If you live in the UK I would recommend you don’t use Google Maps to get driving directions.

It appears that the concept of roundabouts hasn’t made it to the good folks at Google as their directions proved when we used them to get from Southend-on-Sea to Broxted in Essex last week. Instead of asking us to take the 3rd exit at a roundabout to join the A12 heading towards Colchester the directions instructed us to “bear left onto the A12″. Thinking this may be one of those clover leaf type junctions that loops you round to the direction you need to be going I did bear left only to find myself heading down the A12 towards Billericay, the opposite direction to what I had intended.

Of course the instrucion is strictly correct because even when you are turning right on a roundabout you are bearing left to leave the roundabout, but it’s hardly intuitive.

I think I’ll stick to the AA’s directions in future.