Near Ashford (Kent) test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 19 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.1 km practice route near Ashford (Kent) test centre, taking roughly 40 min to drive. It is NOT an official DVSA examiner route, the DVSA does not publish those, but it uses the same local roads and junction types an examiner is likely to choose.
Along the way you'll meet Lilac Court. Knowing the approach, lane and exit at each one before you arrive is the difference between a planned manoeuvre and a last-second reaction, and last-second reactions are where avoidable faults come from.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and sustained concentration. Driving it a few times before your test builds the muscle memory that frees up attention for observation and decision-making on the day.
The loop is anchored by 20 catalogued landmarks, including churches, parks, shops and pubs, so you can navigate it from recognisable features rather than a memorised turn list. Rehearsing it in this way means that on test day the area already feels familiar, and your attention is free for the traffic rather than the map.
Whatever the route, your practical test follows the same national shape: an eyesight check, a couple of vehicle-safety questions, around forty minutes of general driving, one reversing manoeuvre chosen by the examiner, and roughly twenty minutes of independent driving following signs or a sat-nav. Practising on roads like these is how you make each of those elements feel routine rather than new.
Treat this route as practice, not a script. The value is not in repeating one fixed sequence but in getting comfortable with the road types, speed changes and junction patterns of the area around Ashford (Kent) test centre, so that whatever order your examiner chooses on the day, none of it is unfamiliar. Drive it a few times, focus on smooth observation and planning, and it becomes one more stretch of road you already know, which is exactly the kind of preparation that turns nerves into confidence.
If you are practising with a supervising driver rather than an instructor, take it steadily: agree the manoeuvre spots in advance, keep to a comfortable pace, and stop to talk through anything that felt rushed. And remember the basics that apply on every road, mirrors before any change of speed or direction, signals in good time, and a following distance that gives you room to react. Those habits travel with you long after the test is passed.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
Road mix
The full 156-step drive on real, named roads (about 38.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
48 m
Turn left onto Tannery Lane.
Tannery Lane391 m
Turn right onto Station Road/A2042. Continue on A2042.
A2042412 m
Turn left onto Somerset Road/A292.
Somerset Road28 m
Keep right to stay on Somerset Road/A292.
Somerset Road194 m
Turn right onto Canterbury Road/A2042.
Canterbury Road85 m
Turn right onto Hardinge Road.
Hardinge Road47 m
Keep left to stay on Hardinge Road.
Hardinge Road176 m
Turn right onto Wellesley Road.
Wellesley Road82 m
Turn left onto Mace Lane/A292.
Mace Lane195 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A292.
A292412 m
Turn right onto Canterbury Road/A2042.
Canterbury Road85 m
Turn right onto Hardinge Road.
Hardinge Road224 m
Turn right onto Wellesley Road.
Wellesley Road82 m
Turn left onto Mace Lane/A292.
Mace Lane420 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hythe Road/A292.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hythe Road/A292.
Hythe Road1.7 km
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road484 m
Turn left onto Sevington Lane.
Sevington Lane198 m
Move right onto Boys Hall Road.
Boys Hall Road86 m
Keep straight to stay on Boys Hall Road.
Boys Hall Road519 m
Keep left to stay on Boys Hall Road.
Boys Hall Road414 m
Move right onto Cudworth Road.
Cudworth Road13 m
Keep straight to stay on Cudworth Road.
Cudworth Road45 m
Turn right onto Bath Road.
Bath Road277 m
Turn right onto Mead Road.
Mead Road810 m
Move left onto Sevington Lane.
Sevington Lane198 m
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road483 m
Turn right onto Hythe Road/A292.
Hythe Road194 m
Take the M20 ramp.
M203.0 km
Take exit 9 towards Ashford/Canterbury/Tenterden/Faversham.
M2029 m
Take exit 9 on the right towards Ashford/Canterbury/Tenterden/Faversham.
M20162 m
Take exit 9 on the right towards Ashford/Canterbury/Tenterden/Faversham.
M20278 m
Enter Drovers Interchange and take the 1st exit onto A20/Fougeres Way.
