Near Barnsley test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout, 19 turns and 6 signalled junctions across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.3 km practice loop near Barnsley test centre, taking roughly 35 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, 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 pubs, schools, churches 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 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 71-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.3 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 Road287 m
Turn right onto Oakfield Walk.
Oakfield Walk285 m
Turn right onto Wharfedale Road.
Wharfedale Road163 m
Turn left onto Colster Close.
Colster Close80 m
Keep right to stay on Colster Close.
Colster Close39 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Colster Close.
Colster Close119 m
Turn right onto Wharfedale Road.
Wharfedale Road118 m
Turn right to stay on Wharfedale Road.
Wharfedale Road35 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Wharfedale Road.
Wharfedale Road35 m
Turn left to stay on Wharfedale Road.
Wharfedale Road330 m
Turn left onto Church Street.
Church Street129 m
Turn right onto Beever Lane.
Beever Lane237 m
Turn right onto Redbrook Road.
Redbrook Road1.1 km
Keep right to take Gawber Road.
Gawber Road518 m
Turn left onto Victoria Crescent.
Victoria Crescent355 m
Turn left onto A635/Huddersfield Road.
A635800 m
Turn left onto Greenfoot Lane.
Greenfoot Lane429 m
Turn left onto School Street.
School Street332 m
Turn left onto Cross Street.
Cross Street133 m
Turn left onto Bond Road.
Bond Road65 m
Turn left onto Salisbury Street.
Salisbury Street78 m
Turn left onto Westville Road.
Westville Road110 m
Turn left onto Cross Street.
Cross Street65 m
Turn left onto Bond Road.
Bond Road230 m
Turn left onto Cutty Lane.
Cutty Lane78 m
Turn left onto Westville Road.
Westville Road198 m
Turn left onto Cross Street.
Cross Street65 m
Turn right onto Bond Road.
Bond Road125 m
Turn left onto A635/Huddersfield Road.
A6357 m
Turn right onto Cavendish Road.
Cavendish Road119 m
Keep right to stay on Cavendish Road.
Cavendish Road17 m
Turn left onto Cockerham Lane.
Cockerham Lane718 m
Turn right onto Honeywell Grove.
Honeywell Grove58 m
Turn right onto Smithies Street.
Smithies Street151 m
Make a right U-turn onto Pleasant View Croft.
Pleasant View Croft151 m
Turn right onto Honeywell Grove.
Honeywell Grove466 m
Turn left onto Honeywell Street.
Honeywell Street431 m
Keep left to stay on Honeywell Street.
Honeywell Street6 m
Turn right onto A635/Old Mill Lane. Continue on A635.
A635464 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A635/Church Lane.
112 m
Exit the roundabout onto A635/Church Lane.
A63544 m
Move left onto A635/Huddersfield Road.
A63523 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road356 m
Move right onto Sackville Street.
Sackville Street1.4 km
Turn left onto Church Street.
Church Street90 m
Keep left to stay on Church Street.
Church Street236 m
Turn right onto Beever Lane.
Beever Lane237 m
Turn right onto Redbrook Road.
Redbrook Road1.1 km
Keep right to take Gawber Road.
Gawber Road50 m
Turn right onto Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road147 m
Turn left onto Summer Lane.
Summer Lane972 m
Enter Townend Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Shambles Street.
Townend Roundabout2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shambles Street.
Shambles Street319 m
Turn left onto St Mary's Place.
St Mary's Place104 m
Keep right to stay on St Mary's Place.
St Mary's Place7 m
Turn right onto Sadler Gate.
Sadler Gate75 m
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street17 m
Keep right to stay on Church Street.
Church Street118 m
Move right onto Shambles Street.
Shambles Street35 m
Keep left to stay on Shambles Street.
Shambles Street344 m
Enter Townend Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Racecommon Road.
Townend Roundabout68 m
Exit the roundabout onto Racecommon Road.
Racecommon Road970 m
Turn right onto A6133/Park Road. Continue on A6133.
A6133624 m
Keep right to stay on A6133/Broadway.
A6133752 m
Turn right onto A628.
A62860 m
Turn left to stay on A628.
A62845 m
Keep left to take Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road768 m
Turn right onto West Road.
West Road57 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barnsley · 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.
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 3.0 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.
Tom Treddlehoyle
Start near Tom Treddlehoyle.
Gawber Pre-School
Continue to Gawber Pre-School.
New Inn
Continue to New Inn.
Childrens Emergency Dept
Continue to Childrens Emergency Dept.
Barnsley Recovery and Wellbeing College
Continue to Barnsley Recovery and Wellbeing College.
Emmanuel Methodist
Continue to Emmanuel Methodist.
Grey Horse
Continue to Grey Horse.
Honeywell
Continue to Honeywell.
Old Mill Lane Campus
Continue to Old Mill Lane Campus.
A&E
Continue to A&E.
Summer Lane Primary School
Continue to Summer Lane Primary School.
Commercial Inn
Continue to Commercial Inn.
Moulders Arms
Continue to Moulders Arms.
Barnsley Sixth Form College
Continue to Barnsley Sixth Form College.
IT Services
Continue to IT Services.
Soul Lounge
Continue to Soul Lounge.
University Campus Barnsley
Continue to University Campus Barnsley.
Longcar Inn
Continue to Longcar Inn.
St Edward The Confessor
Continue to St Edward The Confessor.
Pogmoor Convenience Store
Finish back near Pogmoor Convenience Store, 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 18.3 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barnsley test centre, not an official DVSA route.