Near Barnet test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 14 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.0 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.
On this route you’ll practise 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, churches 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 62-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.0 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.
A1000379 m
Turn right onto Station Road/A110.
Station Road694 m
Turn left onto Plantagenet Road.
Plantagenet Road141 m
Turn left onto Leicester Road.
Leicester Road322 m
Turn right onto Warwick Road.
Warwick Road285 m
Turn right onto Prospect Road.
Prospect Road132 m
Turn right onto Woodville Road.
Woodville Road202 m
Turn left onto Bulwer Road.
Bulwer Road277 m
Turn left onto Potters Road.
Potters Road95 m
Turn left onto Hexham Road.
Hexham Road143 m
Turn left onto Hadley Road.
Hadley Road90 m
Turn right onto Bulwer Road.
Bulwer Road175 m
Turn right onto Warwick Road.
Warwick Road280 m
Turn left onto Potters Lane.
Potters Lane703 m
Turn left onto Barnet Hill/A1000.
Barnet Hill87 m
Move left onto Station Road/A110.
Station Road458 m
Turn left onto Warwick Road.
Warwick Road269 m
Turn right onto Bulwer Road.
Bulwer Road89 m
Turn left onto Woodville Road.
Woodville Road769 m
Turn left onto Latimer Road.
Latimer Road156 m
Turn left to stay on Latimer Road.
Latimer Road14 m
Make a left U-turn at Latimer Road to stay on Latimer Road.
Latimer Road268 m
Turn right onto Hadley Road.
Hadley Road507 m
Turn left onto Potters Road.
Potters Road89 m
Turn left onto Clifford Road.
Clifford Road500 m
Turn left onto Latimer Road.
Latimer Road90 m
Turn right onto Hadley Road.
Hadley Road72 m
Turn left onto Hadley Common.
Hadley Common1.0 km
Move right onto Dury Road.
Dury Road239 m
Turn left onto Hadley Green/A1000.
Hadley Green387 m
Turn left onto Sydney Chapman Way.
Sydney Chapman Way1.4 km
Turn right onto Hadley Road.
Hadley Road580 m
Turn left onto Potters Road.
Potters Road89 m
Turn left onto Clifford Road.
Clifford Road500 m
Turn left onto Latimer Road.
Latimer Road90 m
Turn right onto Hadley Road.
Hadley Road72 m
Turn left onto Hadley Common.
Hadley Common1.0 km
Move right onto Dury Road.
Dury Road239 m
Turn right onto Hadley Highstone/A1000.
Hadley Highstone260 m
Turn left to stay on Hadley Highstone.
Hadley Highstone1.8 km
Turn right onto Dancers Hill Road.
Dancers Hill Road1.6 km
Turn right onto Barnet Road/A1000. Continue on A1000.
A10003.1 km
Turn right onto St Albans Road/A1081.
St Albans Road992 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 8 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.
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.
Eviglam's
Start near Eviglam's.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Weavers
Continue to Weavers.
New Barnet Friends Meeting House (Quakers)
Continue to New Barnet Friends Meeting House (Quakers).
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
St Mark
Continue to St Mark.
Saint Mary's, Hadley
Continue to Saint Mary's, Hadley.
Hadley Green
Continue to Hadley Green.
Duke of York
Continue to Duke of York.
High Barnet Baptist Church
Continue to High Barnet Baptist Church.
Reks
Continue to Reks.
Ye Olde Monken Holt
Continue to Ye Olde Monken Holt.
High Barnet Islamic Centre
Continue to High Barnet Islamic Centre.
New Stitch
Continue to New Stitch.
Wanders
Continue to Wanders.
Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet Church.
Barnet High Street / Barnet Church
Continue to Barnet High Street / Barnet Church.
Fitzjohn Avenue
Continue to Fitzjohn Avenue.
Barnet Hill Common
Continue to Barnet Hill Common.
Queens Arms
Finish back near Queens Arms, 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 25.0 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.