Skip to content
Practice route
ChallengingLoop

Barrow In Furness · Route 2

Near Barrow In Furness test centre

27.8 km
Distance
25 min
Duration
Challenging
Difficulty
19
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Easy

Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 14 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 27.8 km practice loop near Barrow In Furness test centre, taking roughly 25 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 schools, shops, pubs and parks, 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 Barrow In Furness 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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

8
Left turns
6
Right turns
3
Roundabouts
2
Traffic lights
20
Total steps

Skills & features

4
Roundabouts
5.4 km
Dual carriageway
20, 30, 40, 60 mph
Speed limits
20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Multiple roundabouts
  • Dual-carriageway joins
  • National-speed roads
  • 20 mph zones
  • Changing speed limits
  • Residential manoeuvres
  • Busy A-roads
  • Independent driving

Road mix

  • Minor roads 12.9 km
  • A-roads 6.1 km
  • Trunk roads 5.4 km
  • Residential 2.5 km
  • Unclassified 0.4 km
  • service_other 0.2 km

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 64-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive northwest.

    42 m

  2. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    23 m

  3. Turn left:

    Turn left onto James Freel Close.

    James Freel Close166 m

  4. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on James Freel Close.

    James Freel Close1 m

  5. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on James Freel Close.

    James Freel Close1 m

  6. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on James Freel Close.

    James Freel Close247 m

  7. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road206 m

  8. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Walney Road/A590. Continue on A590.

    A590632 m

  9. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A590.

    28 m

  10. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A590.

    North Road72 m

  11. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road583 m

  12. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ashburner Way.

    Ashburner Way197 m

  13. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Walney Road/A590. Continue on A590.

    A590288 m

  14. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A590.

    28 m

  15. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A590.

    North Road353 m

  16. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    30 m

  17. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    64 m

  18. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    28 m

  19. Turn left:

    Turn left onto North Road/A590.

    North Road210 m

  20. Turn left:

    Move left onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road961 m

  21. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A590/Walney Road.

    A590494 m

  22. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Phoenix Road.

    Phoenix Road625 m

  23. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road140 m

  24. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Walney Road/A590.

    Walney Road136 m

  25. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Duke Street.

    Duke Street187 m

  26. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Blake Street.

    Blake Street322 m

  27. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hartington Street.

    Hartington Street73 m

  28. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Adelaide Street.

    Adelaide Street172 m

  29. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Bath Street.

    Bath Street46 m

  30. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Melbourne Street.

    Melbourne Street171 m

  31. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Hartington Street.

    Hartington Street587 m

  32. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Abbey Road.

    Abbey Road2.5 km

  33. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Leith Flat Brow.

    Leith Flat Brow166 m

  34. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Rating Lane.

    Rating Lane130 m

  35. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Abbey Road.

    Abbey Road1.9 km

  36. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Park Drive.

    Park Drive793 m

  37. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Bridgegate Avenue.

    Bridgegate Avenue338 m

  38. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Abbots Vale.

    Abbots Vale15 m

  39. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Bridgegate Avenue.

    Bridgegate Avenue318 m

  40. U-turn:

    Make a left U-turn at Dale Bank to stay on Bridgegate Avenue.

    Bridgegate Avenue380 m

  41. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Lesh Lane.

    Lesh Lane634 m

  42. Turn left:

    Move left.

    145 m

  43. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hollow Lane.

    Hollow Lane567 m

  44. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Abbey Road.

    Abbey Road2.0 km

  45. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Park Road.

    2 m

  46. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Park Road.

    Park Road1.8 km

  47. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A590/Park Road.

    12 m

  48. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A590/Park Road. Continue on A590.

    A5903.3 km

  49. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    67 m

  50. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Park Road.

    Park Road471 m

  51. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Millstone Avenue.

    Millstone Avenue138 m

  52. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Middlefield.

    Middlefield226 m

  53. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Mill Bank.

    Mill Bank208 m

  54. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Park Road.

    Park Road177 m

  55. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    53 m

  56. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A590/Walney Road.

    A5901.9 km

  57. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ashburner Way.

    Ashburner Way197 m

  58. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road481 m

  59. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Walney Road/A590. Continue on A590.

    A590632 m

  60. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A590.

    28 m

  61. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A590.

    North Road72 m

  62. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road858 m

  63. Turn left:

    Turn left onto James Freel Close.

    James Freel Close146 m

  64. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Barrow In Furness · Route 2 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Schools

Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.

  • iBox
  • Furness College - The Copper Box
  • St James' C of E Junior School

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • St. James' Church
  • St Paul
  • Abbey Road Baptist Church

Parks & green space

Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.

  • Hindpool Urban Park
  • Coronation Gardens

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • Brewers Fayre
  • Strawberry
  • Soccer Bar

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • Pye Motors Ltd
  • Howdens Joinery
  • JD Car Sales
  • Park & Shop

Watch out for

  • 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 5.4 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.

  • Changing speed limits

    Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 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.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. iBox

    Start near iBox.

  2. Pye Motors Ltd

    Continue to Pye Motors Ltd.

  3. Brewers Fayre

    Continue to Brewers Fayre.

  4. Howdens Joinery

    Continue to Howdens Joinery.

  5. Furness College - The Copper Box

    Continue to Furness College - The Copper Box.

  6. JD Car Sales

    Continue to JD Car Sales.

  7. Hindpool Urban Park

    Continue to Hindpool Urban Park.

  8. St. James' Church

    Continue to St. James' Church.

  9. St James' C of E Junior School

    Continue to St James' C of E Junior School.

  10. Barrow in Furness Law Courts

    Continue to Barrow in Furness Law Courts.

  11. Coronation Gardens

    Continue to Coronation Gardens.

  12. St Paul

    Continue to St Paul.

  13. Strawberry

    Continue to Strawberry.

  14. Abbey Road Baptist Church

    Continue to Abbey Road Baptist Church.

  15. Park & Shop

    Continue to Park & Shop.

  16. Park Leisure Centre

    Continue to Park Leisure Centre.

  17. Ocean

    Continue to Ocean.

  18. Yungs Chinese Takeaway

    Continue to Yungs Chinese Takeaway.

  19. Wolseley

    Continue to Wolseley.

  20. Soccer Bar

    Finish back near Soccer Bar, completing the loop.

More routes at Barrow In Furness test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 27.8 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Barrow In Furness test centre, not an official DVSA route.