Many people now rely on their smartphones, sat-navs or other GPS devices to find their way around. But when these fail us, and there's no-one to ask for directions, there's a more natural way to navigate, says Tristan Gooley. It's not every week that a massive solar flare knocks out the GPS network, but all it takes is a flat battery or a mechanical fault to hobble your automated orientation aids. And if there's no-one around to ask and no paper map on hand, you could be in trouble. Natural navigation may be just what you need. This involves working out which way to go without using maps, compasses or any other instruments. It relies on awareness and deduction, so does depend on retaining some awareness of direction throughout each journey. 1. TV satellite dishes Look for satellite dishes and signs of weathering These really are the "get out of jail free" cards in an urban area. This is because the dishes point at a geostationary satellite, one that stays over the same point on the Earth's surface. In the UK there is a dominant satellite broadcaster, hence nearly all the dishes tend to point in the same direction - close to southeast. The same applies in rural areas - especially those blessed with pubs screening sport. 2. Religious buildings East is east From earliest times, religious buildings and sacred sites have been laid out to give clues as to direction. Christian churches are normally aligned west-east, with the main