed to get lost around 10 miles from home the other night which ended up making the ride more enjoyable. The only issue I had was riding through a ford that although quite wide didnt appear deep only to find that it almost went up to my knees getting through it but hey you live and learn :) .

    I know the main roads quite well within a 50-60mile radius so just kept heading straight until I found a point I recognised. dont carry an os map but most smart phones do have a mapping app of some kind if you do start to get concerned.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    I generally do out and back with new routes and just add to them bit by bit till I have a circular.

    Got well lost earlier in the year cycling towards Nantes in brittany, when the cycle path unexpectedly ran out. I knew that I had to sort it out and with my limited french I did within about an hour after realising that I was being dumb. Was a little scary but got a terrific sense of achievement and confidence for the future. Personal growth always happens under pressure
  • AdrianStuart
    AdrianStuart Posts: 140
    Velonutter wrote:
    Pigeon navigating and follow the direction of the sun, always worked for me unless it is dark or the sun is not out!

    Follow the stars?
  • Wunnunda
    Wunnunda Posts: 214
    keef66 wrote:
    Peddle Up! wrote:
    keef66 wrote:
    I stick an OS map in my jersey pocket if I'm venturing into unfamiliar territory. Been navigating that way for 45 years. They are quite a bit cheaper than a Garmin 800, and the battery life and coverage is exceptional.

    On the money. Everything you need to know really. :)

    That'll teach me. 2 days after posting this I found I'd strayed off the edge of the map and ended up going a lot further than originally intended :oops: If you do navigate by OS map, it does pay to look at the thing occasionally!
    :)
    The other problem with OS maps (which IMHO are a National Treasure BTW) is that I have ALWAYS, almost completely without exception, managed to either live or holiday at the join of 4 sheets....both expensive AND inconvenient. :(

Categories