Near Borehamwood test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 13 roundabouts and 10 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 49.3 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 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, 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 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 86-step drive on real, named roads (about 49.2 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 right onto A5135.
A5135120 m
Move right to stay on A5135.
A5135473 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Newark Green.
130 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newark Green.
Newark Green175 m
Turn left onto Balmoral Drive.
Balmoral Drive792 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Ripon Way.
62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ripon Way.
Ripon Way365 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cranes Way.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cranes Way.
Cranes Way310 m
Turn right onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road495 m
Turn left onto Tennison Avenue.
Tennison Avenue27 m
Turn left onto Milton Drive.
Milton Drive98 m
Turn left to stay on Milton Drive.
Milton Drive293 m
Turn left.
19 m
Turn right onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road499 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Barnet Lane/A411.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane435 m
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 3rd exit onto Barnet Road/A411.
Stirling Corner117 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Road/A411.
Barnet Road1.2 km
Turn right.
32 m
Turn left onto Rockways.
Rockways12 m
Turn left onto Barnet Road/A411.
Barnet Road1.2 km
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 5th exit onto Barnet Road/A411.
Stirling Corner215 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Road/A411.
Barnet Road3.0 km
Turn left onto Kings Road.
Kings Road175 m
Turn right to stay on Kings Road.
Kings Road214 m
Turn right to stay on Kings Road.
Kings Road91 m
Turn left onto Granville Road.
Granville Road178 m
Turn right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road133 m
Turn left onto Wood Street/A411.
Wood Street412 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue734 m
Turn left onto St Albans Road/A1081.
St Albans Road2.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Trotters Bottom.
1 m
Exit the roundabout onto Trotters Bottom.
Trotters Bottom1.5 km
Turn right onto Galley Lane.
Galley Lane41 m
Turn left onto A1/Barnet Bypass.
A13.5 km
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 2nd exit onto A1/Barnet Way.
Stirling Corner98 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/Barnet Way.
A12.4 km
Enter Apex Corner and take the 4th exit onto A1/Barnet Way.
Apex Corner154 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/Barnet Way.
A12.4 km
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 3rd exit onto A1/Barnet Bypass.
Stirling Corner94 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 Green77 m
Turn left onto Tempsford Avenue.
Tempsford Avenue421 m
Turn left onto Howard Drive.
Howard Drive108 m
Turn left onto Easton Gardens.
Easton Gardens157 m
Turn left onto Wansford Park.
Wansford Park101 m
Turn left onto Tempsford Avenue.
Tempsford Avenue162 m
Turn right onto Howard Drive.
Howard Drive86 m
Turn right onto Balmoral Drive.
Balmoral Drive1.0 km
Turn right onto Manor Way.
Manor Way217 m
Enter Elstree Way and take the 2nd exit onto Elstree Way/A5135.
Elstree Way28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Way/A5135. Continue on A5135.
A5135467 m
Turn right onto Warwick Road.
Warwick Road189 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Borehamwood · Route 16 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.
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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 12.1 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 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.
Bushey United Synagogue
Continue to Bushey United Synagogue.
Jesus Son of Mary Community Centre
Continue to Jesus Son of Mary Community Centre.
King Stag
Continue to King Stag.
St Hilda's School
Continue to St Hilda's School.
Ash's Newsagents
Continue to Ash's Newsagents.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Holy Cross
Continue to Holy Cross.
St Paul's Lutheran Church
Continue to St Paul's Lutheran Church.
Gate
Continue to Gate.
St Peter's Arkley
Continue to St Peter's Arkley.
St Peter's House
Continue to St Peter's House.
Lord Nelson
Continue to Lord Nelson.
Christ Church, Barnet
Continue to Christ Church, Barnet.
Green Dragon
Continue to Green Dragon.
Scratchwood Park
Continue to Scratchwood Park.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Elstree Way
Finish back near Elstree Way, 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 49.3 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.