Near Barnsley test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 30 turns across 35 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.9 km practice loop near Barnsley test centre, taking roughly 45 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 Burton Road and Old Tannery Road. 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 pubs, churches, shops and stations, 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 80-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.9 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 Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Shaw Lane.
Shaw Lane596 m
Turn right onto Racecommon Road.
Racecommon Road204 m
Turn right onto Raley Street.
Raley Street210 m
Turn left onto Crompton Avenue.
Crompton Avenue127 m
Turn left onto Racecommon Road.
Racecommon Road670 m
Enter Townend Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A628/West Way.
Townend Roundabout134 m
Exit the roundabout onto A628/West Way.
A628405 m
Continue.
23 m
Keep right to take West Way.
West Way71 m
Turn right onto Upper New Street.
Upper New Street99 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Upper New Street.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Upper New Street.
Upper New Street128 m
Turn left onto Wood Street.
Wood Street360 m
Turn left onto Buckley Court.
Buckley Court50 m
Turn left.
9 m
Make a right U-turn.
9 m
Turn right onto Buckley Court.
Buckley Court50 m
Turn right onto Wood Street.
Wood Street101 m
Turn right onto Union Street.
Union Street322 m
Move left onto A61/Sheffield Road.
A61202 m
Enter Alhambra Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A61/Sheffield Road.
Alhambra Roundabout155 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Sheffield Road.
A61143 m
Keep right to stay on A61/Sheffield Road.
A61313 m
Turn right onto A6133/Park Road.
A6133319 m
Turn right onto Duke Street.
Duke Street407 m
Move left onto A61/Sheffield Road.
A61202 m
Enter Alhambra Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wesley Street.
Alhambra Roundabout77 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wesley Street.
Wesley Street111 m
Turn right onto Lambra Road.
Lambra Road267 m
Turn right onto A628/Pontefract Road.
A6282.4 km
Turn left onto Rotherham Road/A633.
Rotherham Road79 m
Keep left to stay on Rotherham Road/A633.
Rotherham Road1.3 km
Move left onto Burton Road.
Burton Road687 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Old Tannery Road.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Tannery Road.
Old Tannery Road103 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Old Tannery Road.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Tannery Road.
Old Tannery Road201 m
Move left onto Old Mill Lane/A61. Continue on A61.
A61244 m
Enter Old Mill Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A635/Old Mill Lane.
Old Mill Roundabout201 m
Exit the roundabout onto A635/Old Mill Lane. Continue on A635.
A635705 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.
A635367 m
Move right onto Cockerham Lane.
Cockerham Lane260 m
Turn right onto Cavendish Road.
Cavendish Road99 m
Turn left onto Allendale Road.
Allendale Road217 m
Turn left onto Smithies Lane.
Smithies Lane328 m
Turn left onto Honeywell Lane.
Honeywell Lane470 m
Turn left onto Honeywell Street.
Honeywell Street44 m
Move left onto Rockingham Street.
Rockingham Street55 m
Turn left onto Burton Street.
Burton Street63 m
Turn right onto Honeywell Lane.
Honeywell Lane375 m
Turn right onto Cockerham Lane.
Cockerham Lane177 m
Turn left onto Hall Balk Lane.
Hall Balk Lane210 m
Turn left onto A635/Huddersfield Road.
A63581 m
Turn right onto Granville Street.
Granville Street351 m
Turn left onto Greenfoot Lane.
Greenfoot Lane89 m
Turn left onto Cutty Lane.
Cutty Lane131 m
Turn left onto Westville Road.
Westville Road88 m
Turn left onto Salisbury Street.
Salisbury Street78 m
Turn right onto Bond Road.
Bond Road65 m
Turn right onto Cross Street.
Cross Street133 m
Turn right onto Kensington Road.
Kensington Road84 m
Turn left onto Guest Road.
Guest Road138 m
Turn left onto Swift Street.
Swift Street170 m
Turn right onto Victoria Crescent.
Victoria Crescent194 m
Move right onto Victoria Crescent West.
Victoria Crescent West125 m
Turn right onto Summer Lane.
Summer Lane425 m
Turn left onto Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road886 m
Turn left to stay on Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road103 m
Turn left onto St Martins Close.
St Martins Close42 m
Turn left to stay on St Martins Close.
St Martins Close38 m
Turn right onto St Owens Drive.
St Owens Drive173 m
Turn right onto Pogmoor Road.
Pogmoor Road242 m
Turn right onto West Road.
West Road56 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barnsley · Route 23 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.
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 6.6 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.
Barnsley Muslim Community Centre
Continue to Barnsley Muslim Community Centre.
Shaw Inn
Continue to Shaw Inn.
Simply Beauty
Continue to Simply Beauty.
Love Life UK Church
Continue to Love Life UK Church.
Hope House Church
Continue to Hope House Church.
Sheffield Road/West Way
Continue to Sheffield Road/West Way.
Sheffield Road/Brinckman Street
Continue to Sheffield Road/Brinckman Street.
Silkstone
Continue to Silkstone.
Mount
Continue to Mount.
Bethel Chapel
Continue to Bethel Chapel.
Mill
Continue to Mill.
Priory Arms
Continue to Priory Arms.
Cliffe Bridge Church
Continue to Cliffe Bridge Church.
Burton Road
Continue to Burton Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Old Tannery Road
Continue to Old Tannery Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Prince of Wales
Continue to Prince of Wales.
Quaker Meeting House
Continue to Quaker Meeting House.
Grey Horse
Continue to Grey Horse.
Polish Social Club
Finish back near Polish Social Club, 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 19.9 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barnsley test centre, not an official DVSA route.