UK: Map reading skills 'dying out due to internet and satnavs'

Map-reading is a dying art because of the increasing reliance on the internet and satellite navigation systems, the country's top cartographer has warned.

Mary Spence, MBE, President of the British Cartographic Society, said the ubiquitous sat nav in cars means people now concentrate only on going from A to B without noticing where they are or how they got there.

As a result the whereabouts of the thousands of churches, ancient woodlands, stately homes and eccentric landmarks which make up the rich tapestry of the British landscape could disappear from public consciousness.