Near Barking Quay test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 19 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 32 navigation steps.
This is an independent 36.6 km practice route near Barking Quay test centre, taking roughly 45 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 Redbridge Roundabout and Charlie Brown's Roundabout. 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 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 churches, shops, schools and named junctions, 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 87-step drive on real, named roads (about 36.6 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 Road134 m
Turn left onto Park Avenue.
Park Avenue240 m
Turn left onto Monteagle Avenue.
Monteagle Avenue133 m
Turn left onto Fanshawe Avenue/A123.
Fanshawe Avenue195 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Fanshawe Avenue/A123.
142 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fanshawe Avenue/A123. Continue on A123.
A1231.3 km
Turn right onto Henley Road.
Henley Road372 m
Turn right onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road77 m
Turn left onto Mortlake Road.
Mortlake Road388 m
Turn left onto Sunnyside Road.
Sunnyside Road684 m
Turn left onto Albert Road.
Albert Road267 m
Turn left onto Richmond Road.
Richmond Road306 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road143 m
Turn left onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road82 m
Turn left onto Windsor Road.
Windsor Road388 m
Turn left onto Sunnyside Road.
Sunnyside Road398 m
Turn left onto Albert Road.
Albert Road600 m
Turn left onto Cleveland Road.
Cleveland Road87 m
Turn left onto Bedford Road.
Bedford Road180 m
Turn left onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road75 m
Turn right onto Albert Road.
Albert Road143 m
Turn right onto Richmond Road.
Richmond Road306 m
Turn left onto Grange Road.
Grange Road254 m
Turn left onto Sunnyside Road.
Sunnyside Road402 m
Turn left onto Belmont Road.
Belmont Road274 m
Turn left onto Richmond Road.
Richmond Road86 m
Turn left onto Albert Road.
Albert Road267 m
Turn right onto Sunnyside Road.
Sunnyside Road458 m
Turn left onto Kingston Road.
Kingston Road63 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road286 m
Turn left onto Winchester Road.
Winchester Road113 m
Turn left onto Sunnyside Road.
Sunnyside Road294 m
Turn left onto Kingston Road.
Kingston Road180 m
Turn left onto Gordon Road.
Gordon Road155 m
Turn right onto Golfe Road.
Golfe Road165 m
Turn right onto Littlemoor Road.
Littlemoor Road61 m
Turn right onto Cavenham Gardens.
Cavenham Gardens246 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road213 m
Turn right onto Winchester Road.
Winchester Road77 m
Turn right onto Gordon Road.
Gordon Road112 m
Turn left onto Golfe Road.
Golfe Road238 m
Turn right onto South Park Road.
South Park Road268 m
Turn right onto Henley Road.
Henley Road181 m
Turn right onto Gordon Road.
Gordon Road218 m
Turn left onto Cavenham Gardens.
Cavenham Gardens98 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road453 m
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane2.2 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 3rd exit onto Winston Way/A118.
83 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.
Chapel Road64 m
Move right onto Chapel Road/A118. Continue on A118.
A118225 m
Turn left onto Ilford Hill/A118.
Ilford Hill118 m
Take the exit.
A406222 m
Turn right to take the ramp.
A40676 m
Keep right to take A406/North Circular Road.
A4063.6 km
Keep right to stay on A406/North Circular Road towards N Circular/Walthamstow.
A4062.5 km
Take the Waterworks exit onto A104.
A406479 m
Enter Waterworks Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A406/North Circular Road.
Waterworks Roundabout372 m
Exit the roundabout onto A406/North Circular Road.
A4068.4 km
Take the exit.
A406339 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A124.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A124.
London Road210 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto London Road/A123.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A123.
London Road86 m
Turn left to stay on London Road.
London Road179 m
Turn left onto North Street.
North Street310 m
Turn right onto Barking Northern Relief Road/A124.
Barking Northern Relief Road125 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barking Quay · Route 13 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Redbridge Roundabout, Charlie Brown's Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 12.2 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.
Sacraments Church
Start near Sacraments Church.
Catholic Church of SS. Mary and Erconwald
Continue to Catholic Church of SS. Mary and Erconwald.
Woodlands Launderette
Continue to Woodlands Launderette.
Ilford Central Mosque
Continue to Ilford Central Mosque.
Gordan Infants School
Continue to Gordan Infants School.
Pizza East
Continue to Pizza East.
Aqees Communication
Continue to Aqees Communication.
Hair Touch Barbers
Continue to Hair Touch Barbers.
Rey
Continue to Rey.
Lets Go Nicks
Continue to Lets Go Nicks.
Capstone Church London
Continue to Capstone Church London.
Hospital Chapel of St Mary and St Thomas
Continue to Hospital Chapel of St Mary and St Thomas.
Nails & Spa Ilford
Continue to Nails & Spa Ilford.
Redbridge Roundabout
Continue to Redbridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Roding Valley Park
Continue to Roding Valley Park.
Woodford Spiritualist Church
Continue to Woodford Spiritualist Church.
Grove Hill Evangelical Church
Continue to Grove Hill Evangelical Church.
Zantel
Continue to Zantel.
Charlie Brown's Roundabout
Continue to Charlie Brown's Roundabout.
Gurdwara Singh Sabha
Finish back near Gurdwara Singh Sabha, 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 36.6 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barking Quay test centre, not an official DVSA route.