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Practice route
ChallengingLoop

Brentwood · Route 13

Near Brentwood test centre

65.1 km
Distance
30 min
Duration
Challenging
Difficulty
19
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Easy

Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 10 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 65.1 km practice loop near Brentwood test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Warley Hill and Marylands 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 pubs, named junctions, shops 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 Brentwood 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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

5
Left turns
5
Right turns
4
Roundabouts
5
Traffic lights
20
Total steps

Skills & features

21
Roundabouts
43.6 km
Dual carriageway
20, 30, 50, 60, 70 mph
Speed limits
20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Multiple roundabouts
  • Dual-carriageway joins
  • National-speed roads
  • 20 mph zones
  • Changing speed limits
  • Residential manoeuvres
  • Busy A-roads
  • Independent driving

Road mix

  • Trunk roads 43.6 km
  • A-roads 9.9 km
  • Residential 4.9 km
  • B-roads 1.7 km
  • Minor roads 0.8 km

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 62-step drive on real, named roads (about 65.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive east on Junction Road.

    Junction Road16 m

  2. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Warley Hill/B186. Continue on Warley Hill.

    Warley Hill365 m

  3. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Warley Hill.

    21 m

  4. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Warley Hill.

    Warley Hill362 m

  5. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Junction Road.

    Junction Road337 m

  6. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Crescent Road.

    Crescent Road883 m

  7. Turn left:

    Turn left onto London Road/A1023.

    London Road435 m

  8. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Brook Road.

    Brook Road26 m

  9. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Brook Road.

    Brook Road349 m

  10. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Spital Lane.

    Spital Lane259 m

  11. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Brook Street/A1023.

    Brook Street916 m

  12. Roundabout:

    Enter Brook Street Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A12/E 30.

    Brook Street Roundabout426 m

  13. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A12/E 30/Brentwood Bypass.

    A126.7 km

  14. Take exit:

    Take exit 12.

    A12443 m

  15. Roundabout:

    Enter Marylands Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A12/Brentwood Bypass.

    Marylands Interchange218 m

  16. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A12.

    A128.1 km

  17. Turn left:

    Move left onto Maylands Way.

    Maylands Way7 m

  18. Keep left:

    Keep left to stay on Maylands Way.

    Maylands Way212 m

  19. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Greenway.

    Greenway322 m

  20. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Harold Court Road.

    Harold Court Road101 m

  21. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Homeway.

    Homeway328 m

  22. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Maylands Way.

    Maylands Way123 m

  23. Turn left:

    Move left onto A12/Colchester Road.

    A12460 m

  24. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn at Petersfield Avenue to stay on A12.

    A128.2 km

  25. Take exit:

    Take exit 12.

    A12443 m

  26. Roundabout:

    Enter Marylands Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A12/Brentwood Bypass.

    Marylands Interchange218 m

  27. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A12.

    A128.6 km

  28. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Petersfield Avenue.

    Petersfield Avenue406 m

  29. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Petersfield Close.

    Petersfield Close80 m

  30. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Petersfield Close.

    Petersfield Close24 m

  31. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on Petersfield Close.

    Petersfield Close24 m

  32. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Petersfield Close.

    Petersfield Close80 m

  33. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Petersfield Avenue.

    Petersfield Avenue394 m

  34. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A12/Colchester Road. Continue on A12.

    A128.1 km

  35. Take exit:

    Take exit 12.

    A12443 m

  36. Roundabout:

    Enter Marylands Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A12/Brentwood Bypass.

    Marylands Interchange218 m

  37. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A12/E 30/Brentwood Bypass.

    A126.8 km

  38. Take exit:

    Take exit 11.

    A12312 m

  39. Roundabout:

    Enter Brook Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brook Street/A1023.

    Brook Street Roundabout14 m

  40. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Brook Street/A1023. Continue on A1023.

    A10231.3 km

  41. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Brook Road.

    Brook Road26 m

  42. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Brook Road.

    Brook Road349 m

  43. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Spital Lane.

    Spital Lane259 m

  44. Turn left:

    Turn left onto London Road/A1023. Continue on A1023.

    A10232.3 km

  45. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ingrave Road/A128.

    Ingrave Road973 m

  46. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hogarth Avenue.

    Hogarth Avenue169 m

  47. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Riseway.

    Riseway141 m

  48. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Shenfield Crescent.

    Shenfield Crescent340 m

  49. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Priest's Lane.

    Priest's Lane173 m

  50. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Middleton Hall Lane.

    Middleton Hall Lane46 m

  51. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Ingrave Road/A128.

    Ingrave Road228 m

  52. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Queen's Road/B186.

    Queen's Road649 m

  53. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Kings Road/B186.

    11 m

  54. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Kings Road/B186.

    Kings Road143 m

  55. Turn left:

    Turn left onto King Edward Road.

    King Edward Road152 m

  56. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Rose Valley.

    Rose Valley73 m

  57. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Gresham Road.

    Gresham Road202 m

  58. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Kings Road/B186.

    Kings Road1.0 km

  59. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Warley Hill.

    21 m

  60. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Warley Hill.

    Warley Hill362 m

  61. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Junction Road.

    Junction Road171 m

  62. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Brentwood · Route 13 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Junctions & roundabouts

Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.

  • Warley Hill
  • Marylands Interchange

Stations

Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.

  • Brentwood

Schools

Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.

  • Brentwood School Chapel
  • Main Building

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Brentwood Baptist Church
  • Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Helen
  • Brentwood Mosque

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • Bull
  • Charlies
  • Nags Head
  • Spread Eagle

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • Bon Bons
  • Domino's
  • Rock n Roe
  • Ford

Watch out for

  • 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 43.6 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, 50, 60, 70 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.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. Bull

    Start near Bull.

  2. Charlies

    Continue to Charlies.

  3. Nags Head

    Continue to Nags Head.

  4. Warley Hill

    Continue to Warley Hill, taking the junction with good observation.

  5. Marylands Interchange

    Continue to Marylands Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.

  6. Bon Bons

    Continue to Bon Bons.

  7. Domino's

    Continue to Domino's.

  8. Rock n Roe

    Continue to Rock n Roe.

  9. Ford

    Continue to Ford.

  10. Kwik Fit

    Continue to Kwik Fit.

  11. Momentum Cycles

    Continue to Momentum Cycles.

  12. Brentwood Baptist Church

    Continue to Brentwood Baptist Church.

  13. Brentwood School Chapel

    Continue to Brentwood School Chapel.

  14. Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Helen

    Continue to Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Helen.

  15. Main Building

    Continue to Main Building.

  16. Spread Eagle

    Continue to Spread Eagle.

  17. Brentwood

    Continue to Brentwood.

  18. Brentwood Mosque

    Continue to Brentwood Mosque.

  19. Rumours

    Continue to Rumours.

  20. Zebrano

    Finish back near Zebrano, completing the loop.

More routes at Brentwood test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 65.1 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Brentwood test centre, not an official DVSA route.