Near Barnet test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 9 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 16 navigation steps.
This is an independent 45.1 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.
Along the way you'll meet Holders Hill Circus. 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, 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 churches, schools, shops and parks, 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 63-step drive on real, named roads (about 45.0 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.
Underhill1.2 km
Turn left onto Mayhill Road.
Mayhill Road244 m
Turn left onto Northbrook Road.
Northbrook Road197 m
Turn left onto Leeside.
Leeside87 m
Turn left onto Valley View.
Valley View204 m
Turn left onto Mayhill Road.
Mayhill Road84 m
Turn left onto Northbrook Road.
Northbrook Road197 m
Turn left onto Leeside.
Leeside321 m
Turn left onto Mays Lane.
Mays Lane254 m
Turn left onto Mayhill Road.
Mayhill Road160 m
Turn left onto Valley View.
Valley View205 m
Turn left onto Leeside.
Leeside235 m
Turn right onto Mays Lane.
Mays Lane15 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.
A13.5 km
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 2nd exit onto A1/Barnet Way.
Stirling Corner98 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/Barnet Way.
A12.4 km
Enter Apex Corner and take the 1st exit onto A1.
Apex Corner16 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1.
A1863 m
Enter Mill Hill Circus and take the 2nd exit onto A1/Watford Way.
Mill Hill Circus52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/Watford Way.
A11.9 km
Keep left to take A1/Great North Way.
A11.4 km
Turn right onto Parson Street/B552.
Parson Street270 m
Turn right onto Ashley Lane.
Ashley Lane353 m
Turn left onto Great North Way.
Great North Way327 m
Turn right onto Chatsworth Avenue.
Chatsworth Avenue8 m
Turn left onto A1/Great North Way.
A1799 m
Enter Fiveways Corner and take the 5th exit onto A1/Great North Way.
Fiveways Corner91 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/Great North Way.
A11.4 km
Turn left onto Holders Hill Road/B552.
Holders Hill Road1.3 km
Enter Holders Hill Circus and take the 2nd exit onto Bittacy Hill/B552.
Holders Hill Circus76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bittacy Hill/B552.
Bittacy Hill107 m
Turn right onto Frith Lane.
Frith Lane2.2 km
Turn left onto Westbury Road.
Westbury Road1.6 km
Turn left onto High Road/A1000.
High Road437 m
Turn right onto Rasper Road.
Rasper Road159 m
Turn right onto Sherwood Street.
Sherwood Street74 m
Turn right onto Green Road.
Green Road151 m
Turn right onto High Road/A1000.
High Road225 m
Move left onto High Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10006.8 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.
A10004.8 km
Turn right onto Raydean Road.
Raydean Road121 m
Turn right to stay on Raydean Road.
Raydean Road76 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barnet · Route 18 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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 12.5 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.
Underhill Baptist Church
Start near Underhill Baptist Church.
Underhill School and Children's Centre
Continue to Underhill School and Children's Centre.
High Barnet Baptist Church
Continue to High Barnet Baptist Church.
St John the Baptist Church
Continue to St John the Baptist Church.
Hadley Highstone
Continue to Hadley Highstone.
Schlagmans
Continue to Schlagmans.
Scratchwood Park
Continue to Scratchwood Park.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
West Way Nissan
Continue to West Way Nissan.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Holders Hill Circus
Continue to Holders Hill Circus, taking the junction with good observation.
Metro Laundrette & Dry Cleaners
Continue to Metro Laundrette & Dry Cleaners.
Griffin
Continue to Griffin.
Saint John the Apostle
Continue to Saint John the Apostle.
Fitzjohn Avenue
Continue to Fitzjohn Avenue.
Susi Earnshaw Theatre School
Continue to Susi Earnshaw Theatre School.
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.
Barnet Grills
Finish back near Barnet Grills, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 12 turns · 1 set of lights
2 roundabouts · 19 turns · 1 set of lights
1 roundabout · 16 turns · 1 set of lights
2 roundabouts · 13 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 45.1 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.