Near Bishop's Stortford test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 13 roundabouts, 6 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.3 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.
Along the way you'll meet Whittington Way, Great 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, 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 named junctions, 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 57-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.3 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 Road740 m
Turn left onto London Road/A1060.
London Road234 m
Turn right onto London Road/B1383.
London Road574 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto London Road/B1383.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/B1383.
London Road841 m
Turn right onto Whittington Way.
Whittington Way200 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Whittington Way.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whittington Way.
Whittington Way448 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Whittington Way.
78 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whittington Way.
Whittington Way451 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bishop's Avenue.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bishop's Avenue.
Bishop's Avenue437 m
Turn left onto Twyford Gardens.
Twyford Gardens93 m
Turn left onto Mary Park Gardens.
Mary Park Gardens187 m
Turn right onto Bishop's Avenue.
Bishop's Avenue225 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Whittington Way.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whittington Way.
Whittington Way448 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Friedberg Avenue.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Friedberg Avenue.
Friedberg Avenue1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Villiers-sur-Marne Avenue.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Villiers-sur-Marne Avenue.
Villiers-sur-Marne Avenue207 m
Enter Great Hadham Road and take the 3rd exit onto Great Hadham Road/B1004.
Great Hadham Road51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Great Hadham Road/B1004. Continue on B1004.
B10041.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bells Hill.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bells Hill.
Bells Hill177 m
Turn left onto Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road533 m
Turn left onto Maple Avenue.
Maple Avenue351 m
Turn left onto Maze Green Road.
Maze Green Road530 m
Turn right onto Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road157 m
Turn right onto Bells Hill.
Bells Hill177 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Windhill/B1004.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windhill/B1004.
Windhill207 m
Turn right onto Windhill Old Road.
Windhill Old Road206 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Windhill/B1004.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windhill/B1004. Continue on B1004.
B1004309 m
Turn left onto North Street/B1529.
North Street188 m
Turn left onto Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road873 m
Turn left onto Maple Avenue.
Maple Avenue351 m
Turn left onto Maze Green Road.
Maze Green Road530 m
Turn right onto Hadham Road/A1250. Continue on A1250.
A1250958 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 2nd exit onto Haymeads Lane.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Haymeads Lane.
Haymeads Lane133 m
Turn right onto Highfield Avenue.
Highfield Avenue360 m
Turn right onto Beldams Lane.
Beldams Lane700 m
Turn right onto Hallingbury Road/A1060.
Hallingbury Road418 m
Turn left onto London Road/B1383.
London Road574 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 5 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
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.
Howard Banks Cars
Start near Howard Banks Cars.
Bishop's Stortford
Continue to Bishop's Stortford.
Three Tuns
Continue to Three Tuns.
Whittington Way
Continue to Whittington Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Great Hadham Road
Continue to Great Hadham Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Harvest Moon
Continue to Harvest Moon.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Continue to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.
St Joseph’s Pre-School
Continue to St Joseph’s Pre-School.
Second Hand Uniform Shop
Continue to Second Hand Uniform Shop.
Hayward House
Continue to Hayward House.
Science Block
Continue to Science Block.
St Joseph and the English Martyrs
Continue to St Joseph and the English Martyrs.
St Michael's
Continue to St Michael's.
Bishop's Cave
Continue to Bishop's Cave.
Paisá
Continue to Paisá.
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.
Cock Inn
Continue to Cock Inn.
Haymeads Lane
Continue to Haymeads Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Nag's Head
Finish back near Nag's Head, 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 18.3 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.