Near Barnet test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout, 16 turns and 1 signalled junction across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.0 km practice loop near Barnet 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.
On this route you’ll practise roundabout approach & exit, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, 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 stations, churches, pubs 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 Barnet 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 62-step drive on real, named roads (about 38.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Western Parade.
Western Parade23 m
Turn right onto Raydean Road.
Raydean Road110 m
Turn right to stay on Raydean Road.
Raydean Road157 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Raydean Road.
Raydean Road157 m
Turn left to stay on Raydean Road.
Raydean Road105 m
Turn right onto Great North Road.
Great North Road219 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Great North Road.
Great North Road65 m
Turn right to stay on Great North Road.
Great North Road15 m
Turn left onto Pricklers Hill/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10001.9 km
Move left onto St Albans Road/A1081.
St Albans Road2.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dancers Hill Road.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dancers Hill Road.
Dancers Hill Road2.3 km
Turn left onto Barnet Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10002.2 km
Move right onto The Causeway/B156.
The Causeway726 m
Turn right onto Coopers Lane Road.
Coopers Lane Road83 m
Turn right onto Stapleton Close.
Stapleton Close73 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Stapleton Close.
Stapleton Close73 m
Turn left onto Coopers Lane Road.
Coopers Lane Road83 m
Turn left onto The Causeway/B156.
The Causeway6.0 km
Turn right onto St Albans Road/A1081.
St Albans Road130 m
Turn left onto Stapylton Road.
Stapylton Road458 m
Move right onto Union Street.
Union Street54 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue21 m
Turn right onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street412 m
Turn right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road133 m
Turn left onto Granville Road.
Granville Road291 m
Turn left onto Argyle Road.
Argyle Road99 m
Turn left onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street1.2 km
Move right onto High Street/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10003.2 km
Turn right onto Totteridge Lane/A5109.
Totteridge Lane535 m
Turn left onto Longland Drive.
Longland Drive1.2 km
Move left onto Southover.
Southover730 m
Turn left onto Argyle Road.
Argyle Road409 m
Turn left onto Nether Street.
Nether Street208 m
Turn left onto Gainsborough Road.
Gainsborough Road265 m
Move right onto Lodge Lane.
Lodge Lane334 m
Turn left onto High Road/A1000.
High Road1.3 km
Move left onto High Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10001.6 km
Turn right onto Lyonsdown Road/B193.
Lyonsdown Road30 m
Turn left to stay on Lyonsdown Road/B193.
Lyonsdown Road221 m
Move right onto Lyonsdown Road/B193. Continue on B193.
B193948 m
Turn left onto East Barnet Road.
East Barnet Road2.1 km
Turn right onto Barnet Hill/A1000.
Barnet Hill254 m
Turn left onto Underhill.
Underhill1.5 km
Turn left onto Connaught Road.
Connaught Road265 m
Turn left to stay on Connaught Road.
Connaught Road16 m
Turn right to stay on Connaught Road.
Connaught Road142 m
Turn right onto Windsor Road.
Windsor Road177 m
Turn left onto Alan Drive.
Alan Drive93 m
Turn left onto Mays Lane.
Mays Lane169 m
Turn left onto Connaught Road.
Connaught Road265 m
Turn left to stay on Connaught Road.
Connaught Road16 m
Turn right to stay on Connaught Road.
Connaught Road230 m
Turn right onto Mays Lane.
Mays Lane936 m
Turn left onto Milton Avenue.
Milton Avenue554 m
Turn right onto Barnet Hill/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A1000995 m
Turn right onto Great North Road.
Great North Road15 m
Turn left to stay on Great North Road.
Great North Road65 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Great North Road.
Great North Road219 m
Turn left onto Raydean Road.
Raydean Road105 m
Turn right to stay on Raydean Road.
Raydean Road76 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barnet · 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.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60 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.
Fitzjohn Avenue
Start near Fitzjohn Avenue.
Christ Church, Barnet
Continue to Christ Church, Barnet.
Green Dragon
Continue to Green Dragon.
Duke of York
Continue to Duke of York.
Little Garden Potters Bar
Continue to Little Garden Potters Bar.
Causeway Community Church
Continue to Causeway Community Church.
Potters Bar Baptist Church
Continue to Potters Bar Baptist Church.
Hadley Highstone
Continue to Hadley Highstone.
Spires
Continue to Spires.
Barnet United Reformed Church
Continue to Barnet United Reformed Church.
Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet Church.
Barnet High Street / Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet High Street / Barnet Church.
Totteridge & Whetstone
Continue to Totteridge & Whetstone.
Totteridge Union URC Church
Continue to Totteridge Union URC Church.
St. Barnabas Church
Continue to St. Barnabas Church.
Saint John the Apostle
Continue to Saint John the Apostle.
East Barnet Baptist Church
Continue to East Barnet Baptist Church.
St James' Church
Continue to St James' Church.
Underhill Baptist Church
Continue to Underhill Baptist Church.
Vale Drive Primary Care Centre
Finish back near Vale Drive Primary Care Centre, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 12 turns · 1 set of lights
3 roundabouts · 9 turns · 2 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 19 turns · 1 set of lights
2 roundabouts · 13 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 39.0 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barnet test centre, not an official DVSA route.