Near Barnet test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 13 turns and 1 signalled junction across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 35.8 km practice loop near Barnet 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 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, shops and pubs, 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 52-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on 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.
A10001.5 km
Move left onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street771 m
Turn right onto Blenheim Road.
Blenheim Road64 m
Turn right onto Ravenscroft Road.
Ravenscroft Road246 m
Turn right onto The Avenue.
The Avenue62 m
Turn left onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street484 m
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.
A10003.5 km
Move left onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street913 m
Turn right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road133 m
Turn left onto Granville Road.
Granville Road178 m
Turn right onto Kings Road.
Kings Road291 m
Turn left onto Old Fold View.
Old Fold View385 m
Turn left onto Grimsdyke Crescent.
Grimsdyke Crescent135 m
Turn left to stay on Grimsdyke Crescent.
Grimsdyke Crescent363 m
Turn left onto Cavendish Road.
Cavendish Road201 m
Turn left onto Old Fold View.
Old Fold View385 m
Turn left onto Grimsdyke Crescent.
Grimsdyke Crescent135 m
Turn left to stay on Grimsdyke Crescent.
Grimsdyke Crescent363 m
Turn right onto Kings Road.
Kings Road91 m
Turn left onto Granville Road.
Granville Road178 m
Turn right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road133 m
Turn left onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street895 m
Move right onto High Street/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10001.1 km
Move left onto Station Road/A110.
A1102.1 km
Turn right onto Longmore Avenue/B193. Continue on B193.
B1931.2 km
Turn right onto Great North Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10005.1 km
Turn left onto Wagon Road.
Wagon Road248 m
Turn right onto Dancers Hill Road.
Dancers Hill Road167 m
Turn right onto Barnet Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10005.0 km
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 10 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
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.
St John the Baptist Church
Continue to St John the Baptist Church.
Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet Church.
Barnet High Street / Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet High Street / Barnet Church.
KMR Audio
Continue to KMR Audio.
Oliver's Fish and Chips
Continue to Oliver's Fish and Chips.
Totteridge Union URC Church
Continue to Totteridge Union URC Church.
Totteridge & Whetstone
Continue to Totteridge & Whetstone.
St. Barnabas Church
Continue to St. Barnabas Church.
Toolan's
Continue to Toolan's.
Saint John the Apostle
Continue to Saint John the Apostle.
Three Horseshoes
Continue to Three Horseshoes.
Lemon Tree
Continue to Lemon Tree.
East Barnet Baptist Church
Continue to East Barnet Baptist Church.
St James' Church
Continue to St James' Church.
High Barnet Baptist Church
Continue to High Barnet Baptist Church.
High Barnet Islamic Centre
Continue to High Barnet Islamic Centre.
Hadley Highstone
Continue to Hadley Highstone.
Duke of York
Continue to Duke of York.
Age UK
Finish back near Age UK, 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
1 roundabout · 16 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 35.8 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barnet test centre, not an official DVSA route.