Near Basingstoke test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 24 roundabouts and 4 turns across 32 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.1 km practice loop near Basingstoke test centre, taking roughly 16 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 Thornycroft Roundabout, Ringway North Roundabout, Dummer Interchange, Hounsome Fields Roundabout and Hatch Warren Roundabout and 1 more named junctions. 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, 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 15 catalogued landmarks, including shops, churches, named junctions 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 Basingstoke 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 32-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast on Brighton Hill.
Brighton Hill11 m
Turn left onto Sullivan Road.
Sullivan Road119 m
Turn right onto Brighton Way.
Brighton Way412 m
Enter Brighton Hill Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Winchester Road/A30.
Brighton Hill Roundabout189 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road715 m
Enter Winchester Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ringway West/A340.
Winchester Road Roundabout18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ringway West/A340.
Ringway West1.2 km
Enter Thornycroft Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ringway West/A340.
Thornycroft Roundabout82 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ringway West/A340. Continue on Ringway West.
Ringway West1.1 km
Enter Ringway North Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A339.
Ringway North Roundabout129 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339.
A3392.3 km
Take the Reading Road Roundabout exit.
312 m
Enter Reading Road Roundabout and take the 8th exit.
Reading Road Roundabout659 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339/Ringway East.
A3391.6 km
Enter Black Dam Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards M3.
Black Dam Roundabout112 m
Exit the roundabout towards M3.
M3478 m
Enter Black Dam Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto M3.
Black Dam Roundabout265 m
Exit the roundabout onto M3.
M37.3 km
Take exit 7.
M3458 m
Enter Dummer Interchange and take the 7th exit onto Winchester Road/A30.
Dummer Interchange767 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road1.1 km
Enter Hounsome Fields Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Winchester Road/A30.
Hounsome Fields Roundabout98 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road1.1 km
Enter Hatch Warren Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Winchester Road/A30.
Hatch Warren Roundabout47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road798 m
Enter Kempshott Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Winchester Road/A30.
Kempshott Roundabout89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road1.8 km
Enter Brighton Hill Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Brighton Way.
Brighton Hill Roundabout263 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brighton Way.
Brighton Way425 m
Turn left onto Sullivan Road.
Sullivan Road119 m
Turn right onto Brighton Hill.
Brighton Hill6 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Basingstoke · Dual-carriageway 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Thornycroft Roundabout, Ringway North Roundabout, Hounsome Fields Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 15 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
McDonald's
Start near McDonald's.
West Basingstoke Baptist Church
Continue to West Basingstoke Baptist Church.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
HSS Hire
Continue to HSS Hire.
Optiplan Kitchens
Continue to Optiplan Kitchens.
Thornycroft Roundabout
Continue to Thornycroft Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Ringway North Roundabout
Continue to Ringway North Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Dummer Interchange
Continue to Dummer Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Hounsome Fields Roundabout
Continue to Hounsome Fields Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Breakfast & Kebabs Van
Continue to Breakfast & Kebabs Van.
Holly Blue
Continue to Holly Blue.
Hatch Warren Roundabout
Continue to Hatch Warren Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Kempshott Roundabout
Continue to Kempshott Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Axminster Tools
Finish back near Axminster Tools, completing the loop.
30 roundabouts · 24 turns
35 roundabouts · 7 turns
20 roundabouts · 13 turns
20 roundabouts · 19 turns
This route is 24.1 km and takes about 16 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Basingstoke test centre, not an official DVSA route.