Near Basingstoke test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 20 roundabouts and 19 turns across 55 navigation steps.
This is an independent 12.2 km practice loop near Basingstoke test centre, taking roughly 13 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, Victory Roundabout and Alençon Link. 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 roundabout approach & exit 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 churches, named junctions, parks and shops, 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 55-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.6 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 Way303 m
Keep right to stay on Brighton Way.
Brighton Way108 m
Enter Brighton Hill Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Western Way.
Brighton Hill Roundabout163 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Way.
Western Way145 m
Keep right to stay on Western Way.
Western Way499 m
Turn left onto Pinkerton Road.
Pinkerton Road491 m
Turn left onto Stag Hill.
Stag Hill542 m
Turn left onto Buckland Avenue.
Buckland Avenue175 m
Turn left onto Western Way.
Western Way480 m
Keep left to stay on Western Way.
Western Way175 m
Turn right onto Princes Crescent.
Princes Crescent240 m
Turn right onto St Patrick's Road.
St Patrick's Road80 m
Keep left to stay on St Patrick's Road.
St Patrick's Road60 m
Turn right onto Western Way.
Western Way228 m
Turn right onto Princes Crescent.
Princes Crescent240 m
Turn left onto St Patrick's Road.
St Patrick's Road79 m
Turn right onto Kelvin Hill.
Kelvin Hill331 m
Turn left onto Winchester Road/A30.
Winchester Road321 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 3rd exit onto Churchill Way West/A3010.
Thornycroft Roundabout158 m
Exit the roundabout onto Churchill Way West/A3010.
Churchill Way West996 m
Keep left to stay on Churchill Way West/A3010.
Churchill Way West46 m
Enter Victory Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Churchill Way/A3010.
Victory Roundabout69 m
Exit the roundabout onto Churchill Way/A3010.
Churchill Way543 m
Enter Eastrop Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Basing View.
Eastrop Roundabout70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Basing View.
Basing View339 m
Keep left to stay on Basing View.
Basing View21 m
Turn left onto Norn Hill.
Norn Hill216 m
Keep right to stay on Norn Hill.
Norn Hill200 m
Turn left onto Queen Mary Avenue.
Queen Mary Avenue7 m
Keep right to stay on Queen Mary Avenue.
Queen Mary Avenue497 m
Turn right onto Arlott Drive.
Arlott Drive45 m
Turn left onto Gower Close.
Gower Close178 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Gower Close.
Gower Close178 m
Turn right onto Arlott Drive.
Arlott Drive45 m
Turn right onto Queen Mary Avenue.
Queen Mary Avenue323 m
Turn left onto Vyne Road.
Vyne Road437 m
Turn left onto Chapel Hill.
Chapel Hill50 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Alençon Link.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alençon Link.
Alençon Link273 m
Enter Victory Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Churchill Way West/A3010.
Victory Roundabout127 m
Exit the roundabout onto Churchill Way West/A3010.
Churchill Way West1.0 km
Enter Thornycroft Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ringway West/A340.
Thornycroft Roundabout12 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 2nd exit onto Brighton Way.
Brighton Hill Roundabout108 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brighton Way.
Brighton Way277 m
Keep left to stay on Brighton Way.
Brighton Way147 m
Turn left onto Sullivan Road.
Sullivan Road119 m
Turn right onto Brighton Hill.
Brighton Hill11 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Basingstoke · School-zone 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Thornycroft Roundabout, Victory 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.
Saint Andrew's Trinity Methodist Church
Continue to Saint Andrew's Trinity Methodist Church.
St Andrew's Methodist Church
Continue to St Andrew's Methodist Church.
Thornycroft Roundabout
Continue to Thornycroft Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Sinclair Pocket Park
Continue to Sinclair Pocket Park.
Victory Roundabout
Continue to Victory Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
TUI
Continue to TUI.
Primark
Continue to Primark.
Norn Hill Store
Continue to Norn Hill Store.
Premier
Continue to Premier.
Alençon Link
Continue to Alençon Link, taking the junction with good observation.
Basingstoke
Continue to Basingstoke.
Victory Park
Continue to Victory Park.
Brookvale School
Continue to Brookvale School.
Wickes
Continue to Wickes.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Coral
Continue to Coral.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
McDonald's
Finish back near McDonald's, completing the loop.
30 roundabouts · 24 turns
24 roundabouts · 4 turns
35 roundabouts · 7 turns
20 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 12.2 km and takes about 13 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Basingstoke test centre, not an official DVSA route.