Near Borehamwood test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts, 9 turns and 1 signalled junction across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.3 km practice route near Borehamwood test centre, taking roughly 35 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, Barnet Lane 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, 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 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 64-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.3 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 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 1st exit onto A1.
Apex Corner16 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1.
A1863 m
Enter Mill Hill Circus and take the 3rd exit onto The Broadway/A5100.
Mill Hill Circus82 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Broadway/A5100.
The Broadway509 m
Turn left onto Bunn's Lane.
Bunn's Lane494 m
Turn left to stay on Bunn's Lane.
Bunn's Lane799 m
Turn left onto Copthall Drive.
Copthall Drive293 m
Turn left onto Holmdene Avenue.
Holmdene Avenue198 m
Turn left onto Parkside.
Parkside311 m
Turn right to stay on Parkside.
Parkside48 m
Turn left to stay on Parkside.
Parkside384 m
Turn left onto Wise Lane.
Wise Lane1.2 km
Turn left onto The Ridgeway/B552. Continue on B552.
B552872 m
Move right onto Highwood Hill/B552.
Highwood Hill17 m
Turn right onto Marsh Lane/A5109. Continue on A5109.
A5109546 m
Turn left onto Hendon Wood Lane/B552.
Hendon Wood Lane1.4 km
Turn left onto Barnet Road/A411.
Barnet Road908 m
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 5th exit onto Barnet Road/A411.
Stirling Corner215 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 Road864 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 Drive682 m
Turn left onto Norfolk Gardens.
Norfolk Gardens402 m
Turn left onto Kenilworth Drive.
Kenilworth Drive209 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Kenilworth Drive.
80 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kenilworth Drive.
Kenilworth Drive433 m
Turn right onto Balmoral Drive.
Balmoral Drive222 m
Turn left onto Howard Drive.
Howard Drive86 m
Turn left onto Tempsford Avenue.
Tempsford Avenue420 m
Turn right onto Newark Green.
Newark Green77 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Rowley Lane/A5135.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rowley Lane/A5135. Continue on A5135.
A5135926 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 8 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 6.0 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 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.
Scratchwood Park
Continue to Scratchwood Park.
Ladbrokes
Continue to Ladbrokes.
Sacred Heart & Mary Immaculate
Continue to Sacred Heart & Mary Immaculate.
Bridge Tavern
Continue to Bridge Tavern.
Mill Hill Broadway
Continue to Mill Hill Broadway.
Graham Hill
Continue to Graham Hill.
Goodwyn School
Continue to Goodwyn School.
Belmont School - Mill Hill Preparatory School
Continue to Belmont School - Mill Hill Preparatory School.
Three Hammers
Continue to Three Hammers.
Rising Sun
Continue to Rising Sun.
Little Waitrose
Continue to Little Waitrose.
Gate
Continue to Gate.
Barnet Lane
Continue to Barnet Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
St Paul's Lutheran Church
Continue to St Paul's Lutheran Church.
Kenilworth Drive
Continue to Kenilworth Drive, taking the junction with good observation.
Holy Cross
Continue to Holy Cross.
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 25.3 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Borehamwood test centre, not an official DVSA route.