I think those who think they can navigate visually at night, beyond their own well trodden back yard, are kidding themselves.
During my NQ training myself and the instructor got totally lost, and he had been doing this for many years.
Real night flight needs totally radio navigation (GPS etc) - unless following something really obvious like a coastline. The lights are highly misleading; one town can look like another.
Most PPL logged night time is just after the legal deadline so they can log it as night, but it isn't dark yet, and it is on a very local flight.