Near Barnsley test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 21 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 32 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.3 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 Barnsley Road and Lindhurst 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 shops, pubs, named junctions 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 80-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.2 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 Road140 m
Turn right onto Intake Lane.
Intake Lane746 m
Turn left onto Redbrook Road.
Redbrook Road796 m
Move left onto A635/Barugh Green Road.
A635147 m
Enter Barnsley Road and take the 1st exit onto Barugh Green Road/A635.
Barnsley Road18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barugh Green Road/A635.
Barugh Green Road75 m
Turn left onto Claycliffe Avenue.
Claycliffe Avenue197 m
Turn left onto Mawfield Road.
Mawfield Road59 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Mawfield Road.
Mawfield Road59 m
Turn right onto Claycliffe Avenue.
Claycliffe Avenue197 m
Turn right onto Barugh Green Road/A635.
Barugh Green Road72 m
Enter Barnsley Road and take the 5th exit onto A637/Claycliffe Road.
Barnsley Road98 m
Exit the roundabout onto A637/Claycliffe Road.
A637879 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A637/Barnsley Road.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto A637/Barnsley Road.
A63792 m
Turn right onto Dearne Hall Road.
Dearne Hall Road469 m
Turn left onto Dearne Hall Road/B6428. Continue on B6428.
B64281.7 km
Turn right onto Towngate/B6131. Continue on B6131.
B61311.2 km
Turn right onto Wakefield Road/A61.
Wakefield Road248 m
Turn right onto New Lodge Crescent.
New Lodge Crescent40 m
Turn left onto Wakefield Road.
Wakefield Road280 m
Move right onto Langsett Road.
Langsett Road60 m
Turn right onto Kirkstall Road.
Kirkstall Road231 m
Turn right onto New Lodge Crescent.
New Lodge Crescent90 m
Turn right onto Wakefield Road/A61.
Wakefield Road71 m
Turn left onto Newstead Road.
Newstead Road303 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Newstead Road.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newstead Road.
Newstead Road220 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Ollerton Road.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ollerton Road.
Ollerton Road365 m
Move right onto Trowell Way.
Trowell Way162 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Lindhurst Road.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lindhurst Road.
Lindhurst Road330 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Newstead Road.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newstead Road.
Newstead Road220 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Newstead Road.
83 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newstead Road.
Newstead Road220 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Newstead Road.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newstead Road.
Newstead Road303 m
Turn right onto Wakefield Road/A61.
Wakefield Road71 m
Turn left onto New Lodge Crescent.
New Lodge Crescent40 m
Turn left onto Wakefield Road.
Wakefield Road280 m
Move right onto Langsett Road.
Langsett Road60 m
Turn right onto Kirkstall Road.
Kirkstall Road231 m
Turn right onto New Lodge Crescent.
New Lodge Crescent90 m
Turn right onto Wakefield Road/A61.
Wakefield Road799 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wakefield Road/A61.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wakefield Road/A61.
Wakefield Road899 m
Turn right onto Smithies Lane.
Smithies Lane773 m
Turn left onto Honeywell Grove.
Honeywell Grove58 m
Turn right onto Smithies Street.
Smithies Street98 m
Turn right to stay on Smithies Street.
Smithies Street1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Smithies Street.
Smithies Street1 m
Turn left to stay on Smithies Street.
Smithies Street98 m
Turn left onto Honeywell Grove.
Honeywell Grove58 m
Turn left onto Smithies Lane.
Smithies Lane600 m
Turn right 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 left onto Bond Road.
Bond Road164 m
Turn left onto Cutty Lane.
Cutty Lane109 m
Turn right onto School Street.
School Street121 m
Turn right onto Greenfoot Lane.
Greenfoot Lane429 m
Turn left onto A635/Huddersfield Road.
A635123 m
Turn left onto Queens Drive.
Queens Drive167 m
Turn left onto Southgate.
Southgate177 m
Turn right onto Greenfoot Lane.
Greenfoot Lane1.5 km
Turn left onto 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 9 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.
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 1.3 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.
Sainsbury's Local
Start near Sainsbury's Local.
Tom Treddlehoyle
Continue to Tom Treddlehoyle.
New Inn
Continue to New Inn.
Barnsley Road
Continue to Barnsley Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Chestnut Tree
Continue to Chestnut Tree.
Pentagon Jeep
Continue to Pentagon Jeep.
Royal Hotel
Continue to Royal Hotel.
Millers Inn
Continue to Millers Inn.
Staincross Christian Fellowship
Continue to Staincross Christian Fellowship.
Staincross Methodist Church
Continue to Staincross Methodist Church.
Wentworth Arms
Continue to Wentworth Arms.
Eastfield Arms
Continue to Eastfield Arms.
Lindhurst Road
Continue to Lindhurst Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Hammerton's
Continue to Hammerton's.
Polar Ford Barnsley
Continue to Polar Ford Barnsley.
No. 37 Sandwich & Coffee Corner
Continue to No. 37 Sandwich & Coffee Corner.
Grey Horse
Continue to Grey Horse.
ATS
Continue to ATS.
Summer Lane Primary School
Finish back near Summer Lane Primary School, 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 19.3 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.