Near Borehamwood test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 22 roundabouts and 11 turns across 35 navigation steps.
This is an independent 40.3 km practice route near Borehamwood test centre, taking roughly 55 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, Elstree Way and Kenilworth Drive. 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 100-step drive on real, named roads (about 40.3 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 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 2nd exit onto Studio Way.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Studio Way.
Studio Way328 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Studio Way.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Studio Way.
Studio Way289 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Studio Way.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Studio Way.
Studio Way256 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Rowley Lane.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rowley Lane.
Rowley Lane231 m
Turn left onto Alexandra Road.
Alexandra Road351 m
Turn left onto Potters Lane.
Potters Lane357 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Potters Lane.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Potters Lane.
Potters Lane281 m
Turn right onto Cowley Hill/B5378.
Cowley Hill892 m
Turn left to stay on Cowley Hill.
Cowley Hill11 m
Turn left to stay on Cowley Hill.
Cowley Hill185 m
Turn right onto Cowley Hill/B5378.
Cowley Hill554 m
Turn right onto Hartforde Road.
Hartforde Road384 m
Turn right onto Caishowe Road.
Caishowe Road403 m
Turn right onto Oddesey Road.
Oddesey Road128 m
Turn right onto Hartforde Road.
Hartforde Road631 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 Street430 m
Turn right onto Allum Lane/B5378.
Allum Lane744 m
Turn left onto Knowl Way.
Knowl Way150 m
Turn left onto Lodge Avenue.
Lodge Avenue453 m
Turn right onto Allum Lane/B5378.
Allum Lane158 m
Turn right onto Deacons Hill Road.
Deacons Hill Road131 m
Turn left onto Deacons Close.
Deacons Close104 m
Turn right.
9 m
Make a right U-turn.
9 m
Turn left onto Deacons Close.
Deacons Close104 m
Turn left onto Deacons Hill Road.
Deacons Hill Road825 m
Turn left onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane1.3 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 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 2nd exit onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Stirling Corner69 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane445 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Furzehill Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road941 m
Turn left onto Melrose Avenue.
Melrose Avenue324 m
Turn left to stay on Melrose Avenue.
Melrose Avenue270 m
Turn left onto Masefield Avenue.
Masefield Avenue342 m
Turn left onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road72 m
Turn right to stay on Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road28 m
Turn left to stay on Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road368 m
Turn right onto Hillside Avenue.
Hillside Avenue768 m
Move left onto Bullhead Road.
Bullhead Road5 m
Turn right to stay on Bullhead Road.
Bullhead Road32 m
Turn left onto Kenilworth Drive.
Kenilworth Drive163 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kenilworth Drive.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kenilworth Drive.
Kenilworth Drive209 m
Turn right onto Norfolk Gardens.
Norfolk Gardens402 m
Turn right onto Arundel Drive.
Arundel Drive194 m
Turn right onto Manor Way.
Manor Way417 m
Enter Kenilworth Drive and take the 2nd exit onto Manor Way.
Kenilworth Drive39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manor Way.
Manor Way324 m
Turn right 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 18 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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 1.9 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.
Barons Borehamwood BMW
Continue to Barons Borehamwood BMW.
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.
Church of St Peter
Continue to Church of St Peter.
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.
Elstree Way
Continue to Elstree Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Hartforde Road common ground
Continue to Hartforde Road common ground.
Elstree & Borehamwood
Continue to Elstree & Borehamwood.
Wellington
Continue to Wellington.
Asda
Continue to Asda.
Little Waitrose
Continue to Little Waitrose.
Gate
Continue to Gate.
St Paul's Lutheran Church
Continue to St Paul's Lutheran Church.
International Christian Fellowship
Continue to International Christian Fellowship.
Kenilworth Drive
Finish back near Kenilworth Drive, 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 40.3 km and takes about 55 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Borehamwood test centre, not an official DVSA route.