Tulip navigation is a simple way to follow a route without a map or sat nav. Every junction on the route is drawn as a small diagram, called a tulip, that shows you which way to go. Follow the tulips in order and they lead you all the way.
The name comes from the Tulip Rally in the Netherlands, where these diagrams were first used in the 1950s. Rally crews still use them today, but you don’t need any rally experience: if you can read the diagram below, you can do it.
How to read a tulip
A tulip is a bird’s-eye view of one junction. It is always drawn as if you are driving up the page, so up means straight ahead, left means left and right means right.
- The dot is where you are. You arrive at the junction from here.
- The arrow is the way to go.
- The thinner lines are roads you don’t take. They are there to help you recognise the junction.
So this tulip says: at the crossroads, turn right.
Practice makes perfect
Six tulips you will meet
Start at the dot, follow the line and leave by the arrow. Here are six of the most common.
Straight on at the crossroads.
Turn left at the T-junction.
Turn right at the T-junction.
Keep right where the road forks.
Straight on past the turning on the left.
Second exit at the roundabout. In the UK you go round clockwise, so the line follows the left-hand side.
Reading a road book
On the day you are given a road book: the whole route as a list of tulips, one line for each junction, in order. As well as the tulip, each line tells you how far it is to the junction and what to look out for.
| No. | Total | From last | Tulip | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | | Start. Turn left out of the car park. |
| 2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | | Roundabout: take the second exit. |
| 3 | 1.3 | 0.9 | | Ignore the lane on the left, signposted “Farm Shop”. |
| 4 | 2.1 | 0.8 | | Crossroads: give way, then straight on. |
| 5 | 2.7 | 0.6 | | Fork: keep right, towards the village. |
| 6 | 3.2 | 0.5 | | T-junction: turn right. Pub on your left – lunch! |
- No. numbers each instruction, so you can keep your place.
- Total is the distance from the start to this junction.
- From last is the distance since the previous junction. Road books sometimes call this the intermediate distance.
- Tulip shows what the junction looks like and which way to go.
- Notes point out road signs, landmarks and anything to take care over.
Using the trip meter
Our 2CV has a rally trip meter on the dashboard. It measures how far you have driven, so you can match it against the distances in the road book.
- Total distance counts up from the start of the route.
- Intermediate distance can be reset to zero at each junction, so it counts up to the next one.
- When the meter reaches the distance on the next line, the junction should be just ahead.
Don’t worry about the buttons: we show you how it all works before you set off.
Don’t panic
Taken a wrong turn?
It happens to everyone, even rally crews. Getting back on track is easy.
Stop safely
Find a safe place to pull in or turn round. There is no rush and no clock.
Go back
Return to the last junction you are sure of and pick up the road book from that line. The distances will tell you when you are back on track.
Use a postcode
Still lost? The road book includes postcodes, so you can use your phone to find your way back to the route.
Tips for your first time
- Let your passenger navigate. They read out each instruction early, so the driver knows what is coming.
- Trust the distances. A junction comes up when the trip meter says it should, so don’t turn at the first road you see.
- Look out for the thinner lines. Passing a turning that the tulip shows is a sign that you are on the right road.
- Read the notes. Signs, churches and pubs are there to reassure you.
- Take your time. There are no time limits and no scores. It is a relaxed drive, not a race.
Try it for yourself
Follow the tulips in a Citroën 2CV
Our 2CV driving experience comes with a road book, a rally trip meter and a full briefing before you set off. The routes follow East Kent’s quieter roads, past pubs and places worth stopping for.