Near Bradford (Thornbury) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 17 turns across 37 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.4 km practice loop near Bradford (Thornbury) test centre, taking roughly 22 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.
On this route you’ll practise independent driving 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 churches, shops, pubs and stations, 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 Bradford (Thornbury) 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:
The full 37-step drive on real, named roads (about 16.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
21 m
Turn right.
17 m
Turn right.
37 m
Turn left.
80 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit.
9 m
Exit the roundabout.
52 m
Enter Gipsy Street and take the 4th exit onto A647/Leeds Road.
Gipsy Street188 m
Exit the roundabout onto A647/Leeds Road.
A6471.2 km
Take the exit.
61 m
Move left onto A6177/Laisterdyke. Continue on A6177.
A61771.9 km
Keep left to take A6177/Sticker Lane.
A6177189 m
Enter Dudley Hill and take the 3rd exit onto Wakefield Road/A650.
Dudley Hill150 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wakefield Road/A650.
Wakefield Road1.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wakefield Road/A650.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wakefield Road/A650.
Wakefield Road444 m
Continue.
134 m
Move left onto Croft Street/A641.
Croft Street435 m
Turn right onto Manchester Road/A641.
Manchester Road595 m
Turn left onto Sunbridge Road/A6181.
Sunbridge Road98 m
Turn right onto Barry Street/A6181. Continue on A6181.
A6181400 m
Turn right onto Drewton Road/A6181.
Drewton Road238 m
Turn left onto Manningham Lane/A650. Continue on A650.
A6502.2 km
Turn right onto Frizinghall Road.
Frizinghall Road29 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Frizinghall Road.
Frizinghall Road29 m
Turn left onto A650/Keighley Road. Continue on A650.
A6501.1 km
Turn left onto A6177/Queen's Road. Continue on A6177.
A61771.5 km
Turn right onto A6177/Lister Lane. Continue on A6177.
A61771.3 km
Turn right onto A6177/Killinghall Road.
A61771.1 km
Turn left onto Leeds Old Road/B6381. Continue on B6381.
B6381961 m
Enter Dick Lane and take the 4th exit.
Dick Lane356 m
Exit the roundabout.
54 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
29 m
Exit the roundabout.
80 m
Turn right.
37 m
Turn left.
17 m
Turn left.
21 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bradford (Thornbury) · Dual-carriageway practice loop 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Holmewood Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses
Start near Holmewood Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Chahal Store
Continue to Chahal Store.
Ebenezer Methodist Church Centre
Continue to Ebenezer Methodist Church Centre.
Gallopers
Continue to Gallopers.
New Hey Road Methodist Church
Continue to New Hey Road Methodist Church.
Guru Nanak Sikh Temple
Continue to Guru Nanak Sikh Temple.
Bradford Interchange
Continue to Bradford Interchange.
Queen Victoria Memorial
Continue to Queen Victoria Memorial.
Castle
Continue to Castle.
Food Plus
Continue to Food Plus.
Bradford Arms
Continue to Bradford Arms.
Bradford Islamic Centre
Continue to Bradford Islamic Centre.
Peel Park Fisheries
Continue to Peel Park Fisheries.
MA Carpets & Furniture
Continue to MA Carpets & Furniture.
St Andrew's Methodist Church
Continue to St Andrew's Methodist Church.
St Margaret
Continue to St Margaret.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Esporta
Finish back near Esporta, completing the loop.
20 roundabouts · 23 turns
28 roundabouts · 21 turns
10 roundabouts · 24 turns
14 roundabouts · 29 turns
This route is 16.4 km and takes about 22 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bradford (Thornbury) test centre, not an official DVSA route.