Near Barking Quay test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 12 turns and 1 signalled junction across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.8 km practice loop near Barking Quay test centre, taking roughly 25 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, 20 mph zones, 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 shops, pubs, stations and churches, 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 Barking Quay 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 64-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Fanshawe Avenue/A123.
Fanshawe Avenue412 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Longbridge Road/A124.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road20 m
Turn left to stay on Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road1.8 km
Turn right onto Westrow Drive.
Westrow Drive23 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Westrow Drive.
Westrow Drive34 m
Turn left onto Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Wilmington Gardens.
Wilmington Gardens556 m
Turn left onto Salisbury Avenue.
Salisbury Avenue509 m
Turn left onto Upney Lane.
Upney Lane2.1 km
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane225 m
Turn left onto New Road.
New Road277 m
Turn right onto Salisbury Road.
Salisbury Road153 m
Turn right onto Elmstead Road.
Elmstead Road291 m
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane393 m
Turn left onto South Park Drive.
South Park Drive1.6 km
Turn right onto Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road912 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cecil Avenue.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cecil Avenue.
Cecil Avenue218 m
Turn right onto Priory Road.
Priory Road166 m
Turn right onto Salisbury Avenue.
Salisbury Avenue215 m
Turn right onto Station Parade.
Station Parade136 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Longbridge Road/A124.
96 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road20 m
Turn left to stay on Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road889 m
Turn left onto South Park Drive.
South Park Drive1.6 km
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane225 m
Turn left onto New Road.
New Road277 m
Turn right onto Salisbury Road.
Salisbury Road153 m
Turn right onto Elmstead Road.
Elmstead Road291 m
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane393 m
Turn left onto South Park Drive.
South Park Drive2.3 km
Turn left onto Westrow Drive.
Westrow Drive177 m
Turn left onto Beccles Drive.
Beccles Drive373 m
Turn right onto Oulton Crescent.
Oulton Crescent542 m
Turn left onto Cavendish Gardens.
Cavendish Gardens79 m
Turn left onto Halsham Crescent.
Halsham Crescent167 m
Turn left onto Woodbridge Road.
Woodbridge Road471 m
Turn right onto Westrow Drive.
Westrow Drive564 m
Turn right onto Stratton Drive.
Stratton Drive727 m
Turn right onto Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road496 m
Turn left onto Broadhurst Avenue.
Broadhurst Avenue292 m
Turn right onto Ashburton Avenue.
Ashburton Avenue16 m
Turn left onto Broadhurst Avenue.
Broadhurst Avenue126 m
Turn left onto Dawlish Drive.
Dawlish Drive474 m
Turn right onto South Park Drive.
South Park Drive836 m
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane1.5 km
Turn left onto Airthrie Road.
Airthrie Road75 m
Turn left onto Castleton Road.
Castleton Road301 m
Turn left onto Goodmayes Road/B177.
Goodmayes Road72 m
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane2.0 km
Turn right to stay on Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane89 m
Turn left to stay on Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane17 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Winston Way/A118.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winston Way/A118.
Winston Way96 m
Move left to stay on Winston Way/A118.
Winston Way685 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Winston Way/A118.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winston Way/A118. Continue on A118.
A118296 m
Turn right onto Ilford Hill/A118.
Ilford Hill173 m
Keep right to stay on A118.
A11841 m
Turn right onto Chapel Road/A118. Continue on A118.
A118223 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ilford Lane/A123.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ilford Lane/A123. Continue on A123.
A1231.7 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barking Quay · 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.
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.
Pizza GoGo
Start near Pizza GoGo.
Royal Oak
Continue to Royal Oak.
Favorite Chicken & Ribs
Continue to Favorite Chicken & Ribs.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Tigeez Hair & Beauty
Continue to Tigeez Hair & Beauty.
Lets Go Nicks
Continue to Lets Go Nicks.
Magija
Continue to Magija.
Barking
Continue to Barking.
Sacraments Church
Continue to Sacraments Church.
Faircross Fish Bar
Continue to Faircross Fish Bar.
Kay's Corner Shop
Continue to Kay's Corner Shop.
NK News
Continue to NK News.
Luca Meat
Continue to Luca Meat.
Rey
Continue to Rey.
Capstone Church London
Continue to Capstone Church London.
Winston Way Academy
Continue to Winston Way Academy.
Clementswood Baptist Church
Continue to Clementswood Baptist Church.
Ilford Hindu Centre
Continue to Ilford Hindu Centre.
Durga Mandir
Continue to Durga Mandir.
Ilford Lane Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Finish back near Ilford Lane Seventh-Day Adventist Church, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 16 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns · 5 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 15 turns · 1 set of lights
2 roundabouts · 10 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 30.8 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barking Quay test centre, not an official DVSA route.