Ancient Britons may have found their way around the country using a sophisticated, geometric version of a satnav based on stone circles and way markers, if one man’s theory is to be believed.

They were able to travel hundreds of miles with remarkable accuracy using landmarks such as Stonehenge, stone markers on hilltops and natural waypoints, it is claimed.

Researcher Tom Brooks analysed 1,500 prehistoric monuments across southern England and Wales, and found them all to be on a grid of isosceles triangles – those with two sides of equal length – each pointing to the next site.

He believes this proves there were maths wizards among the ancient Britons 5,000-6,000 years ago, at least two millennia before the Greeks, who are credited with developing geometry.

‘It is known that many, if not all, early churches, abbeys and cathedrals were constructed on ancient sites and this diagram illustrates that point,’ said Mr Brooks.

‘Such patterns could only have been the work of intelligent surveyors and planners, which throws into question all previous claims as to the origin of mathematics.’

The medieval system is accurate to within 100m over distances up to 400km, he says.

Archaeology experts have pointed out that ancient Britain was covered in monuments and settlements of various kinds, and that finding all kinds of patterns in them is thus fairly easy.

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