Near Banbury test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts and 17 turns across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.5 km practice route near Banbury test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Bloxham 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, 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 pubs, schools, 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 Banbury 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 59-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
22 m
Turn left onto Mewburn Road.
Mewburn Road262 m
Turn left onto Kingsway.
Kingsway138 m
Turn left onto Beargarden Road.
Beargarden Road18 m
Turn right onto West Bar Street/B4035. Continue on B4035.
B4035322 m
Enter Banbury Cross and take the 2nd exit onto High Street.
Banbury Cross23 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Street.
High Street228 m
Move left to stay on High Street.
High Street197 m
Turn right onto Broad Street.
Broad Street305 m
Turn left onto Gatteridge Street.
Gatteridge Street140 m
Turn right onto Britannia Road.
Britannia Road177 m
Turn right onto Prospect Road.
Prospect Road126 m
Turn right onto Newland Road.
Newland Road189 m
Turn right onto Gatteridge Street.
Gatteridge Street230 m
Turn left onto Upper Windsor Street/A4260. Continue on A4260.
A4260230 m
Turn left onto George Street.
George Street203 m
Move left onto Broad Street.
Broad Street303 m
Turn right onto Dashwood Road.
Dashwood Road273 m
Turn left onto South Bar Street/A361.
South Bar Street374 m
Turn left onto Upper Windsor Street/A4260. Continue on A4260.
A4260831 m
Turn left onto George Street.
George Street203 m
Move left onto Broad Street.
Broad Street383 m
Move left onto Old Parr Road.
Old Parr Road277 m
Turn left onto Oxford Road/B4100. Continue on Oxford Road.
Oxford Road751 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road352 m
Turn left onto Timms Road.
Timms Road94 m
Turn right onto Elmscote Road.
Elmscote Road247 m
Turn left onto Beaconsfield Road.
Beaconsfield Road142 m
Turn left onto Harrowby Road.
Harrowby Road259 m
Turn left onto Timms Road.
Timms Road218 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road353 m
Turn left onto Oxford Road/A4260.
Oxford Road634 m
Turn right onto Upper Windsor Street/A4260. Continue on A4260.
A4260831 m
Turn left onto George Street.
George Street203 m
Move left onto Broad Street.
Broad Street383 m
Move left onto Old Parr Road.
Old Parr Road277 m
Turn left onto Oxford Road/B4100. Continue on Oxford Road.
Oxford Road2.1 km
Turn right onto Broad Gap.
Broad Gap440 m
Turn right onto High Street.
High Street57 m
Turn left onto Wykham Lane.
Wykham Lane2.2 km
Turn right onto A361.
A361679 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bloxham Road/A361.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bloxham Road/A361.
Bloxham Road298 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bloxham Road/A361.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bloxham Road/A361.
Bloxham Road828 m
Turn left onto Queensway.
Queensway337 m
Turn left onto Brantwood Rise.
Brantwood Rise349 m
Turn left onto Browning Road.
Browning Road159 m
Turn left onto Longfellow Road.
Longfellow Road341 m
Turn left onto Browning Road.
Browning Road86 m
Turn left onto Longfellow Road.
Longfellow Road341 m
Turn right onto Browning Road.
Browning Road73 m
Turn right onto Brantwood Rise.
Brantwood Rise349 m
Turn left onto Queensway.
Queensway102 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Queensway.
Queensway462 m
Turn left onto Bloxham Road/A361.
Bloxham Road521 m
Turn left onto Beargarden Road.
Beargarden Road306 m
Turn right onto West Bar Street/B4035.
West Bar Street160 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Banbury · 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.
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.
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.
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.
Banbury Cross
Start near Banbury Cross.
Coach and Horses
Continue to Coach and Horses.
Close Nursery School
Continue to Close Nursery School.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Ian "Bootsy" Salisbury
Continue to Ian "Bootsy" Salisbury.
Protyre
Continue to Protyre.
Saint John the Evangelist
Continue to Saint John the Evangelist.
St John's Priory School
Continue to St John's Priory School.
Buywise
Continue to Buywise.
Herbies
Continue to Herbies.
Easington Methodist Church
Continue to Easington Methodist Church.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Renault / Dacia
Continue to Renault / Dacia.
Wykham Park Farm Shop
Continue to Wykham Park Farm Shop.
Tudor Hall School
Continue to Tudor Hall School.
Bloxham Road
Continue to Bloxham Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Easington
Continue to Easington.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Harriers Banbury Academy
Continue to Harriers Banbury Academy.
Meadowbrook college
Finish back near Meadowbrook college, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 9 turns · 1 set of lights
4 roundabouts · 17 turns · 2 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 20 turns · 3 sets of lights
12 roundabouts · 11 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 20.5 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Banbury test centre, not an official DVSA route.