Near Barnsley test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 13 turns across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.6 km practice loop near Barnsley test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Upper New Street. 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, 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 parks, pubs, shops 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 Barnsley 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 68-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
36 m
Turn left onto West Road.
West Road84 m
Turn left onto Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road386 m
Turn left to stay on Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road566 m
Take the A628 exit on the right.
A628242 m
Turn left onto A6133/Broadway.
A6133839 m
Turn left onto Keresforth Close.
Keresforth Close199 m
Turn left.
14 m
Make a right U-turn.
14 m
Turn right onto Keresforth Close.
Keresforth Close199 m
Turn left onto A6133/Broadway. Continue on A6133.
A6133529 m
Turn left onto Racecommon Road.
Racecommon Road720 m
Turn right onto Clarendon Street.
Clarendon Street479 m
Turn right onto Blucher Street.
Blucher Street96 m
Turn left onto Lower Castlereagh Street.
Lower Castlereagh Street77 m
Turn right onto Wellington Street.
Wellington Street136 m
Move left onto West Way.
West Way71 m
Turn right onto Upper New Street.
Upper New Street99 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Upper New Street.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Upper New Street.
Upper New Street54 m
Keep left to stay on Upper New Street.
Upper New Street36 m
Turn left onto A628/West Way.
A62812 m
Keep left to stay on A628/West Way.
A628479 m
Enter Townend Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A628/West Way.
Townend Roundabout171 m
Exit the roundabout onto A628/West Way.
A628405 m
Continue.
23 m
Keep left to take A628/West Way.
A628232 m
Enter Alhambra Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A61/Sheffield Road.
Alhambra Roundabout95 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Sheffield Road.
A61143 m
Keep right to stay on A61/Sheffield Road.
A61313 m
Turn left onto A6133/Cemetery Road.
A6133518 m
Turn left to take the A635 ramp.
A613322 m
Turn left onto A635/Doncaster Road.
A635564 m
Move left onto A635/Taylor Row. Continue on A635.
A635126 m
Turn right onto A61/Sheffield Road.
A61202 m
Enter Alhambra Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A61/Harborough Hill Road.
Alhambra Roundabout108 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Harborough Hill Road.
A61939 m
Enter Old Mill Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A635/Old Mill Lane.
Old Mill Roundabout55 m
Exit the roundabout onto A635/Old Mill Lane.
A635119 m
Move left onto Eldon Street North.
Eldon Street North216 m
Turn left onto James Street.
James Street143 m
Turn left onto Vernon Street.
Vernon Street95 m
Turn right onto Denton Street.
Denton Street49 m
Continue on A61/Harborough Hill Road.
A61177 m
Enter Old Mill Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A61/Harborough Hill Road.
Old Mill Roundabout252 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Harborough Hill Road.
A611.0 km
Enter Alhambra Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A61/Sheffield Road.
Alhambra Roundabout16 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Sheffield Road.
A61143 m
Keep right to stay on A61/Sheffield Road.
A61580 m
Turn right onto Mount Vernon Road.
Mount Vernon Road1.1 km
Turn left to stay on Mount Vernon Road.
Mount Vernon Road299 m
Turn right onto Wigfield Drive.
Wigfield Drive743 m
Turn left onto Haverlands Lane.
Haverlands Lane335 m
Turn left onto Vernon Road.
Vernon Road856 m
Turn left onto Genn Lane.
Genn Lane929 m
Move left onto Hound Hill Lane.
Hound Hill Lane958 m
Turn left to stay on Hound Hill Lane.
Hound Hill Lane298 m
Turn right onto Haverlands Lane.
Haverlands Lane777 m
Turn right onto Round Green Lane.
Round Green Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto Gilroyd Lane.
Gilroyd Lane1.0 km
Turn right onto Keresforth Hill Road/B6099.
Keresforth Hill Road988 m
Turn left onto A6133/Broadway.
A61331.1 km
Turn right onto A628.
A62841 m
Turn left to stay on A628.
A62864 m
Keep left to take Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road381 m
Turn right to stay on Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road386 m
Turn right onto West Road.
West Road56 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barnsley · 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.
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 8.4 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.
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.
Penny Pie Park
Start near Penny Pie Park.
Tom Treddlehoyle
Continue to Tom Treddlehoyle.
Go Local
Continue to Go Local.
St Edward The Confessor
Continue to St Edward The Confessor.
Barnsley National Spiritualist Church
Continue to Barnsley National Spiritualist Church.
Hope House Church
Continue to Hope House Church.
Holy Rood Catholic Church
Continue to Holy Rood Catholic Church.
Upper New Street
Continue to Upper New Street, taking the junction with good observation.
Love Life UK Church
Continue to Love Life UK Church.
Manx Arms
Continue to Manx Arms.
Sheffield Road/Brinckman Street
Continue to Sheffield Road/Brinckman Street.
Sheffield Road/Park Road
Continue to Sheffield Road/Park Road.
Sheffield Road/West Way
Continue to Sheffield Road/West Way.
St Peter the Apostle & St John the Baptist
Continue to St Peter the Apostle & St John the Baptist.
Mr Yung's
Continue to Mr Yung's.
Prince of Wales
Continue to Prince of Wales.
B&M Bargains
Continue to B&M Bargains.
Hyundai
Continue to Hyundai.
Ward Green Baptist Church
Continue to Ward Green Baptist Church.
Ship Inn
Finish back near Ship Inn, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 26 turns · 3 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 23 turns · 3 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 21 turns · 3 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 25 turns · 7 sets of lights
This route is 23.6 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barnsley test centre, not an official DVSA route.