Walking in circles...

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Getting lost is an integral part of Human Life. We have all been involved in the "Excuse me, can you tell me where..." or "Is this the right way for..." conversation. Despite the creation of compasses, Maps, Globes and, more recently, Sat Navs, the Human Race still has the amazing ability to end up in the middle of nowhere, with not a clue of how they got there, or more importantly, how to get back to where they want to be.

But it isn't always a case of reading the map wrong, or missing the turn. Sometimes, there is a more clinical reason for Getting Lost.

Sharon Roseman, a 61-year-old American, has developmental topographical disorientation. In plain English, this relates to huge problems of navigational skill, most likely going back into early brain development. But her confusion over directions is much more serious. Every single morning, she wakes up in a house, which seems to resemble nothing like what she is used to. The doors, hallways and rooms seem to have moved whilst she slept. Even if she makes it to her car, the problems are not over. A simple detour in her normal route means instant confusion. On one such occasion, an icy slope caused her to search for a new way out of the Estate. 40 minutes later she recognised her front door and gave up.

This condition is of course very rare, and in the main, a Map will get you out of most places. But Say you were lost in the middle of nowhere. No idea where you are. No idea how to get out. No Maps, phones, Sat Navs. Nothing. How would you get out? You have two options. Sun or Stars.

The Sun

A very simple way of finding direction, involves the Sun, shadows and a metre-long stick. Put the stick in the ground upright and mark the placement of the shadow with a stone, or marker. Wait half an hour (or 1,800 elephants, if you haven't got a watch) and then mark the shadow again. Draw a line between the two points, and the line will run West-East with the first marker being West.

"The Big Dipper will always point to the North Star"

If you do have a watch, hold it flat and point the hour hand towards the Sun. The point between the hour-hand and the 12, shall now be North.

The Stars

A more fun way of doing it is at night, with the Stars. It seems strange to think that fiery balls of gas millions of miles away could possibly offer support in navigation, but they can. Simply find the Plough (Big Dipper), follow the line made by the front two stars, and you will see the North Star shining brightly. This will always be to your north.

Bermuda Triangle

Location of the Bermuda Triangle

Perhaps the most famous place to get lost is the Bermuda Triangle. The area in the Atlantic Ocean supposedly holds host to UFO's, Ghosts, and some say the Devil himself. A number of ships and air crafts have gone missing in the area, and it is now somewhat of a Legend.

Larry Kusche, who has written books on the subjects, says that "The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean"

However, the more fun way of explaining the missing crafts, is to blame it on the Supernatural. And that's exactly what a lot of writers and authors have done. Steven Spielburg, for example, used the missing Flight 19 crew in his alien film "Close Encounters of a Third Kind". My personal favourite explanation, however, is that leftover technology from Atlantis, the mythical Lost Continent, is somehow involved.

Back to Britain

If you do end up being abducted by Aliens, or called down to Atlantis, I think we could all agree that even the best navigational skills are going to be of little use.

But if you are merely lost in a village, town or city, there are 6 handy ways of finding the right way.

1. Satellite Dishes.

A rather humorous way of working out directions, I thought. The way this works, is that the majority of Satellite Dishes point at a satellite dish that remains at the same point all the time. In the UK, the dominant satellite broadcaster, presumably Sky, has one such satellite which is close to southeast. The majority of Satellites therefore point this way.

2. Religious Buildings

Early Churches gave hints at which way was which. Christian Churches are majorly aligned west-east, with the altar of the church at the Eastern side. This alignment is also true of Gravestones.

If the Building in question is a Mosque, you must enter inside and look for a niche in a wall, which will indicate which way to Pray. This shall always point towards Mecca.

And if the Synagogue is where your at, the Torah Ark is normally at the East End, so that worshippers can pray to Jerusalem.

3. Weather

All buildings are affected by weather; the rain and pollution is carried by the wind, leaving its mark on the walls. The majority of wind is from the Southwest in the UK, meaning that the most patterns will be on the South-West facing wall.

4. People

If you're in a city, sometimes going with the flow is the way to be. Look for where the crowds are going. In the evening, they shall be going towards the Bus/Train Stations. In the morning, the opposite is correct.

5. Road Alignment

Roads are built to carry traffic, and the main bulk of traffic is either heading towards, or away from a town. If you are in the North or South of town, the roads will be aligned North/South.

6. Clouds

Prevention is better than cure, and the clouds offer just that. Before you get lost, look up and see which way the clouds are blowing. This direction should remain constant for the rest of the day, thus offering a reliable way of knowing which way you just came.

Finally, I leave you with news, that when we are lost, we do actually walk in circles. Preliminary research has shown that when we are unsure of the way, the path we tend to take is in circles or curved lines. Further research is yet to take place to prove the point further.

That's it for now, so go on, Get Lost!!