Near Barrow In Furness test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 12 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.1 km practice loop near Barrow In Furness test centre, taking roughly 30 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 John Whinnerah 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 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 pubs, shops, schools 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.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
Road mix
The full 81-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest.
42 m
Turn right.
23 m
Turn left onto James Freel Close.
James Freel Close166 m
Turn right to stay on James Freel Close.
James Freel Close1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on James Freel Close.
James Freel Close1 m
Turn left to stay on James Freel Close.
James Freel Close247 m
Turn left onto Ironworks Road/A590.
Ironworks Road206 m
Turn right onto Walney Road/A590. Continue on A590.
A590632 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A590.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A590.
North Road72 m
Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.
Ironworks Road583 m
Turn right onto Ashburner Way.
Ashburner Way103 m
Turn left.
100 m
Turn right onto Ashburner Way.
Ashburner Way166 m
Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.
Ironworks Road481 m
Turn left onto A590/Walney Road.
A590494 m
Turn left onto Phoenix Road.
Phoenix Road625 m
Turn left onto Ironworks Road/A590.
Ironworks Road140 m
Turn right onto Walney Road/A590.
Walney Road136 m
Turn left onto Duke Street.
Duke Street613 m
Move left onto Ramsden Square.
Ramsden Square23 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ramsden Square.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ramsden Square.
Ramsden Square23 m
Move left onto Duke Street.
Duke Street267 m
Turn right onto Cornwallis Street.
Cornwallis Street155 m
Turn left onto Lawson Street.
Lawson Street86 m
Move left onto Market Street.
Market Street145 m
Move right onto Duke Street.
Duke Street79 m
Enter Schneider Square and take the 5th exit towards Town Centre.
Schneider Square89 m
Exit the roundabout towards Town Centre.
Duke Street68 m
Turn left onto Market Street.
Market Street145 m
Move right onto Lawson Street.
Lawson Street86 m
Turn right onto Cornwallis Street.
Cornwallis Street155 m
Turn left onto Duke Street.
Duke Street267 m
Move left onto Ramsden Square.
Ramsden Square24 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ramsden Square.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ramsden Square.
Ramsden Square21 m
Move left onto Abbey Road.
Abbey Road156 m
Enter John Whinnerah Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hindpool Road/A5087.
John Whinnerah Roundabout6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hindpool Road/A5087.
Hindpool Road399 m
Turn left onto Market Street.
Market Street183 m
Move right onto Duke Street.
Duke Street79 m
Enter Schneider Square and take the 1st exit onto Dalton Road.
Schneider Square5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dalton Road.
Dalton Road54 m
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street24 m
Turn left to stay on Church Street.
Church Street1.1 km
Turn right onto Risedale Road.
Risedale Road425 m
Turn left onto Moorfield Street.
Moorfield Street185 m
Turn left onto Abbots Vale.
Abbots Vale514 m
Turn right onto Bridgegate Avenue.
Bridgegate Avenue318 m
Turn left onto Dale Bank.
Dale Bank17 m
Turn right onto Bridgegate Avenue.
Bridgegate Avenue62 m
Turn left onto Friars Lane.
Friars Lane161 m
Turn right onto Flass Lane.
Flass Lane196 m
Turn right onto Abbotsmead Approach.
Abbotsmead Approach72 m
Move right onto Friars View.
Friars View129 m
Turn right onto Friars Lane.
Friars Lane228 m
Move left onto Flass Lane.
Flass Lane481 m
Turn left onto Harrel Lane.
Harrel Lane405 m
Move right onto Hollow Lane.
Hollow Lane567 m
Turn right onto Abbey Road.
Abbey Road2.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Park Road.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Park Road.
Park Road1.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A590/Park Road.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto A590/Park Road. Continue on A590.
A5903.3 km
Turn left.
67 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road471 m
Turn right onto Millstone Avenue.
Millstone Avenue138 m
Turn right onto Middlefield.
Middlefield226 m
Turn right onto Mill Bank.
Mill Bank208 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road177 m
Turn right.
53 m
Turn left onto A590/Walney Road.
A5901.9 km
Turn right onto Ashburner Way.
Ashburner Way197 m
Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.
Ironworks Road481 m
Turn right onto Walney Road/A590. Continue on A590.
A590632 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A590.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A590.
North Road72 m
Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.
Ironworks Road858 m
Turn left onto James Freel Close.
James Freel Close146 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Barrow In Furness · Route 3 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 John Whinnerah Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 5.2 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, 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.
Brewers Fayre
Start near Brewers Fayre.
Farmfoods
Continue to Farmfoods.
Furness College - The Copper Box
Continue to Furness College - The Copper Box.
iBox
Continue to iBox.
Hindpool Urban Park
Continue to Hindpool Urban Park.
JD Car Sales
Continue to JD Car Sales.
Albion
Continue to Albion.
Our Lady of Furness St Mary's
Continue to Our Lady of Furness St Mary's.
Healeys
Continue to Healeys.
John Whinnerah Roundabout
Continue to John Whinnerah Roundabout.
Greengate Junior School
Continue to Greengate Junior School.
Greengate Working Mans Club
Continue to Greengate Working Mans Club.
Moorfield Learning Centre
Continue to Moorfield Learning Centre.
Risedale Gospel Hall
Continue to Risedale Gospel Hall.
Bridgegate Motorcycles
Continue to Bridgegate Motorcycles.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
St Paul
Continue to St Paul.
Strawberry
Continue to Strawberry.
Wolseley
Continue to Wolseley.
Soccer Bar
Finish back near Soccer Bar, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 13 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 14 turns · 2 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 14 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 25.1 km and takes about 30 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.