Near Barnstaple test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 15 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 53.2 km practice route near Barnstaple 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.
Along the way you'll meet Lake Roundabout and Roundswell Roundabout. 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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, stations 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 Barnstaple 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 96-step drive on real, named roads (about 53.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast on Benning Court.
Benning Court23 m
Turn right onto Riverside Road.
Riverside Road324 m
Turn left onto Pilland Way.
Pilland Way293 m
Move right to stay on Pilland Way.
Pilland Way24 m
Move right onto Braunton Road/A361.
Braunton Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pilton Causeway/B3149.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pilton Causeway/B3149.
Pilton Causeway51 m
Enter Mermaid Cross and take the 2nd exit onto A39.
Mermaid Cross34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A39.
A39488 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Alexandra Road/A39.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alexandra Road/A39.
Alexandra Road518 m
Enter TA Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A39.
TA Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A39.
A39423 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Victoria Road.
33 m
Exit the roundabout onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road93 m
Turn left onto Portmarsh Lane.
Portmarsh Lane138 m
Turn left onto Victoria Street.
Victoria Street104 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Victoria Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road164 m
Turn right.
113 m
Turn left onto Barbican Close.
Barbican Close8 m
Turn right to stay on Barbican Close.
Barbican Close115 m
Turn left onto Barbican Road.
Barbican Road68 m
Move right onto Summerland Street.
Summerland Street164 m
Move left onto A3125.
A312523 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A3125.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A3125.
A312590 m
Enter TA Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Alexandra Road/A39.
TA Roundabout2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alexandra Road/A39.
Alexandra Road284 m
Turn left onto Bear Street.
Bear Street134 m
Turn right onto Vicarage Lawn.
Vicarage Lawn165 m
Turn right onto Vicarage Street.
Vicarage Street159 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Derby Road.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Derby Road.
Derby Road642 m
Keep right to take Gorwell Road.
Gorwell Road659 m
Turn right onto Goodleigh Road.
Goodleigh Road575 m
Turn right onto Bicton Street.
Bicton Street352 m
Turn right onto Derby Road.
Derby Road369 m
Turn left onto Frankmarsh Road.
Frankmarsh Road137 m
Move left onto Lethaby Road.
Lethaby Road333 m
Turn right onto St George's Road.
St George's Road791 m
Turn right onto Pilton Causeway/A39. Continue on A39.
A3948 m
Turn left onto Pilton Quay.
Pilton Quay471 m
Turn right onto Braunton Road/B3149. Continue on Braunton Road.
Braunton Road1.7 km
Make a right U-turn onto Braunton Road/A361.
Braunton Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.3 km
Enter Sticklepath Junction and take the 2nd exit onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Sticklepath Junction47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.4 km
Enter Lake Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Lake Roundabout145 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.4 km
Enter Sticklepath Junction and take the 2nd exit onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Sticklepath Junction52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.2 km
Turn left onto Braunton Road/A361.
Braunton Road1.1 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on Braunton Road/A361.
Braunton Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.3 km
Enter Sticklepath Junction and take the 2nd exit onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Sticklepath Junction47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.4 km
Enter Lake Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A39/Atlantic Highway.
Lake Roundabout96 m
Exit the roundabout onto A39/Atlantic Highway.
A391.6 km
Enter Roundswell Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B3232.
Roundswell Roundabout8 m
Exit the roundabout onto B3232.
B323285 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B3232.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto B3232.
B32324.3 km
Turn right.
677 m
Turn right.
660 m
Move right onto Rooty Cross.
Rooty Cross966 m
Turn left onto B3232.
B32323.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B3232.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto B3232.
B323279 m
Enter Roundswell Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A39/Atlantic Highway.
Roundswell Roundabout119 m
Exit the roundabout onto A39/Atlantic Highway.
A391.5 km
Move left.
261 m
Move left onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.3 km
Enter Sticklepath Junction and take the 2nd exit onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Sticklepath Junction52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.2 km
Turn left onto Braunton Road/A361.
Braunton Road1.1 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on Braunton Road/A361.
Braunton Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.3 km
Enter Sticklepath Junction and take the 2nd exit onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Sticklepath Junction47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnstaple Western Bypass/A361.
Barnstaple Western Bypass1.4 km
Enter Lake Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A361.
Lake Roundabout9 m
Exit the roundabout onto A361.
A361736 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bishop's Tawton Road/B3138.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bishop's Tawton Road/B3138. Continue on B3138.
B3138785 m
Turn right onto Landkey Road.
Landkey Road1.6 km
Turn right.
28 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road223 m
Turn right.
539 m
Turn left onto Venn Road.
Venn Road574 m
Turn left.
687 m
Turn left onto Bableigh Road.
Bableigh Road488 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road1.1 km
Turn right.
28 m
Turn left onto Landkey Road.
Landkey Road2.2 km
Turn right onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road226 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barnstaple · 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.
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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Lake Roundabout, Roundswell Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 4.2 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 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.
Bull & Bear
Start near Bull & Bear.
Flukey's Bar
Continue to Flukey's Bar.
Rolle Quay Inn
Continue to Rolle Quay Inn.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Barnstaple Bus Station
Continue to Barnstaple Bus Station.
Ebberley Arms
Continue to Ebberley Arms.
Home Pine
Continue to Home Pine.
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple
Continue to Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple.
Barum Brewery
Continue to Barum Brewery.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Harry's Flamingo Bar
Continue to Harry's Flamingo Bar.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
Carpet Mill
Continue to Carpet Mill.
Kings Carpets
Continue to Kings Carpets.
Lake Roundabout
Continue to Lake Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Horwood and Newton Tracey Community Primary School
Continue to Horwood and Newton Tracey Community Primary School.
Roundswell Roundabout
Continue to Roundswell Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Jon Beer Auto Services
Continue to Jon Beer Auto Services.
St John The Baptist
Continue to St John The Baptist.
St Paul
Finish back near St Paul, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 19 turns · 2 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 13 turns
12 roundabouts · 13 turns · 7 sets of lights
11 roundabouts · 11 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 53.2 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barnstaple test centre, not an official DVSA route.