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Practice route
Challenging

Ashford (Kent) · Route 9 · variant 2

Near Ashford (Kent) test centre

24.2 km
Distance
35 min
Duration
Challenging
Difficulty
19
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Moderate

Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 14 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 23 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 24.2 km practice route near Ashford (Kent) test centre, taking roughly 35 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.

On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, 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, schools, 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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

7
Left turns
7
Right turns
6
Roundabouts
3
Traffic lights
23
Total steps

Skills & features

13
Roundabouts
2.1 km
Dual carriageway
30, 40 mph
Speed limits
20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Multiple roundabouts
  • Dual-carriageway joins
  • Residential manoeuvres
  • Busy A-roads
  • Sustained concentration

Road mix

  • B-roads 10.7 km
  • Unclassified 3.6 km
  • Residential 3.2 km
  • Minor roads 2.6 km
  • Trunk roads 2.1 km
  • A-roads 1.2 km
  • service_other 0.2 km

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 56-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive southwest.

    22 m

  2. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    13 m

  3. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Fordbridge Road/B377.

    Fordbridge Road720 m

  4. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Stanwell Road.

    Stanwell Road764 m

  5. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Stanwell Road.

    Stanwell Road24 m

  6. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Stanwell Road.

    Stanwell Road381 m

  7. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Stanwell Road/B378. Continue on B378.

    B3782.4 km

  8. Turn right:

    Turn right onto High Street.

    High Street486 m

  9. Turn left:

    Move left onto Riverside Place.

    Riverside Place114 m

  10. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Riverside Road.

    Riverside Road619 m

  11. Turn left:

    Turn left onto High Street.

    High Street340 m

  12. Turn left:

    Move left onto Riverside Place.

    Riverside Place114 m

  13. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Riverside Road.

    Riverside Road169 m

  14. Turn left:

    Move left onto Bedfont Road.

    Bedfont Road180 m

  15. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Clare Road.

    Clare Road809 m

  16. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hadrian Way.

    Hadrian Way138 m

  17. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hadrian Close.

    Hadrian Close26 m

  18. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on Hadrian Close.

    Hadrian Close26 m

  19. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hadrian Way.

    Hadrian Way126 m

  20. Turn left:

    Move left onto Explorer Avenue.

    Explorer Avenue224 m

  21. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Longford Avenue.

    Longford Avenue155 m

  22. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Holywell Way.

    Holywell Way173 m

  23. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Holywell Close.

    Holywell Close52 m

  24. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on Holywell Close.

    Holywell Close52 m

  25. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Holywell Way.

    Holywell Way328 m

  26. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Long Lane.

    Long Lane1.1 km

  27. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Bedfont Road.

    Bedfont Road840 m

  28. Turn left:

    Move left onto High Street.

    High Street486 m

  29. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Town Lane/B378. Continue on B378.

    B3782.4 km

  30. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Stanwell Road.

    Stanwell Road381 m

  31. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Woodthorpe Road.

    Woodthorpe Road361 m

  32. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Station Road.

    Station Road74 m

  33. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Church Road/B378. Continue on B378.

    B3781.0 km

  34. Turn right:

    Turn right onto A30/Staines Road.

    A30881 m

  35. Keep left:

    Keep left to stay on A30/Staines Road.

    A301.1 km

  36. Roundabout:

    Enter Clockhouse Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Staines Road/A315.

    Clockhouse Roundabout97 m

  37. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Staines Road/A315.

    Staines Road737 m

  38. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Staines Road.

    Staines Road35 m

  39. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Staines Road.

    Staines Road76 m

  40. Turn left:

    Turn left onto West Road.

    West Road355 m

  41. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hatton Road.

    Hatton Road598 m

  42. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Staines Road/A315.

    Staines Road424 m

  43. Roundabout:

    Enter Clockhouse Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Clockhouse Lane/B3003.

    Clockhouse Roundabout56 m

  44. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Clockhouse Lane/B3003.

    Clockhouse Lane1.9 km

  45. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Feltham Road/B377.

    13 m

  46. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Feltham Road/B377.

    Feltham Road546 m

  47. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    89 m

  48. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Feltham Road/B377.

    Feltham Road516 m

  49. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B377.

    36 m

  50. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto B377.

    B377150 m

  51. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Church Road/B378.

    59 m

  52. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Church Road/B378.

    Church Road542 m

  53. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Dudley Road.

    Dudley Road89 m

  54. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Clarendon Road.

    Clarendon Road246 m

  55. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Fordbridge Road/B377.

    Fordbridge Road430 m

  56. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Ashford (Kent) · Route 9 · variant 2 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Stations

Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.

  • Ashford Platform 1

Schools

Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.

  • Fordway Centre

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • St Hilda
  • St Michael's
  • Ashford & Staines Community Centre
  • St Mary
  • Ashford Congregational Church

Parks & green space

Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.

  • Scott Freeman Garden

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • Rising Sun
  • Swan
  • Sir John Gibson
  • Bell on the Green

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • McDonald's
  • Budgens
  • Amy's Nails
  • Tattoo Marks Gold Club

Watch out for

  • 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 2.1 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.

  • 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.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. St Hilda

    Start near St Hilda.

  2. St Michael's

    Continue to St Michael's.

  3. Fordway Centre

    Continue to Fordway Centre.

  4. McDonald's

    Continue to McDonald's.

  5. Rising Sun

    Continue to Rising Sun.

  6. Swan

    Continue to Swan.

  7. Budgens

    Continue to Budgens.

  8. Sir John Gibson

    Continue to Sir John Gibson.

  9. Amy's Nails

    Continue to Amy's Nails.

  10. Tattoo Marks Gold Club

    Continue to Tattoo Marks Gold Club.

  11. Ashford Platform 1

    Continue to Ashford Platform 1.

  12. Scott Freeman Garden

    Continue to Scott Freeman Garden.

  13. Mercury Cars

    Continue to Mercury Cars.

  14. Ashford & Staines Community Centre

    Continue to Ashford & Staines Community Centre.

  15. Bell on the Green

    Continue to Bell on the Green.

  16. St Mary

    Continue to St Mary.

  17. Greggs

    Continue to Greggs.

  18. Freeman Arms

    Continue to Freeman Arms.

  19. Ashford Congregational Church

    Continue to Ashford Congregational Church.

  20. St Matthew's

    Finish back near St Matthew's, completing the loop.

More routes at Ashford (Kent) test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 24.2 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ashford (Kent) test centre, not an official DVSA route.