Near Bishop's Stortford test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 15 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 22.0 km practice loop near Bishop's Stortford test centre, taking roughly 35 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, 20 mph zones, 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 shops, stations, pubs and churches, 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 93-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.9 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 Road204 m
Keep right to stay on London Road/B1383.
London Road436 m
Keep right to take Crescent Road.
Crescent Road98 m
Turn left onto London Road/A1060.
London Road234 m
Turn right onto London Road/B1383.
London Road220 m
Keep right to stay on London Road/B1383.
London Road353 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto London Road/B1383.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/B1383.
London Road188 m
Turn right onto Thorley Hill.
Thorley Hill637 m
Turn right onto Havers Lane.
Havers Lane79 m
Keep right to stay on Havers Lane.
Havers Lane461 m
Turn left onto South Road/B1529.
South Road42 m
Turn right onto Southmill Road.
Southmill Road28 m
Turn right to stay on Southmill Road.
Southmill Road19 m
Turn left onto South Road/B1529.
South Road18 m
Turn right onto Havers Lane.
Havers Lane507 m
Keep left to stay on Havers Lane.
Havers Lane108 m
Turn left onto Elizabeth Road.
Elizabeth Road339 m
Turn right onto Piggotts Way.
Piggotts Way198 m
Turn right onto Benhooks Avenue.
Benhooks Avenue145 m
Keep right to stay on Benhooks Avenue.
Benhooks Avenue129 m
Keep right to stay on Benhooks Avenue.
Benhooks Avenue97 m
Turn right onto Havers Lane.
Havers Lane110 m
Move right onto Elizabeth Road.
Elizabeth Road339 m
Turn right onto Piggotts Way.
Piggotts Way198 m
Turn right onto Benhooks Avenue.
Benhooks Avenue145 m
Keep right to stay on Benhooks Avenue.
Benhooks Avenue129 m
Keep right to stay on Benhooks Avenue.
Benhooks Avenue97 m
Turn right onto Havers Lane.
Havers Lane110 m
Move right onto Elizabeth Road.
Elizabeth Road252 m
Turn right onto Queen's Crescent.
Queen's Crescent101 m
Turn right to stay on Queen's Crescent.
Queen's Crescent140 m
Turn right to stay on Queen's Crescent.
Queen's Crescent78 m
Turn left onto Elizabeth Road.
Elizabeth Road119 m
Move left onto Havers Lane.
Havers Lane440 m
Turn left onto Apton Road.
Apton Road479 m
Turn left.
21 m
Turn left onto Scott Road.
Scott Road509 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Apton Road.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Apton Road.
Apton Road307 m
Turn right to stay on Apton Road.
Apton Road106 m
Turn left to stay on Apton Road.
Apton Road156 m
Turn left onto Newtown Road.
Newtown Road333 m
Turn left onto South Street/B1529. Continue on B1529.
B1529578 m
Turn right onto Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road99 m
Turn left onto Northgate End/B1004.
Northgate End177 m
Turn left onto Barrells Down Road.
Barrells Down Road155 m
Keep left to stay on Barrells Down Road.
Barrells Down Road106 m
Keep right to stay on Barrells Down Road.
Barrells Down Road26 m
Turn right to stay on Barrells Down Road.
Barrells Down Road49 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Barrells Down Road.
Barrells Down Road49 m
Turn right to stay on Barrells Down Road.
Barrells Down Road199 m
Turn right onto Lindsey Road.
Lindsey Road280 m
Turn left onto Rye Street/B1004.
Rye Street263 m
Turn left to stay on Rye Street.
Rye Street95 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Rye Street.
Rye Street95 m
Turn right onto Rye Street/B1004. Continue on B1004.
B1004833 m
Turn left onto Link Road/A1250.
Link Road364 m
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.
A12508 m
Keep right to stay on A1250.
A1250198 m
Turn left onto Stansted Road/B1383.
Stansted Road367 m
Turn right onto Foxley Drive.
Foxley Drive9 m
Turn left onto Stansted Road.
Stansted Road225 m
Make a left U-turn at Foxley Drive onto Stansted Road/B1383.
Stansted Road615 m
Turn right onto Hockerill Street/A1250. Continue on A1250.
A1250207 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1250.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1250.
A1250197 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Link Road/A1250.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Link Road/A1250. Continue on A1250.
A1250390 m
Keep right to take Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road942 m
Turn left onto Maple Avenue.
Maple Avenue351 m
Turn left onto Maze Green Road.
Maze Green Road113 m
Keep left to stay on Maze Green Road.
Maze Green Road416 m
Turn right onto Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road958 m
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.
Dunmow Road796 m
Turn left onto London Road/A1060.
London Road569 m
Turn right onto London Road/B1383.
London Road573 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto South Road/B1529.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto South Road/B1529.
South Road192 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bishop's Stortford · Route 4 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.
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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
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.
Majestic
Start near Majestic.
Bishop's Stortford
Continue to Bishop's Stortford.
Three Tuns
Continue to Three Tuns.
Posh Paws
Continue to Posh Paws.
Roman Grant
Continue to Roman Grant.
Bishop's Stortford Methodist Church
Continue to Bishop's Stortford Methodist Church.
Star
Continue to Star.
Charis Centre (Community Church Bishops Stortford)
Continue to Charis Centre (Community Church Bishops Stortford).
Water Lane Lounge & Cellar Bar
Continue to Water Lane Lounge & Cellar Bar.
Wheatsheaf
Continue to Wheatsheaf.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Black Mamba Tattoo
Continue to Black Mamba Tattoo.
Fragrance Shop
Continue to Fragrance Shop.
Second Hand Uniform Shop
Continue to Second Hand Uniform Shop.
Headmaster's Office & Bursary
Continue to Headmaster's Office & Bursary.
Robert Pearce House
Continue to Robert Pearce House.
Cock Inn
Continue to Cock Inn.
Nag's Head
Continue to Nag's Head.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Suds
Finish back near Suds, 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 22.0 km and takes about 35 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.