Near Basildon test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 24 roundabouts and 19 turns across 51 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.0 km practice loop near Basildon test centre, taking roughly 22 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 Broadmayne and East Mayne. 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 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 9 catalogued landmarks, including shops, named junctions, churches and pubs, 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 Basildon 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:
The full 51-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
30 m
Turn left.
88 m
Turn left onto Paycocke Road.
Paycocke Road240 m
Turn right onto Honywood Road.
Honywood Road398 m
Turn left onto Cranes Farm Road/A1235.
Cranes Farm Road527 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto East Mayne/A132.
115 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Mayne/A132.
East Mayne702 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto East Mayne/A132.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Mayne/A132.
East Mayne705 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Broadmayne/A1321.
156 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broadmayne/A1321.
Broadmayne448 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Broadmayne/A1321.
172 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broadmayne/A1321.
Broadmayne453 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto East Mayne/A132.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Mayne/A132.
East Mayne723 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto East Mayne/A132.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Mayne/A132.
East Mayne699 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto East Mayne/A132.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Mayne/A132.
East Mayne275 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto East Mayne/A132.
132 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Mayne/A132.
East Mayne255 m
Enter Nevendon Junction and take the 2nd exit onto Nevendon Road/A132.
Nevendon Junction148 m
Exit the roundabout onto Nevendon Road/A132.
Nevendon Road1.6 km
Move left to stay on Nevendon Road.
Nevendon Road800 m
Turn right onto Park Drive.
Park Drive155 m
Turn right onto Cedar Avenue.
Cedar Avenue356 m
Turn right onto Stevenson Way.
Stevenson Way99 m
Turn left.
14 m
Turn left.
15 m
Make a right U-turn.
15 m
Turn right.
14 m
Turn right onto Stevenson Way.
Stevenson Way99 m
Turn left onto Cedar Avenue.
Cedar Avenue356 m
Turn left onto Park Drive.
Park Drive155 m
Turn right onto Nevendon Road.
Nevendon Road679 m
Turn left onto London Road/A129. Continue on A129.
A1293.8 km
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane45 m
Turn right onto Stacey's Mount.
Stacey's Mount86 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Stacey's Mount.
Stacey's Mount86 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane45 m
Turn left onto Crays Hill/A129. Continue on A129.
A129937 m
Turn right onto Gardiners Lane North.
Gardiners Lane North1.7 km
Turn left to take the A127 ramp.
A127499 m
Take the Nevendon Junction exit onto A132 towards Basildon.
A127592 m
Enter Nevendon Junction and take the 3rd exit onto East Mayne/A132.
Nevendon Junction243 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Mayne/A132.
East Mayne226 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Paycocke Road.
192 m
Exit the roundabout onto Paycocke Road.
Paycocke Road785 m
Turn right.
88 m
Turn right.
30 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Basildon · Residential practice loop 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 9 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Morrisons Daily
Start near Morrisons Daily.
Broadmayne
Continue to Broadmayne, taking the junction with good observation.
IN'n'OUT
Continue to IN'n'OUT.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
East Mayne
Continue to East Mayne, taking the junction with good observation.
Evangelical Chapel
Continue to Evangelical Chapel.
St Andrew, WIckford
Continue to St Andrew, WIckford.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Shepherd and Dog
Finish back near Shepherd and Dog, completing the loop.
30 roundabouts · 7 turns
31 roundabouts · 7 turns
36 roundabouts · 16 turns
32 roundabouts · 12 turns
This route is 20.0 km and takes about 22 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Basildon test centre, not an official DVSA route.