Near Atherton test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 11 roundabouts, 10 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 53.3 km practice loop near Atherton 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving 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 pubs, stations, churches and shops, 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 Atherton 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 121-step drive on real, named roads (about 54.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
34 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn right onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
Gibfield Park Avenue232 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
Gibfield Park Avenue411 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Gibfield Park Way.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gibfield Park Way.
Gibfield Park Way655 m
Enter Talbot Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A577/Wigan Road.
Talbot Roundabout96 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577211 m
Turn left onto Durban Street.
Durban Street127 m
Turn left onto Telford Street.
Telford Street120 m
Turn right onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577128 m
Enter Talbot Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A577/Wigan Road.
Talbot Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577569 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Gloucester Street.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gloucester Street.
Gloucester Street885 m
Turn left onto First Avenue.
First Avenue150 m
Turn left onto Formby Avenue.
Formby Avenue57 m
Keep right to stay on Formby Avenue.
Formby Avenue52 m
Turn right onto Gloucester Street.
Gloucester Street216 m
Turn right onto Flapper Fold Lane.
Flapper Fold Lane270 m
Turn left onto Brierfield Avenue.
Brierfield Avenue270 m
Turn right onto Derby Street.
Derby Street345 m
Turn right onto Warwick Road.
Warwick Road388 m
Turn right onto Formby Avenue.
Formby Avenue133 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Formby Avenue.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Formby Avenue.
Formby Avenue181 m
Turn left onto First Avenue.
First Avenue79 m
Turn left onto Second Avenue.
Second Avenue160 m
Turn left onto Car Bank Street.
Car Bank Street137 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Car Bank Street.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Car Bank Street.
Car Bank Street233 m
Turn left onto Flapper Fold Lane.
Flapper Fold Lane383 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Street.
Gloucester Street580 m
Move right onto Car Bank Street.
Car Bank Street11 m
Keep left to stay on Car Bank Street.
Car Bank Street192 m
Turn left onto A579/Bolton Road.
A57917 m
Keep left to stay on A579.
A5792.2 km
Keep left to stay on A579/Newbrook Road.
A579552 m
Turn left onto A6/Manchester Road.
A61.9 km
Enter Chequerbent Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Manchester Road/A6.
Chequerbent Roundabout137 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manchester Road/A6.
Manchester Road852 m
Turn right onto Bolton Road.
Bolton Road1.1 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on Bolton Road.
Bolton Road1.1 km
Keep right to take B5235.
B52351.2 km
Turn left onto A58/Cricketers Way.
A58305 m
Make a sharp right onto Leigh Road.
Leigh Road58 m
Move left onto Leigh Road/B5235.
Leigh Road38 m
Keep straight to stay on Leigh Road/B5235.
Leigh Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lower Leigh Road/B5235.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Leigh Road/B5235.
Lower Leigh Road365 m
Keep left to stay on Lower Leigh Road/B5235.
Lower Leigh Road345 m
Keep left to stay on B5235.
B5235902 m
Turn left onto A577/Wigan Road.
A57732 m
Turn right onto Lovers Lane.
Lovers Lane416 m
Turn right onto A579/Atherleigh Way.
A5791.4 km
Keep left to stay on A579/Atherleigh Way.
A579169 m
Keep straight to stay on A579/Atherleigh Way.
A5791.4 km
Keep right to take A579/Atherleigh Way.
A579171 m
Keep right to stay on A579/Atherleigh Way.
A579118 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A579/Atherleigh Way.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto A579/Atherleigh Way.
A579319 m
Keep left to stay on A579/Atherleigh Way.
A579321 m
Keep straight to stay on A579/Atherleigh Way.
A579278 m
Turn left onto St Helens Road/A572.
St Helens Road259 m
Keep left to stay on St Helens Road/A572.
St Helens Road109 m
Keep right to stay on St Helens Road/A572.
St Helens Road810 m
Keep right to stay on A572.
A572924 m
Keep right to take B5215.
B52153.5 km
Turn left onto A577/Wigan Road.
A57786 m
Turn right onto A577/Mealhouse Lane.
A577590 m
Keep left to stay on A577/Mealhouse Lane.
