Near Bredbury test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 23 turns across 38 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.5 km practice loop near Bredbury test centre, taking roughly 25 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 Bredbury Interchange. 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 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 schools, 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 Bredbury 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 38-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
16 m
Turn right onto Lingard Lane.
Lingard Lane361 m
Move left onto Brinnington Road.
Brinnington Road277 m
Turn right onto Northumberland Road.
Northumberland Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Hollow End.
Hollow End1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Hollow End.
Hollow End1 m
Turn left onto Northumberland Road.
Northumberland Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Brinnington Road.
Brinnington Road277 m
Move right onto Lingard Lane.
Lingard Lane595 m
Turn right onto A6017/Ashton Road.
A6017320 m
Enter Bredbury Interchange and take the 1st exit onto Ashton Road/A560.
Bredbury Interchange19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ashton Road/A560.
Ashton Road476 m
Keep left to stay on A560.
A560526 m
Turn right onto Lower Bents Lane/A6017. Continue on A6017.
A6017975 m
Turn right onto Harrytown.
Harrytown564 m
Turn right onto Clapgate.
Clapgate333 m
Turn left onto Kiln Croft.
Kiln Croft69 m
Turn left onto Powicke Drive.
Powicke Drive359 m
Turn left onto The Ridgway.
The Ridgway240 m
Turn left onto Bredbury Green.
Bredbury Green61 m
Move right onto Harrytown.
Harrytown564 m
Turn left onto Higher Bents Lane/A6017. Continue on A6017.
A6017975 m
Turn left onto Stockport Road West/A560.
Stockport Road West503 m
Turn right onto Ashton Road/A560.
Ashton Road537 m
Enter Bredbury Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A6017/Ashton Road.
Bredbury Interchange86 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6017/Ashton Road. Continue on A6017.
A60172.9 km
Turn right onto Two Trees Lane.
Two Trees Lane613 m
Turn right onto Mancunian Road.
Mancunian Road52 m
Turn right onto Kendal Avenue.
Kendal Avenue83 m
Turn left.
1 m
Make a right U-turn.
1 m
Turn right onto Kendal Avenue.
Kendal Avenue83 m
Turn left onto Mancunian Road.
Mancunian Road52 m
Turn left onto Two Trees Lane.
Two Trees Lane614 m
Move left onto A6017/Stockport Road. Continue on A6017.
A60172.5 km
Turn right onto Lingard Lane.
Lingard Lane233 m
Turn right.
16 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bredbury · Residential 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.
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.
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.
Lighthouse Centre
Start near Lighthouse Centre.
St Lukes Chapel
Continue to St Lukes Chapel.
Barber's Shop
Continue to Barber's Shop.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
ATS
Continue to ATS.
Old Curiosity Shop
Continue to Old Curiosity Shop.
Greyhound
Continue to Greyhound.
Queens
Continue to Queens.
Bredbury Green Primary School
Continue to Bredbury Green Primary School.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Travellers Call
Continue to Travellers Call.
Bredbury Interchange
Continue to Bredbury Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Nostalgia
Continue to Nostalgia.
Bridge House School
Continue to Bridge House School.
Arden Arms
Continue to Arden Arms.
Ashlea House School
Continue to Ashlea House School.
Fletchers Arms
Continue to Fletchers Arms.
A Jones Memorials
Continue to A Jones Memorials.
Cock Hotel
Finish back near Cock Hotel, completing the loop.
18 roundabouts · 13 turns
8 roundabouts · 7 turns
18 roundabouts · 14 turns
12 roundabouts · 22 turns
This route is 17.5 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bredbury test centre, not an official DVSA route.