Near Basingstoke test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 30 roundabouts and 24 turns across 61 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.2 km practice loop near Basingstoke test centre, taking roughly 23 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, West Ham Roundabout, Ringway North Roundabout and Kempshott 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, 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 20 catalogued landmarks, including churches, named junctions, shops 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 61-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.2 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 1st exit onto Churchill Way West/B3400.
Thornycroft Roundabout15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Churchill Way West/B3400.
Churchill Way West684 m
Enter West Ham Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Worting Road.
West Ham Roundabout76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Worting Road.
Worting Road83 m
Keep right to stay on Worting Road.
Worting Road39 m
Turn right onto Old Worting Road.
Old Worting Road324 m
Turn left onto Salisbury Gardens.
Salisbury Gardens217 m
Turn right onto St Peter's Road.
St Peter's Road354 m
Turn left onto Alliston Way.
Alliston Way659 m
Turn right onto Deeside.
Deeside59 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Deeside.
Deeside59 m
Turn left onto Alliston Way.
Alliston Way659 m
Turn right onto St Peter's Road.
St Peter's Road354 m
Turn left onto Salisbury Gardens.
Salisbury Gardens218 m
Turn right onto Old Worting Road.
Old Worting Road312 m
Turn left onto Worting Road.
Worting Road122 m
Enter West Ham Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Churchill Way West/B3400.
West Ham Roundabout173 m
Exit the roundabout onto Churchill Way West/B3400.
Churchill Way West676 m
Enter Thornycroft Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ringway West/A340.
Thornycroft Roundabout10 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 4th exit onto Oakridge Road.
Reading Road Roundabout340 m
Exit the roundabout onto Oakridge Road.
Oakridge Road1.9 km
Enter Aldermaston Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Aldermaston Road Roundabout95 m
Exit the roundabout.
262 m
Keep left to take Ringway West/A340.
Ringway West1.5 km
Enter Thornycroft Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ringway West/A340.
Thornycroft Roundabout86 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ringway West/A340.
Ringway West1.2 km
Enter Winchester Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road Roundabout167 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road716 m
Enter Brighton Hill Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Winchester Road/A30.
Brighton Hill Roundabout154 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road1.8 km
Enter Kempshott Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Woodbury Road.
Kempshott Roundabout27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Woodbury Road.
Woodbury Road127 m
Turn left onto Hatch Warren Lane.
Hatch Warren Lane274 m
Turn left onto Paterson Close.
Paterson Close61 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Drive.
Gloucester Drive125 m
Turn right to stay on Gloucester Drive.
Gloucester Drive184 m
Turn left to stay on Gloucester Drive.
Gloucester Drive56 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Gloucester Drive.
Gloucester Drive56 m
Turn right to stay on Gloucester Drive.
Gloucester Drive184 m
Turn left to stay on Gloucester Drive.
Gloucester Drive125 m
Turn right onto Paterson Close.
Paterson Close61 m
Turn right onto Hatch Warren Lane.
Hatch Warren Lane274 m
Turn right onto Woodbury Road.
Woodbury Road125 m
Enter Kempshott Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Winchester Road/A30.
Kempshott Roundabout159 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 · Residential + A-road 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, West Ham Roundabout, Ringway North Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
West Basingstoke Baptist Church
Start near West Basingstoke Baptist Church.
Thornycroft Roundabout
Continue to Thornycroft Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Wash Me
Continue to Wash Me.
West Ham Roundabout
Continue to West Ham Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Basingstoke Fire Station
Continue to Basingstoke Fire Station.
iFLY
Continue to iFLY.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Ringway North Roundabout
Continue to Ringway North Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Oak
Continue to Oak.
Oakridge Fish & Chips & Chinese Takeaway
Continue to Oakridge Fish & Chips & Chinese Takeaway.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Snows Peugeot Basingstoke
Continue to Snows Peugeot Basingstoke.
Snows Service
Continue to Snows Service.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
HSS Hire
Continue to HSS Hire.
Kempshott Roundabout
Continue to Kempshott Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Axminster Tools
Finish back near Axminster Tools, completing the loop.
24 roundabouts · 4 turns
35 roundabouts · 7 turns
20 roundabouts · 13 turns
20 roundabouts · 19 turns
This route is 24.2 km and takes about 23 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Basingstoke test centre, not an official DVSA route.