Near Bodmin test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 24 turns across 35 navigation steps.
This is an independent 40.0 km practice route near Bodmin test centre, taking roughly 45 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 Dunmere Road, Carminow Cross Junction, Innis Downs Junction and Callywith Roundabout. 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, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 stations, churches, 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 Bodmin 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 82-step drive on real, named roads (about 40.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
47 m
Turn right onto Beatrice Road.
Beatrice Road46 m
Turn right onto Normandy Way.
Normandy Way407 m
Turn left to stay on Normandy Way.
Normandy Way189 m
Turn right onto Lostwithiel Road/B3268. Continue on B3268.
B32681.1 km
Move left onto Turf Street/A389. Continue on A389.
A389346 m
Turn right onto Berrycoombe Road.
Berrycoombe Road15 m
Turn right onto Pool Street.
Pool Street220 m
Turn left onto Dennison Road/A389.
Dennison Road245 m
Turn right onto Fore Street.
Fore Street556 m
Move left onto Lower Bore Street.
Lower Bore Street115 m
Move left onto Higher Bore Street/A389. Continue on A389.
A3891.3 km
Turn left onto Westheath Road.
Westheath Road233 m
Turn left.
88 m
Turn right onto Queen's Crescent.
Queen's Crescent224 m
Turn right onto St Mary's Road.
St Mary's Road101 m
Turn right onto Westheath Road.
Westheath Road487 m
Turn right onto Westheath Avenue/A389.
Westheath Avenue25 m
Turn left onto Boundary Road.
Boundary Road620 m
Move right onto Greenvalley Road.
Greenvalley Road286 m
Move left.
18 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dunmere Road/A389.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dunmere Road/A389.
Dunmere Road490 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dunmere Road/A389.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dunmere Road/A389.
Dunmere Road601 m
Turn right onto St Leonards/A389. Continue on A389.
A389792 m
Turn left onto Westheath Road.
Westheath Road487 m
Turn left onto St Mary's Road.
St Mary's Road618 m
Turn left onto Corporation Road.
Corporation Road172 m
Turn right onto Westheath Avenue/A389.
Westheath Avenue283 m
Turn right onto St Mary's Road.
St Mary's Road264 m
Turn left onto St Marys Close.
St Marys Close115 m
Turn left onto St. Mary's Crescent.
St. Mary's Crescent31 m
Turn left onto St Mary's Road.
St Mary's Road277 m
Turn left onto Trelawney Road.
Trelawney Road164 m
Turn left onto St George's Crescent.
St George's Crescent161 m
Turn left onto Rock Lane.
Rock Lane144 m
Turn right onto St Mary's Road.
St Mary's Road78 m
Turn right onto St Marys Close.
St Marys Close115 m
Turn right onto St. Mary's Crescent.
St. Mary's Crescent189 m
Turn left onto Rock Lane.
Rock Lane304 m
Turn right onto Barn Lane.
Barn Lane270 m
Turn left onto Robartes Road.
Robartes Road92 m
Turn left to stay on Robartes Road.
Robartes Road305 m
Turn left onto Lower Bore Street.
Lower Bore Street128 m
Turn right onto Dennison Road/A389.
Dennison Road896 m
Turn right onto Fore Street.
Fore Street556 m
Move left onto Lower Bore Street.
Lower Bore Street115 m
Move left onto Higher Bore Street/A389. Continue on A389.
A389371 m
Turn right onto Tranquil Lane.
Tranquil Lane68 m
Move left onto Midway Road.
Midway Road144 m
Turn right.
76 m
Turn right onto Sandra Way.
Sandra Way185 m
Turn left onto Berrycoombe Hill.
Berrycoombe Hill349 m
Turn right onto Scarletts Well Road.
Scarletts Well Road968 m
Turn left onto Pool Street.
Pool Street220 m
Turn left onto Dennison Road/A389. Continue on A389.
A389147 m
Turn left onto Priory Road/A389.
Priory Road513 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Launceston/Law courts.
27 m
Exit the roundabout towards Launceston/Law courts.
Launceston Road1.0 km
Turn right onto A38/Cooksland Road.
A381.2 km
Turn left to stay on A38.
A38768 m
Enter Carminow Cross Junction and take the 1st exit onto A38.
Carminow Cross Junction6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A38504 m
Enter Turfdown Roundabout and take the 4th exit towards Redruth/Newquay/Bodmin/Launceston.
Turfdown Roundabout95 m
Exit the roundabout towards Redruth/Newquay/Bodmin/Launceston.
A3876 m
Take the Carminow Cross exit onto A30 towards Redruth/Newquay.
A306.6 km
Take the Innis Downs exit onto A389/A391 towards Wadebridge/St Austell.
A30629 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Innis Downs Junction/A389.
109 m
Exit the roundabout onto Innis Downs Junction/A389.
Innis Downs Junction135 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A30.
148 m
Exit the roundabout onto A30/Bodmin Bypass.
A306.6 km
Take the Carminow Cross exit onto (A389)/A38 towards Bodmin/Liskeard/Plymouth.
A30441 m
Enter Carminow Cross Junction and take the 2nd exit onto A38.
Carminow Cross Junction73 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A38782 m
Turn right onto A38/Cooksland Road.
A381.2 km
Turn right onto A38/Launceston Road.
A38445 m
Enter Callywith Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Old Callywith Road.
Callywith Roundabout15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Callywith Road.
Old Callywith Road1.4 km
Turn right onto Tower Hill.
Tower Hill103 m
Turn right onto Turf Street/A389. Continue on A389.
A389232 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bodmin · Route 1 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.
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 Callywith Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 18.2 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 (20, 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.
Bodmin General
Start near Bodmin General.
New Life Church
Continue to New Life Church.
Hole in the Wall
Continue to Hole in the Wall.
White Hart Inn
Continue to White Hart Inn.
St Lawrence's
Continue to St Lawrence's.
Dunmere Road
Continue to Dunmere Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Jewson
Continue to Jewson.
Fair Park
Continue to Fair Park.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Beacon Academy
Continue to Beacon Academy.
Topps Tiles
Continue to Topps Tiles.
Bodmin Christian Felowship
Continue to Bodmin Christian Felowship.
St. Petroc's Church
Continue to St. Petroc's Church.
B&M Home Store with Garden Centre
Continue to B&M Home Store with Garden Centre.
West End Motors
Continue to West End Motors.
Carminow Cross Junction
Continue to Carminow Cross Junction, taking the junction with good observation.
Innis Downs Junction
Continue to Innis Downs Junction, taking the junction with good observation.
Callywith Roundabout
Continue to Callywith Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
STEM & Health Skills Centre
Continue to STEM & Health Skills Centre.
Uzella House
Finish back near Uzella House, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 16 turns
6 roundabouts · 19 turns · 1 set of lights
8 roundabouts · 13 turns
4 roundabouts · 18 turns
This route is 40.0 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bodmin test centre, not an official DVSA route.