Drovers Interchange6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A20/Fougeres Way.
A20543 m
Enter Drovers Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A28/Simone Weil Avenue.
Drovers Roundabout2 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Simone Weil Avenue.
A28619 m
Turn left.
23 m
Keep left at the fork.
26 m
Keep right at the fork.
42 m
Turn right.
36 m
Turn right.
49 m
Turn left.
76 m
Turn right onto A28/Simone Weil Avenue.
A28635 m
Enter Drovers Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Templer Way/A28.
Drovers Roundabout64 m
Exit the roundabout onto Templer Way/A28.
Templer Way507 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Chart Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Chart Road.
Chart Road372 m
Move left onto A292.
A292507 m
Enter Drovers Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Templer Way/A28.
Drovers Roundabout5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Templer Way/A28.
Templer Way507 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Chart Road/A28.
58 m
Exit the roundabout onto Chart Road/A28.
Chart Road101 m
Keep left to stay on Chart Road/A28.
Chart Road343 m
Turn right onto Loudon Way.
Loudon Way42 m
Keep left to stay on Loudon Way.
Loudon Way449 m
Keep left to stay on Loudon Way.
Loudon Way406 m
Turn right onto Springwood Drive.
Springwood Drive271 m
Turn left onto Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue148 m
Turn left to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue27 m
Turn left to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue12 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue12 m
Turn right to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue27 m
Turn left to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue206 m
Turn right onto Thornlea.
Thornlea48 m
Turn right to stay on Thornlea.
Thornlea54 m
Turn left to stay on Thornlea.
Thornlea9 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Thornlea.
Thornlea9 m
Turn right to stay on Thornlea.
Thornlea54 m
Turn left to stay on Thornlea.
Thornlea48 m
Turn left onto Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue206 m
Turn right to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue27 m
Turn left to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue12 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue12 m
Turn right to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue27 m
Turn right to stay on Cypress Avenue.
Cypress Avenue148 m
Turn left onto Springwood Drive.
Springwood Drive508 m
Turn right onto Mulberry Road.
Mulberry Road200 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Loudon Way.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Loudon Way.
Loudon Way175 m
Keep right to stay on Loudon Way.
Loudon Way468 m
Turn right onto Chart Road/A28.
Chart Road589 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Great Chart Bypass/A28.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Great Chart Bypass/A28.
Great Chart Bypass897 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Tithe Barn Lane.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tithe Barn Lane.
Tithe Barn Lane91 m
Keep left to stay on Tithe Barn Lane.
Tithe Barn Lane652 m
Turn right onto Knoll Lane.
Knoll Lane778 m
Keep right to stay on Knoll Lane.
Knoll Lane422 m
Turn right onto Stanhope Road.
Stanhope Road9 m
Keep right to stay on Stanhope Road.
Stanhope Road1.2 km
Turn right to stay on Stanhope Road.
Stanhope Road94 m
Turn left onto Kingsnorth Road.
Kingsnorth Road630 m
Turn right onto Beaver Road/B2229.
Beaver Road295 m
Turn left to stay on Beaver Road.
Beaver Road381 m
Turn left onto Christchurch Road.
Christchurch Road128 m
Turn left onto Francis Road.
Francis Road150 m
Keep right to stay on Francis Road.
Francis Road159 m
Turn left onto Bond Road.
Bond Road122 m
Turn right onto Beaver Road.
Beaver Road71 m
Turn left onto Norman Road/B2229.
Norman Road256 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Norman Road/B2229.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Norman Road/B2229.
Norman Road178 m
Turn left onto Avenue Jacques Faucheux/A2042.
Avenue Jacques Faucheux1.1 km
Turn right onto Beaver Road/A2042.
Beaver Road309 m
Keep right to stay on A2042.
A2042548 m
Turn right onto Mace Lane/A292.
Mace Lane407 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hythe Road/A292.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hythe Road/A292.
Hythe Road922 m
Turn right onto Romney Road.
