Near Barnet test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts and 12 turns across 17 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.6 km practice loop near Barnet test centre, taking roughly 20 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 parks, pubs, churches and stations, 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 46-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.5 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 left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue604 m
Turn right onto Alston Court.
Alston Court52 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Alston Court.
Alston Court52 m
Turn right onto Alston Road.
Alston Road68 m
Turn left onto St Albans Road/A1081.
St Albans Road2.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Trotters Bottom.
1 m
Exit the roundabout onto Trotters Bottom.
Trotters Bottom4.2 km
Turn right onto Galley Lane.
Galley Lane14 m
Turn left onto Barnet Road/A411. Continue on A411.
A411861 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue62 m
Turn left onto Ravenscroft Road.
Ravenscroft Road246 m
Turn left onto Blenheim Road.
Blenheim Road64 m
Turn right onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street142 m
Turn right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road133 m
Turn left onto Granville Road.
Granville Road178 m
Turn right onto Kings Road.
Kings Road91 m
Turn left to stay on Kings Road.
Kings Road214 m
Turn left to stay on Kings Road.
Kings Road176 m
Turn left onto Barnet Road/A411. Continue on A411.
A411808 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue21 m
Turn right onto Union Street.
Union Street54 m
Move left onto Stapylton Road.
Stapylton Road458 m
Turn left onto St Albans Road/A1081.
St Albans Road861 m
Turn left.
35 m
Turn right.
12 m
Move right.
27 m
Turn right onto St Albans Road/A1081.
St Albans Road1.0 km
Move right onto High Street/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10001.9 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 14 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
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, 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.
Barnet Hill Common
Start near Barnet Hill Common.
Queens Arms
Continue to Queens Arms.
Weavers
Continue to Weavers.
Barnet United Reformed Church
Continue to Barnet United Reformed Church.
Fitzjohn Avenue
Continue to Fitzjohn Avenue.
St John the Baptist Church
Continue to St John the Baptist Church.
Lord Nelson
Continue to Lord Nelson.
Ravenscroft Park
Continue to Ravenscroft Park.
Sebright Arms
Continue to Sebright Arms.
Green Dragon
Continue to Green Dragon.
Poor Clare Monastery
Continue to Poor Clare Monastery.
Arkley
Continue to Arkley.
High Barnet Methodist Church
Continue to High Barnet Methodist Church.
Mary Immaculate & St Gregory the Great
Continue to Mary Immaculate & St Gregory the Great.
Spires
Continue to Spires.
Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet Church.
Barnet High Street / Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet High Street / Barnet Church.
High Barnet Islamic Centre
Continue to High Barnet Islamic Centre.
Barnet Grills
Continue to Barnet Grills.
John's Cycles
Finish back near John's Cycles, 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 18.6 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barnet test centre, not an official DVSA route.