A577604 m
Keep left to take A579/Bolton Road.
A5791.7 km
Keep straight to take A579/Newbrook Road.
A579484 m
Keep left to stay on A579.
A579804 m
Keep right to stay on St Helens Road/A579.
St Helens Road106 m
Keep right to stay on St Helens Road/A579.
St Helens Road812 m
Turn left onto Hulton Lane/A6145.
Hulton Lane782 m
Turn left onto Chip Hill Road.
Chip Hill Road416 m
Turn left onto Wigan Road/A676.
Wigan Road1.6 km
Enter Hunger Hill Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A58/Snydale Way.
Hunger Hill Interchange167 m
Exit the roundabout onto A58/Snydale Way.
A58625 m
Enter Chequerbent Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A58/Park Road.
Chequerbent Roundabout123 m
Exit the roundabout onto A58/Park Road.
A581.2 km
Keep right to stay on A58.
A58163 m
Turn left onto Leigh Road/B5235.
Leigh Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lower Leigh Road/B5235.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Leigh Road/B5235.
Lower Leigh Road365 m
Keep left to stay on Lower Leigh Road/B5235.
Lower Leigh Road345 m
Keep left to stay on B5235.
B5235902 m
Turn left onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577472 m
Enter Talbot Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Gibfield Park Way.
Talbot Roundabout6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gibfield Park Way.
Gibfield Park Way196 m
Keep left to stay on Gibfield Park Way.
Gibfield Park Way123 m
Keep right to stay on Gibfield Park Way.
Gibfield Park Way133 m
Keep right to stay on Gibfield Park Way.
Gibfield Park Way199 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
Gibfield Park Avenue58 m
Keep right to stay on Gibfield Park Avenue.
Gibfield Park Avenue351 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto North Road.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road.
North Road957 m
Move right onto Platt Lane.
Platt Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto A58/Park Road.
A58591 m
Enter Chequerbent Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Manchester Road/A6.
Chequerbent Roundabout12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manchester Road/A6.
Manchester Road852 m
Turn right onto Bolton Road.
Bolton Road198 m
Turn left onto Snydale Close.
Snydale Close83 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Snydale Close.
Snydale Close83 m
Turn right onto Bolton Road.
Bolton Road166 m
Turn left onto Manchester Road/A6.
Manchester Road859 m
Enter Chequerbent Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Chequerbent Roundabout291 m
Exit the roundabout onto A58/Park Road.
A5881 m
Keep left to stay on A58.
A581.6 km
Turn right onto Mill Street/B5235.
Mill Street59 m
Make a sharp right.
50 m
Move left onto A58/Cricketers Way.
A581.0 km
Turn right onto Platt Lane.
Platt Lane1.2 km
Move left onto North Road.
North Road954 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
Gibfield Park Avenue161 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Atherton · Route 1 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
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 21.6 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, 50 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.
Royal
Start near Royal.
Talbot
Continue to Talbot.
George VI
Continue to George VI.
Atherton
Continue to Atherton.
St Andrew's Church Over Hulton
Continue to St Andrew's Church Over Hulton.
St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church
Continue to St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.
Beech Hall Farm Garden Centre
Continue to Beech Hall Farm Garden Centre.
Westhoughton Pentecostal Church
Continue to Westhoughton Pentecostal Church.
Daisy Hill
Continue to Daisy Hill.
Masons Arms
Continue to Masons Arms.
Leigh Adult Learning Centre
Continue to Leigh Adult Learning Centre.
Kingsleigh Methodist Church
Continue to Kingsleigh Methodist Church.
Leigh Spiritualist Temple
Continue to Leigh Spiritualist Temple.
St Michael & All Angels
Continue to St Michael & All Angels.
Atherton Evangelical Church
Continue to Atherton Evangelical Church.
Central Methodist Church
Continue to Central Methodist Church.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Tavern Fayre
Continue to Tavern Fayre.
AD3 Design
Continue to AD3 Design.
Go Local
Finish back near Go Local, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 16 turns · 2 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 14 turns · 4 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 18 turns · 7 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 14 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 53.3 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Atherton test centre, not an official DVSA route.