SatNav or Satnaff the hi-tech versus low tech challenge

Two Sunday Post reporters battle it out in a race around Edinburgh one with a SatNav and the other armed only with a map.

We might be in the Digital Age, but old-fashioned maps are still more popular than the newfangled SatNavs. A recent AA survey shows a whopping 63% of drivers have used an A-Z in the last six months, while 60% have used a SatNav.

But what’s best, hi-tech or low-tech?

Starting from Stewart’s Melville College, we were sent on a mystery tour of Edinburgh one armed with a map, the other a SatNav. Who would get to the destination first?

Location 1 Gallery of Modern Art

Sat Girl: With my SatNav having a “Points of Interest” function, I think I am on to a winner. Despite typing in all variations of “gallery” and “art”, I’m at a loss. I have to turn to the Internet on my mobile to find the street, taking up valuable time. Within five minutes I arrive and, with no Map Man in sight, I relish in my victoryuntil Robert calls asking if I’m lost. Turns out there are two Galleries of Modern Art in the same street, directly across from each other I’m at the wrong one. Should have located the street number. SatNav fail!

Map Man: Easy for me. A quick glance at the map confirms it’s just around the corner. I arrive while Tracey is still mucking about with the SatNav and I can’t believe my luck when I see her pull into the wrong gallery. Smug doesn’t even come close. A neon sign above the door reads “everything’s going to be all right” I think it might just turn out that way.

Map Man 1, Sat Girl 0.

Location 2 Usher Hall

Sat Girl: The SatNav instantly recognises “Usher Hall” and takes me straight to the street it’s on. It’s a direct route, but brings me through the busiest traffic, and too close for comfort to the tram chaos at Haymarket, adding valuable minutes to the journey. That said I still arrive first. Bonus!

Map Man: Everything wasn’t all right after all there was a tricky left turn I missed that sent me down a dead end instead of on to Queensferry Road then Lothian Road. I blame over-confidence and the tiny print on my Street Atlas. Pulling over and squinting in an attempt to read it costs valuable time.

Map Man 1, Sat Girl 1.

Location 3 Luca Ice Cream Parlour

Sat Girl: This was easy for me when I lived in Edinburgh I was a regular customer. The SatNav knows exactly where to go, too. I punch the address in and it brings me to the front door in 12 minutes. And with a parking space right outside, my luck is in. A whole yummy cone later and Robert is nowhere to be seen. Of course, it means I have to have a second ice-cream to commiserate with him when he arrives.

Map Man: I get the route clear in my head before setting off. I plan on heading down Bruntsfield Road to Morningside Road and the caf but take the wrong turn at a junction and instead head in completely the wrong direction. There’s no way you can check a map with such small type while driving. Morningside Road’s very long and I inch down it straining to see the building numbers much to the annoyance of following traffic.

Map Man 1, Sat Girl 2.

Location 4 Royal Observatory

Sat Girl: I think I am doomed when the SatNav announces,“Un-named Road”. But technology comes up trumps again, delivering me to the car park at the top of the hill. It’s a good job there is such a nice view because I have to wait ages for Map Man to arrive!

Map Man: Ages? It wasn’t ages a minute or two tops. The Observatory wasn’t far away at all and, after all that faffing about last time, I made double-sure I had the route sorted. And a couple of street signs pointing the way helped!

Map Man 1, Sat Girl 3.

Location 5 Holyrood

Sat Girl: I’m on to a winner. I type in “Holyrood” and the SatNav knows exactly where to go it’s a registered “Point of Interest”. Brilliant! I get there in record time, 16 minutes, right at the front door, on a busy road. By the time I find somewhere to park and run back, it’s 10 minutes on and Robert is already there. SatNavs are great at getting you to the destination, but not at helping you find parking.

Map Man: Parking in Edinburgh is always a nightmare, particularly near the Parliament so I hatch a cunning plan. Looking at my map, I see the Dynamic Earth museum is directly behind Parliament and it has a giant underground car park. That’s where I head and, despite having to pull over for another peek at the atlas, I get there in good time. In your face, Sat Girl!

Map Man 2, Sat Girl 3.

Final destination Rose Leaf Cafe Bar

Sat Girl: After a day of SatNav shenanigans, I’m starving. The route is direct, but goes along main roads during rush hour. Agh! Determined to win, I veer off into a side street. The SatNav initially tells me to U-turn when possible, but I carry on and it eventually recalculates a new, quieter route. What a clever clogs! It knocks off a few minutes and gets me there well ahead of Map Man. The only downside is waiting for him to arrive again so I can order.

Map Man: Oof! I learn for the second time today that pride comes before a fall. Looking at the atlas I see the bar is miles away, the route is far too long and convoluted to commit to memory in a oner. That means breaking it into sections with regular stops to plan the next stage. I have to negotiate a warren of cobbled roads, one-way streets and confusing junctions. Twice I have to ask old ladies the way. I arrive very late and very stressed. Next time I visit Edinburgh, I’ll be travelling by taxi.

Map Man 2, Sat Girl 4.

CONCLUSION:

Their voices might be repetitive and annoying, and the shortest route they select not the quickest or easiest, but SatNavs get the thumbs up. Keep their software updated and they’ll generally get you where you want to go. Although it’s a bit of a faff stopping every so often to inspect a map, it’s definitely a good idea to keep one to hand as a back-up. And as if a 4-2 Sat Girl victory wasn’t enough, Map Man Robert had to borrow Tracey’s SatNav to get home it was too dark for him to see the tiny print! Tracey relied on the homing instincts of our photographer, Barrie, who knows the streets of Edinburgh like the back of his hand.