Near Barnet test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 13 turns and 1 signalled junction across 19 navigation steps.
This is an independent 26.2 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.
Along the way you'll meet Cat Hill Roundabout and Hampden Square. 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, 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 shops, pubs, schools 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 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 26.1 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.
A1000379 m
Turn right onto Station Road/A110. Continue on A110.
A1101.8 km
Turn left onto Brookhill Road/A110. Continue on A110.
A1101.4 km
Enter Cat Hill Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Chase Side/A111.
Cat Hill Roundabout119 m
Exit the roundabout onto Chase Side/A111.
Chase Side1.1 km
Turn right onto Osidge Lane/B1453. Continue on B1453.
B1453583 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hampden Square.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hampden Square.
Hampden Square23 m
Move left onto Brookside South.
Brookside South422 m
Turn right onto Monkfrith Way.
Monkfrith Way223 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkfrith Way.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkfrith Way.
Monkfrith Way74 m
Turn left onto Monkfrith Close.
Monkfrith Close48 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Monkfrith Close.
Monkfrith Close48 m
Turn left onto Monkfrith Way.
Monkfrith Way65 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkfrith Way.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkfrith Way.
Monkfrith Way95 m
Turn right onto Chase Side/A111.
Chase Side277 m
Turn left onto Avenue Road.
Avenue Road200 m
Turn left onto Trent Gardens.
Trent Gardens689 m
Turn left onto Green Road.
Green Road201 m
Turn right onto Chase Side/A111.
Chase Side497 m
Enter Cat Hill Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cockfosters Road/A111.
Cat Hill Roundabout65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cockfosters Road/A111.
Cockfosters Road3.1 km
Turn left onto Waggon Road.
Waggon Road2.2 km
Turn left onto Great North Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10004.8 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 Road65 m
Turn right to stay on Great North Road.
Great North Road15 m
Turn left onto Pricklers Hill/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10002.7 km
Turn right onto Dury Road.
Dury Road238 m
Move left onto Hadley Green Road.
Hadley Green Road1.0 km
Turn right onto Hadley Road.
Hadley Road580 m
Turn left onto Potters Road.
Potters Road353 m
Move right onto Plantagenet Road.
Plantagenet Road273 m
Turn right onto Station Road/A110.
Station Road643 m
Turn left onto Great North Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A1000403 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 15 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.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Cat Hill Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
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.
Moore & Sons Ltd
Start near Moore & Sons Ltd.
Weavers
Continue to Weavers.
Brookhill Nursery School
Continue to Brookhill Nursery School.
St James' Church
Continue to St James' Church.
Cat Hill Roundabout
Continue to Cat Hill Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Salcombe Preparatory School
Continue to Salcombe Preparatory School.
Hampden Square
Continue to Hampden Square, taking the junction with good observation.
Osidge Arms
Continue to Osidge Arms.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Cockfosters
Continue to Cockfosters.
Cockfosters Station
Continue to Cockfosters Station.
Hadley Highstone
Continue to Hadley Highstone.
Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet Church.
Barnet High Street / Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet High Street / Barnet Church.
Queens Arms
Continue to Queens Arms.
Barnet Hill Common
Continue to Barnet Hill Common.
Fitzjohn Avenue
Continue to Fitzjohn Avenue.
High Barnet Islamic Centre
Continue to High Barnet Islamic Centre.
Saint Mary's, Hadley
Continue to Saint Mary's, Hadley.
New Barnet Friends Meeting House (Quakers)
Finish back near New Barnet Friends Meeting House (Quakers), 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 26.2 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.