Near Atherton test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 18 turns and 7 signalled junctions across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 65.9 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.
Along the way you'll meet Leigh Road. 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, 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, churches, named junctions and stations, 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 104-step drive on real, named roads (about 65.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
31 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. Continue on A577.
A5773.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A577/Atherton Road.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Atherton Road. Continue on A577.
A5773.1 km
Turn left onto Schofield Lane.
Schofield Lane23 m
Move left onto Schofield Lane/B5235. Continue on B5235.
B52351.6 km
Enter Leigh Road and take the 3rd exit onto Lower Leigh Road/B5235.
Leigh Road28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Leigh Road/B5235. Continue on B5235.
B52351.6 km
Turn left onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577472 m
Enter Talbot Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A577/Wigan Road.
Talbot Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577360 m
Turn right onto Liscard Street.
Liscard Street430 m
Turn left onto Leigh Road/B5215. Continue on B5215.
B5215263 m
Turn left onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577274 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A577/Wigan Road.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577569 m
Enter Talbot Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A577/Wigan Road.
Talbot Roundabout63 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577481 m
Turn right onto Schofield Lane.
Schofield Lane23 m
Move left onto Schofield Lane/B5235. Continue on B5235.
B52351.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Leigh Road/B5235.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leigh Road/B5235.
Leigh Road620 m
Turn left onto Washacre.
Washacre76 m
Turn right onto Washacre Close.
Washacre Close57 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Washacre Close.
Washacre Close574 m
Turn right onto Pine Grove.
Pine Grove124 m
Turn right onto Birch Avenue.
Birch Avenue166 m
Turn left onto Furze Avenue.
Furze Avenue98 m
Turn left onto Washacre.
Washacre156 m
Turn left onto Southfield Drive.
Southfield Drive103 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Southfield Drive.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Southfield Drive.
Southfield Drive441 m
Turn left onto A58/Wigan Road. Continue on A58.
A583.4 km
Turn left onto A58/Market Street.
A58474 m
Turn right onto A577/Wigan Road.
A5773.2 km
Turn right onto Scholes/B5238. Continue on B5238.
B5238724 m
Turn left onto Bradshaw Street.
Bradshaw Street423 m
Move right onto Chestnut Road.
Chestnut Road231 m
Turn left to stay on Chestnut Road.
Chestnut Road516 m
Move left onto Bradshaw Street.
Bradshaw Street424 m
Turn right onto Whelley/B5238. Continue on B5238.
B5238723 m
Turn left onto Scholefield Lane.
Scholefield Lane3.0 km
Turn left towards A58.
Cross Street16 m
Move right to stay on Cross Street/B5222.
Cross Street256 m
Turn left onto A58/Market Street.
A58260 m
Turn right onto A58/Bridge Street. Continue on A58.
A583.4 km
Turn right onto Southfield Drive.
Southfield Drive336 m
Turn right onto Ash Grove.
Ash Grove119 m
Turn left onto Townsfield Road.
Townsfield Road732 m
Make a right U-turn onto Washacre Close.
Washacre Close57 m
Turn left onto Washacre.
Washacre76 m
Turn right onto Leigh Road/B5235.
Leigh Road623 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lower Leigh Road/B5235.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Leigh Road/B5235. Continue on B5235.
B52351.6 km
Turn left onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577472 m
Enter Talbot Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A577/Wigan Road.
Talbot Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577360 m
Turn right onto Liscard Street.
Liscard Street430 m
Turn left onto Leigh Road/B5215. Continue on B5215.
B5215263 m
Turn left onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577274 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Gloucester Street.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gloucester Street.
Gloucester Street246 m
Turn left onto Bag Lane.
Bag Lane713 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road.
North Road958 m
Move right onto Platt Lane.
Platt Lane1.2 km
Turn left onto A58/Park Road. Continue on A58.
A581.1 km
Make a right U-turn at Mill Street/B5235 to stay on A58.
A581.3 km
Turn left onto Molyneux Road.
Molyneux Road423 m
Turn left onto Captain Lees Road.
Captain Lees Road637 m
Turn right onto A58/Park Road. Continue on A58.
A58865 m
Make a right U-turn at Mill Street/B5235 to stay on A58.
A581.6 km
Move left onto Park Road.
Park Road63 m
Turn left onto Manchester Road.
Manchester Road76 m
Turn right to stay on Manchester Road.
Manchester Road37 m
Turn right onto Manchester Road/A6.
Manchester Road112 m
Enter Chequerbent Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6/Manchester Road.
Chequerbent Roundabout182 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Manchester Road.
A634 m
Turn left to stay on A6/Manchester Road.
A61.9 km
Turn right onto A579/Newbrook Road. Continue on A579.
A5792.9 km
Turn right onto Hesketh Street.
Hesketh Street72 m
Turn left onto Elizabeth Street.
Elizabeth Street216 m
Turn left onto York Street.
York Street71 m
Turn left onto A579/Bolton Road.
A579217 m
Turn left onto Hesketh Street.
Hesketh Street187 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Street.
Gloucester Street1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A577/Wigan Road.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Wigan Road.
A577569 m
Enter Talbot Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A577/Wigan Road.
Talbot Roundabout63 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Wigan Road. Continue on A577.
A5773.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A577/Atherton Road.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto A577/Atherton Road. Continue on A577.
A5773.6 km
Enter Talbot Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Gibfield Park Way.
Talbot Roundabout6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gibfield Park Way.
Gibfield Park Way653 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gibfield Park Avenue.
Gibfield Park Avenue249 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Atherton · Route 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around 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 40.0 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 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.
Masons Arms
Start near Masons Arms.
Hindley Green Family Church
Continue to Hindley Green Family Church.
Leigh Road
Continue to Leigh Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Royal
Continue to Royal.
Daisy Hill
Continue to Daisy Hill.
Westhoughton Gospel Hall
Continue to Westhoughton Gospel Hall.
Castle Hill Chippy
Continue to Castle Hill Chippy.
St John's Methodist Church
Continue to St John's Methodist Church.
Grace Fountain Church with Crossroads Trinity Bible College & Theological Seminary
Continue to Grace Fountain Church with Crossroads Trinity Bible College & Theological Seminary.
Vlora Fish Bar
Continue to Vlora Fish Bar.
Westwood Motors
Continue to Westwood Motors.
Castle on t'Hill
Continue to Castle on t'Hill.
Hart Common Church
Continue to Hart Common Church.
Kross Kuts
Continue to Kross Kuts.
St George
Continue to St George.
Pravins Off Licence
Continue to Pravins Off Licence.
AD3 Design
Continue to AD3 Design.
St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church
Continue to St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.
Atherton
Continue to Atherton.
Bent & Bongs Beer Festival
Finish back near Bent & Bongs Beer Festival, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 16 turns · 2 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 14 turns · 4 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 14 turns · 5 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 15 turns · 6 sets of lights
This route is 65.9 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.