Near Bishop's Stortford test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 9 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 19 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.4 km practice loop near Bishop's Stortford test centre, taking roughly 30 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 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, 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, churches, schools 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 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 16.4 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 Road345 m
Turn left onto Havers Lane.
Havers Lane507 m
Keep left to stay on Havers Lane.
Havers Lane108 m
Turn right to stay on 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.
322 m
Turn right to stay on Apton Road.
Apton Road74 m
Turn right.
17 m
Make a right U-turn.
17 m
Turn left onto Apton Road.
Apton Road74 m
Turn right to stay on Apton Road.
Apton Road275 m
Turn left onto Potter Street/B1529.
Potter Street165 m
Turn left onto High Street/B1004. Continue on B1004.
B1004309 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bells Hill.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bells Hill.
Bells Hill49 m
Keep left to stay on Bells Hill.
Bells Hill127 m
Turn left onto Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road533 m
Turn left onto Maple Avenue.
Maple Avenue352 m
Turn left onto Maze Green Road.
Maze Green Road113 m
Keep left to stay on Maze Green Road.
Maze Green Road416 m
Turn left onto Hadham Road/A1250.
Hadham Road708 m
Turn left onto Dane Park.
Dane Park354 m
Turn right onto Maple Grove.
Maple Grove26 m
Keep right to stay on Maple Grove.
Maple Grove87 m
Turn right onto Marshbarns.
Marshbarns38 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Marshbarns.
Marshbarns38 m
Turn left to stay on Marshbarns.
Marshbarns114 m
Turn left onto Dane Park.
Dane Park354 m
Turn right onto Hadham Road/A1250. Continue on A1250.
A12501.7 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 2nd exit onto Dane Street.
17 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 right onto South Street/B1529. Continue on B1529.
B1529590 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 Road113 m
Keep left to stay on Maze Green Road.
Maze Green Road416 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 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 7 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.
Havers Laundry & Ironing
Start near Havers Laundry & Ironing.
Lee Garden
Continue to Lee Garden.
Hub Church
Continue to Hub Church.
Studio 15 Hairdressing
Continue to Studio 15 Hairdressing.
St Joseph and the English Martyrs
Continue to St Joseph and the English Martyrs.
St Michael's
Continue to St Michael's.
Cloisters
Continue to Cloisters.
Young House
Continue to Young House.
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.
Bishop's Stortford
Continue to Bishop's Stortford.
Bishop's Stortford Methodist Church
Continue to Bishop's Stortford Methodist Church.
Bishop's Cave
Continue to Bishop's Cave.
Paisá
Continue to Paisá.
Cock Inn
Continue to Cock Inn.
MEI wellbeing
Continue to MEI wellbeing.
Nag's Head
Continue to Nag's Head.
Haymeads Lane
Continue to Haymeads Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Three Tuns
Continue to Three Tuns.
Little Waitrose
Finish back near Little Waitrose, 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 16.4 km and takes about 30 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.