Near Brentwood test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 10 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.7 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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 stations, churches, pubs and shops, 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.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
Road mix
The full 52-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 Junction Road.
Junction Road16 m
Turn right onto Warley Hill/B186. Continue on Warley Hill.
Warley Hill365 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Warley Hill.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Warley Hill.
Warley Hill42 m
Move left onto Warley Hill/B186. Continue on B186.
B1861.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Kings Road/B185.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kings Road/B185.
Kings Road395 m
Turn right onto High Street/A1023.
High Street585 m
Move left onto Shenfield Road.
Shenfield Road656 m
Turn left to stay on Shenfield Road.
Shenfield Road131 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Shenfield Road.
Shenfield Road131 m
Turn left onto Shenfield Road/A1023.
Shenfield Road252 m
Turn right onto Middleton Road.
Middleton Road529 m
Turn right onto Worrin Road.
Worrin Road218 m
Turn right onto Worrin Close.
Worrin Close103 m
Turn left onto Worrin Place.
Worrin Place37 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Worrin Place.
Worrin Place37 m
Turn right onto Worrin Close.
Worrin Close103 m
Turn left onto Worrin Road.
Worrin Road722 m
Turn right onto York Road.
York Road138 m
Turn left onto Priest's Lane.
Priest's Lane17 m
Turn left onto Hutton Road/A129.
Hutton Road203 m
Turn left onto Shenfield Road/A1023.
Shenfield Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Middleton Hall Lane.
Middleton Hall Lane574 m
Turn left onto Priest's Lane.
Priest's Lane2.1 km
Turn left onto Friars Avenue.
Friars Avenue22 m
Turn left onto Hutton Road/A129.
Hutton Road350 m
Turn right to stay on Hutton Road/A129.
Hutton Road203 m
Turn left onto Shenfield Road/A1023.
Shenfield Road867 m
Turn right to stay on Shenfield Road.
Shenfield Road131 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Shenfield Road.
Shenfield Road131 m
Turn left onto Shenfield Road/A1023.
Shenfield Road690 m
Turn left onto Hall Lane.
Hall Lane2.3 km
Turn left to stay on Hall Lane.
Hall Lane717 m
Turn left onto Doddinghurst Road.
Doddinghurst Road2.9 km
Turn left onto Ongar Road/A128. Continue on Ongar Road.
Ongar Road611 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Ongar Road.
Ongar Road668 m
Turn left onto Geary Drive.
Geary Drive257 m
Move right onto Mayfield Gardens.
Mayfield Gardens342 m
Turn left to stay on Mayfield Gardens.
Mayfield Gardens79 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road416 m
Turn right onto Western Road.
Western Road301 m
Turn right onto Weald Road.
Weald Road405 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road500 m
Turn right onto Western Road.
Western Road301 m
Turn left onto Weald Road.
Weald Road454 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kings Road/B186.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kings Road/B186.
Kings Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Warley Hill.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Warley Hill.
Warley Hill362 m
Turn left onto Junction Road.
Junction Road171 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Brentwood · Route 5 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.
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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 60 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.
Brentwood
Start near Brentwood.
Brentwood Mosque
Continue to Brentwood Mosque.
Rumours
Continue to Rumours.
Dairyman
Continue to Dairyman.
Marks & Spencer
Continue to Marks & Spencer.
Sports Lounge Brentwood
Continue to Sports Lounge Brentwood.
Discount Cycles
Continue to Discount Cycles.
Ye Olde Green Dragon
Continue to Ye Olde Green Dragon.
Brentwood School
Continue to Brentwood School.
Friends Meeting House
Continue to Friends Meeting House.
Hutton Road Fisheries
Continue to Hutton Road Fisheries.
Butterfly Meadow
Continue to Butterfly Meadow.
St Mary the Virgin
Continue to St Mary the Virgin.
Dodds Road Community Church
Continue to Dodds Road Community Church.
Rising Sun
Continue to Rising Sun.
Ongar Road Fish and Chips
Continue to Ongar Road Fish and Chips.
Victoria Arms
Continue to Victoria Arms.
Mayfiled Gardens Public Park
Continue to Mayfiled Gardens Public Park.
Brentwood Baptist Church
Continue to Brentwood Baptist Church.
Verde Vintage Boutique
Finish back near Verde Vintage Boutique, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 11 turns · 5 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 17 turns · 4 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 7 turns · 3 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 12 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 23.7 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.