Near Barnet test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout and 9 turns across 12 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.7 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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, churches, schools and shops, 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 49-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.7 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.
A1000634 m
Turn left onto Underhill.
Underhill983 m
Turn left onto Leeside.
Leeside235 m
Turn right onto Valley View.
Valley View204 m
Turn right onto Mayhill Road.
Mayhill Road160 m
Turn right onto Mays Lane.
Mays Lane270 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road788 m
Turn right onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street212 m
Turn left to stay on Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street23 m
Turn left onto High Street/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10003.2 km
Turn left onto Wagon Road.
Wagon Road248 m
Turn left onto Dancers Hill Road.
Dancers Hill Road2.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Trotters Bottom.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Trotters Bottom.
Trotters Bottom1.5 km
Turn right onto Galley Lane.
Galley Lane41 m
Turn left onto A1/Barnet Bypass.
A12.0 km
Take the A5135 exit.
Rowley Lane122 m
Move right towards Rowley Lane.
A5135339 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Rowley Lane/A5135.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rowley Lane/A5135.
Rowley Lane404 m
Turn right to stay on A5135.
A5135123 m
Move left.
52 m
Move left onto Rowley Lane.
Rowley Lane442 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Rowley Lane.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rowley Lane.
Rowley Lane2.6 km
Take exit 1.
A1527 m
Enter Bignells Corner and take the 5th exit onto St Albans Road/A1081.
Bignells Corner934 m
Exit the roundabout onto St Albans Road/A1081.
St Albans Road1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dancers Hill Road.
1 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dancers Hill Road.
Dancers Hill Road680 m
Turn right onto Kitts End Road.
Kitts End Road1.8 km
Turn left onto Great North Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10001.8 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 17 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.
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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 4.5 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 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.
Queens Arms
Start near Queens Arms.
Underhill Baptist Church
Continue to Underhill Baptist Church.
Underhill School and Children's Centre
Continue to Underhill School and Children's Centre.
Weavers
Continue to Weavers.
Bucher's Arms
Continue to Bucher's Arms.
High Barnet Baptist Church
Continue to High Barnet Baptist Church.
High Barnet Islamic Centre
Continue to High Barnet Islamic Centre.
St John the Baptist Church
Continue to St John the Baptist Church.
Ye Olde Monken Holt
Continue to Ye Olde Monken Holt.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
National Tyres and Autocare
Continue to National Tyres and Autocare.
Mops & Brooms
Continue to Mops & Brooms.
Duke of York
Continue to Duke of York.
Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet Church.
Barnet High Street / Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet High Street / Barnet Church.
Fitzjohn Avenue
Continue to Fitzjohn Avenue.
Susi Earnshaw Theatre School
Continue to Susi Earnshaw Theatre School.
Barnet Grills
Continue to Barnet Grills.
Containersafe
Continue to Containersafe.
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 30.7 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.