Bluejays
You did everything right ! All pilots have had this type of learning experience and are better pilots for it.
The place that I differ from a lot of those above is that I would advise you to first re-visit your VFR navigation training and practice these skills as this skill is essential to being a pilot.
There is far to much reliance on GPS amongst PPL holders who over use the GPS, spend far too much time head in the cockpit looking and don't think past what is on the screen......... This is not a problem while the thing is working but as soon as the GPS quits the workload goes through the roof because the pilot has been thinking follow the GPS Not about his next waypoint or the heading he is using to maintain track.
Most GPS units used by PPL holders who rent aircraft are reliant on battery's or power from a very cheap cigar lighter socket in the aircraft with yards of wire hanging from them and so are inherently unreliable.
I now look forward to ten or so posts calling me everything from a Luddite to an out of date old fart who won't except modern technology to an idiot for not excepting the reliability of the latest thing that some have got from the Transair catalogue but aviation is seeing an increasing number of accidents that are as a result of over reliance on technology the worst example being the two pilots who put a perfectly viable airliner into the Atlantic ( along with 200 or so trusting souls ) because some technology failed and they did not know the pitch and power settings for straight & level flight.
Basic flying skills are the basis for safe flight and until these are second nature don't errode your skill base with too much technology................. The industry will try its best to do that as you move on !
Last edited by A and C; 10th Feb 2015 at 08:12.