feeling or direction

[joham]

Title: Passion (Short story).
Author: Munro, Alice
Source: New Yorker

He must have got his feeling of direction back when they came to a crossroads some miles on, for he turned left, and the trees thinned out and they climbed a rough road up to a village, or at least a roadside collection of buildings.

Could you native speakers tell me if we can use 'sense' instead of 'feeling' in this sentence and what is the difference between them?

Thank you in advance.

[Flittle]

Hi,

I think that the majority of British English native speakers would say 'sense of direction'.

I note that the quote is from THE NEW YORKER so perhaps this is typical of American usage.

For me it means the same thing.

Frank