Near Barking Quay test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 14 turns and 1 signalled junction across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.0 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 pubs, schools, shops 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 67-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.0 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 Road1.6 km
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 Drive256 m
Turn right onto Water Lane.
Water Lane587 m
Turn left onto Esher Road.
Esher Road314 m
Turn left onto South Park Drive.
South Park Drive835 m
Turn right onto Loxford Lane.
Loxford Lane957 m
Turn left onto Medway Close.
Medway Close178 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Medway Close.
Medway Close178 m
Turn right onto Loxford Lane.
Loxford Lane957 m
Turn right onto South Park Drive.
South Park Drive782 m
Turn right onto Levett Road.
Levett Road231 m
Turn right onto Shirley Gardens.
Shirley Gardens263 m
Turn right onto Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Goodmayes Lane/B177.
Goodmayes Lane978 m
Turn right onto Abbotsford Road.
Abbotsford Road256 m
Turn left onto Aberdour Road.
Aberdour Road324 m
Turn left onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane84 m
Turn left onto Alloa Road.
Alloa Road318 m
Turn left onto Abbotsford Road.
Abbotsford Road87 m
Turn left onto Aberdour Road.
Aberdour Road324 m
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane86 m
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 Lane29 m
Move left onto Goodmayes Lane/B177.
Goodmayes Lane1.3 km
Turn right onto Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road2.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Barking Northern Relief Road/A124.
68 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barking Northern Relief Road/A124.
Barking Northern Relief Road562 m
Turn left onto North Street.
North Street300 m
Turn left onto London Road.
London Road211 m
Move left onto Linton Road.
Linton Road421 m
Turn left onto North Street.
North Street21 m
Turn right.
128 m
Turn left onto Whiting Avenue.
Whiting Avenue21 m
Turn left onto North Street.
North Street231 m
Turn right onto Barking Northern Relief Road/A124.
Barking Northern Relief Road567 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Longbridge Road/A124.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road20 m
Turn left to stay on Longbridge Road/A124.
Longbridge Road2.1 km
Turn left onto Goodmayes Lane/B177.
Goodmayes Lane1.3 km
Turn right onto Green Lane/A1083.
Green Lane347 m
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 Lane1.9 km
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road241 m
Turn right onto Winchester Road.
Winchester Road113 m
Turn left onto Sunnyside Road.
Sunnyside Road166 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road172 m
Turn right onto Dalkeith Road.
Dalkeith Road301 m
Turn left onto Albert Road.
Albert Road421 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 right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road507 m
Turn left onto Ilford Lane/A123. Continue on A123.
A1231.3 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barking Quay · 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.
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.
Royal Oak
Start near Royal Oak.
South Park Primary School
Continue to South Park Primary School.
Loxford General Store
Continue to Loxford General Store.
St Erkenwald, Barking
Continue to St Erkenwald, Barking.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Rey
Continue to Rey.
Saint Thomas More, Catholic Church
Continue to Saint Thomas More, Catholic Church.
Pizza Hut Delivery
Continue to Pizza Hut Delivery.
Barking Baptist Church (Biserica Baptista Genesis)
Continue to Barking Baptist Church (Biserica Baptista Genesis).
Barking Methodist Church
Continue to Barking Methodist Church.
Catch
Continue to Catch.
iCloudz
Continue to iCloudz.
Hair Touch Barbers
Continue to Hair Touch Barbers.
Prince of Wales
Continue to Prince of Wales.
Ilford Central Mosque
Continue to Ilford Central Mosque.
St Alban, Great Ilford
Continue to St Alban, Great Ilford.
Clementswood Baptist Church
Continue to Clementswood Baptist Church.
House of Prayer Apostolic Church Ilford
Continue to House of Prayer Apostolic Church Ilford.
Catholic Church of SS. Mary and Erconwald
Continue to Catholic Church of SS. Mary and Erconwald.
Durga Mandir
Finish back near Durga Mandir, 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 29.0 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.