If anything detracts from the enjoyment of the landscape, it's having to keep your eye on a CDI or electronic highway!
As for flying through scenic areas in reasonable weather like the Lake District or Dales, with so many easily identifiable features, simple pilotage does the job. I wouldn't bother with MDR or a GPS, but in case conditions change, I always write down the time of pinpoints every 10-15mins, and up-date the wind vector from time to time. If conditions change everything's in place for an escape-- bearing, distance and wind vector.
Regarding how well the nav is taught, can any of you remember the difference between between flying and navigating over familiar territory and doing the same into an area you had never been before. In the early days post licence, I had to steel myself to get into the plane. Confident I was not. But I identified the problems and cracked them one by one. MDR (Martyn Smyth's booklet Diversion Planning) was the turning point for me. At last some scientific rationale to this business rather than a series of procedures. If you dared to ask the question why do we do it this way? Where does the one in 60 rule come from? Never mind that stuff. Just do it. In fairness there probably wasn't the time to explain it, but perhaps they didn't know.
Lots of new pilots double up and take a GPS for their early navex's, to overcome that lack of confidence. I worry about them flying into marginal conditions and the GPS packs up. Can you imagine the conflicting ideas as to what to do next? Worse than being on your own.
Possible solution to the problem. Teach basic GPS usage in addition to the usual. On solo navex's, route planned and activated, but GPS in sealed brown paper bag. Play back tracklog at end of flight to monitor performance. 2 reasonably accurate flights without opening the bag, gets a pass. Gives the incentive to do the calculations and learn how to nav without feature hopping.
As HFD says, maybe time for a rethink in the way nav is taught given new technology and a generation with a different educational background to those who qualify for Saga membership.