Romney Road196 m
Turn left onto Glover Road.
Glover Road131 m
Turn left onto Hunter Road.
Hunter Road186 m
Turn left onto Hythe Road/A292.
Hythe Road662 m
Keep left to stay on Hythe Road/A292.
Hythe Road115 m
Keep right to stay on Hythe Road/A292.
Hythe Road276 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Mace Lane/A292.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mace Lane/A292.
Mace Lane396 m
Turn left onto Wellesley Road/A2042. Continue on A2042.
A2042633 m
Turn right.
47 m
Keep right at the fork.
12 m
Make a sharp right onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road46 m
Turn left onto Station Road/A2042.
Station Road43 m
Move right onto Station Road/A2042. Continue on A2042.
A2042590 m
Turn left onto Somerset Road/A292.
Somerset Road538 m
Move left onto Forge Lane.
Forge Lane233 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Godinton Road.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Godinton Road.
Godinton Road19 m
Keep right to stay on Godinton Road.
Godinton Road278 m
Keep left to take Elwick Road.
Elwick Road19 m
Turn left onto Bank Street.
Bank Street319 m
Turn right onto High Street.
High Street76 m
Turn left onto North Street.
North Street168 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on North Street.
North Street96 m
Turn left onto Park Street.
Park Street55 m
Turn left onto Edinburgh Road.
Edinburgh Road421 m
Turn left onto Somerset Road/A292.
Somerset Road35 m
Move left onto Forge Lane.
Forge Lane233 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Godinton Road.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Godinton Road.
Godinton Road19 m
Keep right to stay on Godinton Road.
Godinton Road498 m
Turn left onto Church Road.
Church Road86 m
Turn left onto Queen Street.
Queen Street152 m
Turn right onto Norwood Street.
Norwood Street181 m
Turn left onto Church Road.
Church Road65 m
Turn right onto Vicarage Lane.
Vicarage Lane179 m
Turn left onto Station Road/A2042. Continue on A2042.
A2042353 m
Turn left onto Somerset Road/A292.
Somerset Road223 m
Turn right onto Canterbury Road/A2042.
Canterbury Road85 m
Turn left onto Albert Road.
Albert Road201 m
Turn right onto Wall Road.
Wall Road129 m
Turn right onto Upper Queens Road.
Upper Queens Road118 m
Turn right onto Canterbury Road/A2042.
Canterbury Road100 m
Turn left onto Hardinge Road.
Hardinge Road47 m
Keep left to stay on Hardinge Road.
Hardinge Road176 m
Turn right onto Wellesley Road.
Wellesley Road42 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ashford (Kent) · Route 10 · variant 2 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.
These are the real named features along the loop, straight from our route catalogue. Use them to recognise where you are and to anticipate the hazard each one brings, not to memorise a fixed order.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 5.0 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60, 70 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Ashford Baptist Church
Start near Ashford Baptist Church.
Martyrs Field
Continue to Martyrs Field.
New Wells Church - Ashford
Continue to New Wells Church - Ashford.
St. Mary the Virgin, Willesborough
Continue to St. Mary the Virgin, Willesborough.
RSPCA
Continue to RSPCA.
Budgens
Continue to Budgens.
Delmergate Pharmacy
Continue to Delmergate Pharmacy.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
New Chimneys
Continue to New Chimneys.
Lilac Court
Continue to Lilac Court, taking the junction with good observation.
Skippers
Continue to Skippers.
Cade Road United Reformed & Methodist Church
Continue to Cade Road United Reformed & Methodist Church.
Christ Church
Continue to Christ Church.
TOG24
Continue to TOG24.
Kam's
Continue to Kam's.
Ashford College
Continue to Ashford College.
Centrepiece Church
Continue to Centrepiece Church.
George Hotel
Continue to George Hotel.
Friends House
Continue to Friends House.
Mount Zion Baptist Church
Finish back near Mount Zion Baptist Church, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 16 turns · 4 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 18 turns · 3 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 25 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 15 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 39.1 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ashford (Kent) test centre, not an official DVSA route.