Near Bishop's Stortford test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 3 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 14 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.4 km practice loop near Bishop's Stortford test centre, taking roughly 25 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 Priory Wood Roundabout, Round Coppice Road, Hadham Road and Haymeads Lane. 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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, stations, pubs 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 Bishop's Stortford 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:
Road mix
The full 44-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
13 m
Turn right onto South Road/B1529.
South Road387 m
Turn right onto Southmill Road.
Southmill Road454 m
Turn left onto London Road/B1383.
London Road439 m
Turn left onto London Road/A1060.
London Road936 m
Turn right onto Foxley Drive.
Foxley Drive9 m
Turn left onto Stansted Road.
Stansted Road225 m
Turn left onto Foxley Drive.
Foxley Drive18 m
Turn right onto Stansted Road/B1383.
Stansted Road1.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stansted Road/B1383.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stansted Road/B1383. Continue on B1383.
B13832.3 km
Turn right onto Chapel Hill/B1051.
Chapel Hill488 m
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road1.6 km
Turn right onto Bury Lodge Lane.
Bury Lodge Lane1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Round Coppice Road.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Round Coppice Road.
Round Coppice Road657 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto Round Coppice Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Round Coppice Road.
Round Coppice Road296 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Round Coppice Road.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Round Coppice Road.
Round Coppice Road174 m
Enter Priory Wood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A120/Thremhall Avenue.
Priory Wood Roundabout253 m
Exit the roundabout onto A120/Thremhall Avenue. Continue on A120.
A120821 m
Enter Birchanger Green Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A120/Bishop's Stortford Bypass.
Birchanger Green Roundabout242 m
Exit the roundabout onto A120/Bishop's Stortford Bypass.
A1202.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A120/Bishop's Stortford Bypass.
103 m
Exit the roundabout onto A120/Bishop's Stortford Bypass.
A1203.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hadham Road/A1250.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road188 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hadham Road/A1250.
33 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hadham Road/A1250. Continue on A1250.
A12502.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1250.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1250.
A1250193 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1250.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1250.
A12501.0 km
Turn right onto Haymeads Lane.
Haymeads Lane151 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Haymeads Lane.
57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Haymeads Lane.
Haymeads Lane151 m
Turn left onto Dunmow Road/A1250. Continue on A1250.
A12501.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dane Street.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dane Street.
Dane Street155 m
Keep right to stay on Dane Street.
Dane Street75 m
Turn right onto Station Road.
Station Road230 m
Turn left onto South Street/B1529. Continue on B1529.
B1529757 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bishop's Stortford · Route 11 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.
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 Priory Wood Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 7.4 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 (30, 40, 50, 60, 70 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.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
All Saints
Start near All Saints.
Bishop's Stortford
Continue to Bishop's Stortford.
Three Tuns
Continue to Three Tuns.
Magnet
Continue to Magnet.
Rowland Ridgwell
Continue to Rowland Ridgwell.
Quaker Meeting House
Continue to Quaker Meeting House.
Stansted Free Church
Continue to Stansted Free Church.
Stansted Mountfitchet
Continue to Stansted Mountfitchet.
Priory Wood Roundabout
Continue to Priory Wood Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Round Coppice Road
Continue to Round Coppice Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Hadham Road
Continue to Hadham Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Young House
Continue to Young House.
Cock Inn
Continue to Cock Inn.
Half Moon
Continue to Half Moon.
Paisá
Continue to Paisá.
Haymeads Lane
Continue to Haymeads Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Nag's Head
Continue to Nag's Head.
Holy Trinity Church
Continue to Holy Trinity Church.
Jolly Brewers
Continue to Jolly Brewers.
Rose & Crown
Finish back near Rose & Crown, completing the loop.
11 roundabouts · 14 turns · 3 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 12 turns · 5 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 8 turns · 6 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 13 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 24.4 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bishop's Stortford test centre, not an official DVSA route.