Skip to content
Practice route
ChallengingLoop

Barrow In Furness · Route 5

Near Barrow In Furness test centre

35.1 km
Distance
30 min
Duration
Challenging
Difficulty
19
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Easy

Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 14 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 22 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 35.1 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.

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, schools, shops 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.

7
Left turns
7
Right turns
5
Roundabouts
2
Traffic lights
22
Total steps

Skills & features

12
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 20.9 km
  • Trunk roads 5.4 km
  • Residential 4.0 km
  • A-roads 2.9 km
  • Unclassified 0.3 km
  • service_other 0.2 km

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 79-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.1 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 Way103 m

  13. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    100 m

  14. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ashburner Way.

    Ashburner Way166 m

  15. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road481 m

  16. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A590/Walney Road.

    A590494 m

  17. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Phoenix Road.

    Phoenix Road625 m

  18. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road140 m

  19. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Walney Road/A590.

    Walney Road136 m

  20. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Duke Street.

    Duke Street613 m

  21. Turn left:

    Move left onto Ramsden Square.

    Ramsden Square23 m

  22. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ramsden Square.

    51 m

  23. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Ramsden Square.

    Ramsden Square23 m

  24. Turn left:

    Move left onto Duke Street.

    Duke Street53 m

  25. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Buccleuch Street.

    Buccleuch Street163 m

  26. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Dalkeith Street.

    Dalkeith Street135 m

  27. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Abbey Road.

    Abbey Road2.6 km

  28. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Leith Flat Brow.

    Leith Flat Brow166 m

  29. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Rating Lane.

    Rating Lane130 m

  30. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Abbey Road.

    Abbey Road1.9 km

  31. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Park Drive.

    Park Drive956 m

  32. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Winchester Street.

    Winchester Street127 m

  33. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Worcester Street.

    Worcester Street228 m

  34. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Bridgegate Avenue.

    Bridgegate Avenue107 m

  35. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Park Drive.

    Park Drive725 m

  36. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Carlton Avenue.

    Carlton Avenue238 m

  37. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Jesmond Avenue.

    Jesmond Avenue172 m

  38. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Fairfield Lane.

    Fairfield Lane508 m

  39. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hollow Lane.

    Hollow Lane1.1 km

  40. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Undergreens Road.

    Undergreens Road393 m

  41. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Hawcoat Lane.

    Hawcoat Lane691 m

  42. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Oxford Street.

    Oxford Street190 m

  43. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Oxford Street.

    25 m

  44. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Oxford Street.

    Oxford Street363 m

  45. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Victoria Avenue.

    Victoria Avenue273 m

  46. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Devonshire Road.

    Devonshire Road568 m

  47. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Schneider Road.

    57 m

  48. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Schneider Road.

    Schneider Road1.5 km

  49. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Millstone Avenue.

    Millstone Avenue138 m

  50. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Middlefield.

    Middlefield226 m

  51. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Mill Bank.

    Mill Bank208 m

  52. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Park Road.

    Park Road1.2 km

  53. Roundabout:

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

    5 m

  54. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Devonshire Road.

    Devonshire Road563 m

  55. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Victoria Avenue.

    Victoria Avenue273 m

  56. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Oxford Street.

    Oxford Street363 m

  57. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Oxford Street.

    22 m

  58. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Oxford Street.

    Oxford Street190 m

  59. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hawcoat Lane.

    Hawcoat Lane690 m

  60. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Undergreens Road.

    Undergreens Road393 m

  61. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Hawcoat Lane.

    Hawcoat Lane746 m

  62. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Abbey Road.

    Abbey Road2.0 km

  63. Roundabout:

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

    2 m

  64. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Park Road.

    Park Road1.8 km

  65. Roundabout:

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

    12 m

  66. Leave roundabout:

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

    A5903.3 km

  67. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    67 m

  68. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Park Road.

    Park Road471 m

  69. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Millstone Avenue.

    Millstone Avenue138 m

  70. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Middlefield.

    Middlefield226 m

  71. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Mill Bank.

    Mill Bank208 m

  72. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Park Road.

    Park Road177 m

  73. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    53 m

  74. Turn left:

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

    A5902.2 km

  75. Roundabout:

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

    28 m

  76. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A590.

    North Road72 m

  77. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ironworks Road/A590.

    Ironworks Road858 m

  78. Turn left:

    Turn left onto James Freel Close.

    James Freel Close146 m

  79. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Barrow In Furness · Route 5 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
  • Victoria Infant and Nursery School

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Our Lady of Furness St Mary's
  • Abbey Road Baptist Church
  • St Paul
  • St Francis

Parks & green space

Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.

  • Hindpool Urban Park

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • Brewers Fayre
  • Furness Railway
  • Strawberry
  • Tally Ho

Shops & parades

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

  • Salvation Army
  • Decorating Centre
  • Matt Johnson Prestige
  • 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. Brewers Fayre

    Start near Brewers Fayre.

  2. iBox

    Continue to iBox.

  3. Salvation Army

    Continue to Salvation Army.

  4. Decorating Centre

    Continue to Decorating Centre.

  5. Furness College - The Copper Box

    Continue to Furness College - The Copper Box.

  6. Furness Railway

    Continue to Furness Railway.

  7. Hindpool Urban Park

    Continue to Hindpool Urban Park.

  8. Our Lady of Furness St Mary's

    Continue to Our Lady of Furness St Mary's.

  9. Matt Johnson Prestige

    Continue to Matt Johnson Prestige.

  10. Strawberry

    Continue to Strawberry.

  11. Abbey Road Baptist Church

    Continue to Abbey Road Baptist Church.

  12. Park Leisure Centre

    Continue to Park Leisure Centre.

  13. Park & Shop

    Continue to Park & Shop.

  14. St Paul

    Continue to St Paul.

  15. Victoria Infant and Nursery School

    Continue to Victoria Infant and Nursery School.

  16. St Francis

    Continue to St Francis.

  17. Tally Ho

    Continue to Tally Ho.

  18. Oak Road Street Shrine

    Continue to Oak Road Street Shrine.

  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 35.1 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.