Onwards, into the mud

The normal journalistic angle when reporting satnav errors is either to crow at the overpaid technophile's fall from grace, or to tut-tut at the truck drivers from central Europe getting stuck or destroying cottages in English country lanes. In fact one of the crucial features of these incidents is the way in which the route can look so plausible to begin with, and how the true nature of the road can only become apparent when it's too difficult to turn round -- combined with a sense of how far you would have to go back if you were to give up now. Combine that with a tendency towards obstinacy and bloody-mindedness and you have the makings of a classic satnav error.

John Cleese portrayed it perfectly years when satnav was unheard of in Michael Frayn's film Clockwise. Determined to avoid the embarrassment of admitting that he has directed his old flame driving the car up a blind alley, he directs her to press on regardless, in an attempt to find a short cut back to the main road. Instead things just get worse and worse and even when they find themselves crossing a field, the watchword is onwards, ever onwards... into the mud.