Near Avonmounth Bristol test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 16 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.3 km practice loop near Avonmounth Bristol test centre, taking roughly 18 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 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 stations, parks, churches and schools, 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 Avonmounth Bristol 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:
The full 26-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest on Merebank Road.
Merebank Road411 m
Turn left onto Kings Weston Lane.
Kings Weston Lane2.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Long Cross.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Long Cross.
Long Cross964 m
Turn left onto Lawrence Weston Road.
Lawrence Weston Road114 m
Turn right onto Aylminton Walk.
Aylminton Walk268 m
Turn right onto Atwood Drive.
Atwood Drive175 m
Turn left onto Long Cross.
Long Cross676 m
Turn right onto Kings Weston Road/B4057.
Kings Weston Road1.9 km
Turn right onto Shirehampton Road/B4054. Continue on B4054.
B40541.6 km
Turn left onto Waverley Road.
Waverley Road52 m
Turn right onto Pembroke Road.
Pembroke Road47 m
Move left onto Saint Marys Road.
Saint Marys Road241 m
Turn left onto Portbury Grove.
Portbury Grove259 m
Move left onto Springfield Avenue.
Springfield Avenue247 m
Turn right onto Burnham Road.
Burnham Road197 m
Turn right onto A4/Portway.
A41.5 km
Enter Portway Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A4/Bristow Broadway.
Portway Roundabout15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4/Bristow Broadway.
A4521 m
Enter St Brendans Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A4/Crowley Way.
St Brendans Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4/Crowley Way.
A4406 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A403/Saint Andrews Road.
99 m
Exit the roundabout onto A403/Saint Andrews Road.
A4031.4 km
Turn right onto Kings Weston Lane.
Kings Weston Lane699 m
Turn left onto Merebank Road.
Merebank Road412 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Avonmounth Bristol · School-zone practice loop 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.
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.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Moor Grove
Start near Moor Grove.
Long Cross Lay-by
Continue to Long Cross Lay-by.
Long Cross Layby
Continue to Long Cross Layby.
Lawrence Weston Road
Continue to Lawrence Weston Road.
Saint Peter's
Continue to Saint Peter's.
Theatre Benedictus
Continue to Theatre Benedictus.
Chapel Lane
Continue to Chapel Lane.
Musgrove Close
Continue to Musgrove Close.
De Clifford Road
Continue to De Clifford Road.
Westbury Lane
Continue to Westbury Lane.
Penpole Lane
Continue to Penpole Lane.
War Memorial
Continue to War Memorial.
George Inn
Continue to George Inn.
Shirehampton Grn
Continue to Shirehampton Grn.
Lifeboat Inn
Continue to Lifeboat Inn.
Shirehampton Methodist Church
Continue to Shirehampton Methodist Church.
St Mary's Church
Continue to St Mary's Church.
Portway P&R
Continue to Portway P&R.
Ali's Kebabs
Continue to Ali's Kebabs.
Dan's Breakfast Bar
Finish back near Dan's Breakfast Bar, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 5 turns
18 roundabouts · 4 turns
4 roundabouts · 16 turns
8 roundabouts · 6 turns
This route is 14.3 km and takes about 18 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Avonmounth Bristol test centre, not an official DVSA route.