Near Barnet test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 11 turns and 1 signalled junction across 16 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.0 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 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 30-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.0 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.
A1000605 m
Turn left onto Fairfield Way.
Fairfield Way256 m
Turn left onto Sherrards Way.
Sherrards Way611 m
Turn right onto Western Way.
Western Way194 m
Turn right onto Grasvenor Avenue.
Grasvenor Avenue819 m
Turn left onto Barnet Hill/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A1000880 m
Move left onto Wood Street/A411. Continue on A411.
A4111.4 km
Turn right onto Galley Lane.
Galley Lane27 m
Turn left to stay on Galley Lane.
Galley Lane4.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dancers Hill Road.
29 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 2 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.
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, 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.
Queens Arms
Continue to Queens Arms.
Weavers
Continue to Weavers.
Containersafe
Continue to Containersafe.
Grasvenor Avenue Infant School
Continue to Grasvenor Avenue Infant School.
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.
Arkley
Continue to Arkley.
Black Horse
Continue to Black Horse.
Lord Nelson
Continue to Lord Nelson.
Poor Clare Monastery
Continue to Poor Clare Monastery.
Hadley Highstone
Continue to Hadley Highstone.
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.
High Barnet Islamic Centre
Continue to High Barnet Islamic Centre.
Barnet Grills
Continue to Barnet Grills.
Smart Cutz
Continue to Smart Cutz.
Sound Garden
Finish back near Sound Garden, 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 20.0 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.