Near Borehamwood test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 11 roundabouts and 12 turns across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.0 km practice route near Borehamwood test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Elstree Way and Tesco 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, 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 shops, named junctions, parks 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 Borehamwood 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 73-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east on Stirling Court.
Stirling Court19 m
Turn left onto Stirling Way.
Stirling Way105 m
Turn right onto Ripon Way.
Ripon Way38 m
Turn left onto A1/Barnet Bypass.
A1841 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Newark Green.
200 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newark Green.
Newark Green175 m
Turn right onto Balmoral Drive.
Balmoral Drive274 m
Turn right onto Warwick Road.
Warwick Road230 m
Turn left onto A5135.
A5135461 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Elstree Way/A5135.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Way/A5135.
Elstree Way24 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Elstree Way/A5135.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Way/A5135.
Elstree Way509 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B5378.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto B5378.
B5378128 m
Enter Tesco Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto B5378.
Tesco Roundabout75 m
Exit the roundabout onto B5378.
B5378128 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brook Road.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brook Road.
Brook Road539 m
Turn right onto Hartforde Road.
Hartforde Road503 m
Turn left onto Bracken Close.
Bracken Close13 m
Turn right onto Hartforde Road.
Hartforde Road54 m
Make a right U-turn at Bracken Close to stay on Hartforde Road.
Hartforde Road572 m
Turn right onto Brook Road.
Brook Road37 m
Turn left onto Aberford Road.
Aberford Road75 m
Turn left onto Canterbury Road.
Canterbury Road111 m
Turn right onto Stratfield Road.
Stratfield Road652 m
Turn left onto Theobald Street.
Theobald Street274 m
Turn right onto Theobald Court.
Theobald Court63 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Theobald Court.
Theobald Court63 m
Turn left onto Theobald Street.
Theobald Street1.0 km
Turn right onto Gateshead Road.
Gateshead Road469 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Gateshead Road.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gateshead Road.
Gateshead Road374 m
Turn right onto Grove Road.
Grove Road446 m
Turn right onto Brook Road.
Brook Road313 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Leeming Road.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leeming Road.
Leeming Road300 m
Turn right onto Aycliffe Road.
Aycliffe Road164 m
Turn left onto Allerton Road.
Allerton Road208 m
Turn left to stay on Allerton Road.
Allerton Road236 m
Turn left onto Belford Road.
Belford Road215 m
Turn left onto Aycliffe Road.
Aycliffe Road543 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Aycliffe Road.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Aycliffe Road.
Aycliffe Road427 m
Turn right onto Gateshead Road.
Gateshead Road524 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Gateshead Road.
79 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gateshead Road.
Gateshead Road793 m
Turn left onto Stanborough Avenue.
Stanborough Avenue786 m
Turn left onto Stapleton Road.
Stapleton Road462 m
Move left onto Brampton Terrace.
Brampton Terrace81 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Brampton Terrace.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brampton Terrace.
Brampton Terrace81 m
Move right onto Stapleton Road.
Stapleton Road596 m
Turn right onto Cowley Hill/B5378.
Cowley Hill1.3 km
Turn left onto Potters Lane.
Potters Lane281 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Potters Lane.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Potters Lane.
Potters Lane357 m
Turn right onto Alexandra Road.
Alexandra Road351 m
Turn left onto Rowley Lane.
Rowley Lane136 m
Turn left onto Well End Road.
Well End Road344 m
Make a sharp left onto Potters Lane.
Potters Lane29 m
Turn left to stay on Potters Lane.
Potters Lane22 m
Turn right onto Well End Road.
Well End Road314 m
Turn right onto Rowley Lane.
Rowley Lane366 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Rowley Lane.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rowley Lane.
Rowley Lane672 m
Make a sharp right onto Rowley Lane/A5135. Continue on A5135.
A5135723 m
Enter Elstree Way and take the 1st exit onto Manor Way.
Elstree Way3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manor Way.
Manor Way216 m
Turn left onto Chester Road.
Chester Road348 m
Turn left onto Warwick Road.
Warwick Road40 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Borehamwood · 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.
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 Tesco Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 0.8 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.
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.
Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd
Start near Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd.
Elstree Way
Continue to Elstree Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Venue
Continue to Venue.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Tesco Extra
Continue to Tesco Extra.
Tesco Roundabout
Continue to Tesco Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Fairbrook Medical Centre
Continue to Fairbrook Medical Centre.
Hartforde Road common ground
Continue to Hartforde Road common ground.
Hartforde Road Shops
Continue to Hartforde Road Shops.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Halfords
Continue to Halfords.
Lord of Body
Continue to Lord of Body.
Wellington
Continue to Wellington.
Manor View Practice
Continue to Manor View Practice.
St Michael and All Angels Church
Continue to St Michael and All Angels Church.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Mops & Brooms
Continue to Mops & Brooms.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
National Tyres and Autocare
Continue to National Tyres and Autocare.
Evans Halshaw
Finish back near Evans Halshaw, completing the loop.
24 roundabouts · 12 turns · 1 set of lights
6 roundabouts · 13 turns
13 roundabouts · 12 turns · 2 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 14 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 20.0 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Borehamwood test centre, not an official DVSA route.