Near Borehamwood test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts, 8 turns and 1 signalled junction across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.7 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. 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, 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 shops, named junctions, parks and churches, 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 63-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.7 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 Elstree Way and take the 3rd exit onto Elstree Way/A5135.
Elstree Way45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Way/A5135. Continue on A5135.
A5135588 m
Move right to stay on A5135.
A5135473 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Rowley Lane/A5135.
86 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rowley Lane/A5135. Continue on A5135.
A5135339 m
Stay straight to take the ramp towards A1.
A11.5 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 3rd exit onto A41/Watford By-pass.
Apex Corner93 m
Exit the roundabout onto A41/Watford By-pass. Continue on A41.
A41265 m
Make a right U-turn at Mount Grove to stay on A41.
A41289 m
Enter Apex Corner and take the 1st exit onto A1/Barnet Way.
Apex Corner23 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 4th exit onto Rowley Lane/A5135.
293 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rowley Lane/A5135. Continue on A5135.
A5135926 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 2nd exit onto Shenley Road/B5378.
Tesco Roundabout30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shenley Road/B5378. Continue on B5378.
B53781.5 km
Turn left onto Knowl Way.
Knowl Way150 m
Turn left onto Lodge Avenue.
Lodge Avenue453 m
Turn right onto Allum Lane/B5378. Continue on B5378.
B53781.1 km
Enter Tesco Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Shenley Road/B5378.
Tesco Roundabout71 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shenley Road/B5378.
Shenley Road474 m
Turn left onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road868 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 Road77 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 Road126 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 Drive61 m
Turn left onto Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road28 m
Turn right to stay on Furzehill Road.
Furzehill Road76 m
Turn left onto Arundel Drive.
Arundel Drive901 m
Turn left onto Balmoral Drive.
Balmoral Drive1.2 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 3 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.
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 9.3 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 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.
Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd
Start near Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd.
Elstree Way
Continue to Elstree Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Little Waitrose
Continue to Little Waitrose.
Firework Corner
Continue to Firework Corner.
Tang's Takeaway
Continue to Tang's Takeaway.
Self Storage Company
Continue to Self Storage Company.
Shell Select
Continue to Shell Select.
Scratchwood Park
Continue to Scratchwood Park.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
National Tyres and Autocare
Continue to National Tyres and Autocare.
Borehamwood Fire Station
Continue to Borehamwood Fire Station.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Pick & Shovel
Continue to Pick & Shovel.
Elstree & Borehamwood
Continue to Elstree & Borehamwood.
Nisa Local
Continue to Nisa Local.
Sainsbury's Local
Continue to Sainsbury's Local.
Good Companion
Continue to Good Companion.
Borehamwood Baptist Church
Continue to Borehamwood Baptist Church.
Holy Cross
Continue to Holy Cross.
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 23.7 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.