I’m a little surprised no one has suggested that all marked land marks be within a few miles of each other, so as you over fly one, the next one is already in sight. (Or perhaps this is a given in the U.K.?)
During my first X country, the winds aloft were much higher, and from a different direction than forecast. I discovered that in order to follow my track, I had to steer over 20 deg off my planned course in order to follow the landmarks I had marked on the map. It was a huge confidence builder and I learned some important lessons. Never rely on forecasts. Keep your head out of the cockpit in VFR. Know how much fuel you have, and how long will that fuel keep you aloft. I’ve had many a X country fight take almost double the estimated time because of unexpected, that is not forecasted, strong headwinds.
I0 540 is right about getting a ‘GPS’ but IMHO with one caveat, do so after learning how to navigate from and with maps. In this the old ways are good to know, but if you really want to know where you are, and how long it’s actually going to take you to get to where you are going, get a decent GPS, and keep spare batteries on hand, even if it’s powered by the aircraft.
Regards,
W.B.