Near Borehamwood test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 15 roundabouts and 11 turns across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 37.4 km practice route near Borehamwood 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 Barnet Lane, Elstree Road and Elstree Way. 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, 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 named junctions, shops, churches 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 93-step drive on real, named roads (about 37.4 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 right onto Stirling Way.
Stirling Way429 m
Turn left to stay on Stirling Way.
Stirling Way24 m
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 4th exit onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Stirling Corner189 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane445 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Barnet Lane/A411.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Lane/A411.
A4114.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Elstree Road/A411.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Road/A411.
Elstree Road606 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Elstree Road/A411.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Road/A411.
Elstree Road1.3 km
Turn right onto High Road/A4140.
High Road1.6 km
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road244 m
Turn right onto Herkomer Road.
Herkomer Road102 m
Turn right onto Bournehall Road.
Bournehall Road185 m
Turn left onto High Street/A411. Continue on A411.
A4111.5 km
Turn left onto Elstree Road/A411.
Elstree Road1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Elstree Road/A411.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Road/A411.
Elstree Road603 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Elstree Road/A411.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Road/A411.
Elstree Road1.5 km
Move right onto Watford Road.
Watford Road2.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Barnet Lane/A411.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane435 m
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 2nd exit onto A1/Barnet Bypass.
Stirling Corner46 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/Barnet Bypass.
A11.4 km
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 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 Road819 m
Turn right onto Kenilworth Drive.
Kenilworth Drive432 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Manor Way.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manor Way.
Manor Way418 m
Turn right onto Arundel Drive.
Arundel Drive489 m
Turn right onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road201 m
Turn left onto Tennison Avenue.
Tennison Avenue337 m
Turn left onto Vale Avenue.
Vale Avenue95 m
Turn left onto Milton Drive.
Milton Drive282 m
Turn left to stay on Milton Drive.
Milton Drive98 m
Turn right onto Tennison Avenue.
Tennison Avenue27 m
Turn left onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road77 m
Turn left onto Melrose Avenue.
Melrose Avenue324 m
Turn left to stay on Melrose Avenue.
Melrose Avenue91 m
Turn left onto Tennison Avenue.
Tennison Avenue337 m
Turn right onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road126 m
Turn right to stay on Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road28 m
Turn right onto Milton Drive.
Milton Drive61 m
Turn right to stay on Milton Drive.
Milton Drive98 m
Turn right onto Tennison Avenue.
Tennison Avenue27 m
Turn left onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road742 m
Turn right onto Shenley Road/B5378.
Shenley Road470 m
Enter Tesco Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Shenley Road/B5378.
Tesco Roundabout71 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shenley Road/B5378.
Shenley Road720 m
Turn right onto Theobald Street.
Theobald Street156 m
Turn left 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 Street1.4 km
Turn right onto Aycliffe Road.
Aycliffe Road268 m
Turn left onto Rossington Avenue.
Rossington Avenue300 m
Turn right.
97 m
Turn left onto Rossington Avenue.
Rossington Avenue87 m
Turn left onto Allerton Road.
Allerton Road484 m
Turn right to stay on Allerton Road.
Allerton Road208 m
Turn right onto Aycliffe Road.
Aycliffe Road272 m
Make a right U-turn at Belford Road to stay on Aycliffe Road.
Aycliffe Road291 m
Turn right onto Allerton Road.
Allerton Road18 m
Turn left onto Aycliffe Road.
Aycliffe Road271 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brampton Terrace.
27 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 14 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.
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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 1.7 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 (30, 40, 50, 60 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.
Barnet Lane
Start near Barnet Lane.
Village Food and Wine
Continue to Village Food and Wine.
Elstree Road
Continue to Elstree Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Church of St Peter
Continue to Church of St Peter.
Bushey United Synagogue
Continue to Bushey United Synagogue.
Three Crowns
Continue to Three Crowns.
Jesus Son of Mary Community Centre
Continue to Jesus Son of Mary Community Centre.
Swan
Continue to Swan.
St Hilda's School
Continue to St Hilda's School.
Ash's Newsagents
Continue to Ash's Newsagents.
Elstree Way
Continue to Elstree Way, taking the junction with good observation.
International Christian Fellowship
Continue to International Christian Fellowship.
Borehamwood Baptist Church
Continue to Borehamwood Baptist Church.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Pick & Shovel
Continue to Pick & Shovel.
Wellington
Continue to Wellington.
Oak
Continue to Oak.
St John Fisher and St Thomas More
Continue to St John Fisher and St Thomas More.
Mops & Brooms
Continue to Mops & Brooms.
National Tyres and Autocare
Finish back near National Tyres and Autocare, 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 37.4 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Borehamwood test centre, not an official DVSA route.