Near Brentwood test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 10 turns and 7 signalled junctions across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 59.2 km practice loop near Brentwood 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 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 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 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 68-step drive on real, named roads (about 59.1 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 Hill362 m
Turn left onto Junction Road.
Junction Road337 m
Turn left onto Crescent Road.
Crescent Road629 m
Turn left onto Westwood Avenue.
Westwood Avenue275 m
Move right onto West Park Hill.
West Park Hill188 m
Turn right onto London Road/A1023.
London Road83 m
Turn left onto South Weald Road.
South Weald Road103 m
Keep right to stay on South Weald Road.
South Weald Road39 m
Turn left onto Hill Road.
Hill Road32 m
Turn left onto South Weald Road.
South Weald Road155 m
Turn right onto London Road/A1023.
London Road318 m
Turn right onto Brook Road.
Brook Road26 m
Turn left to stay on Brook Road.
Brook Road349 m
Turn left onto Spital Lane.
Spital Lane259 m
Turn right onto Brook Street/A1023.
Brook Street916 m
Enter Brook Street Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A12/E 30.
Brook Street Roundabout426 m
Exit the roundabout onto A12/E 30/Brentwood Bypass.
A126.7 km
Take exit 12.
A12443 m
Enter Marylands Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A12/Brentwood Bypass.
Marylands Interchange218 m
Exit the roundabout onto A12.
A128.5 km
Turn left onto Harold Court Road.
Harold Court Road491 m
Turn left.
59 m
Make a right U-turn.
59 m
Turn right onto Harold Court Road.
Harold Court Road189 m
Turn left onto Church Road.
Church Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Avenue Road.
Avenue Road340 m
Turn left onto Gubbins Lane.
Gubbins Lane414 m
Turn left onto Squirrels Heath Road.
Squirrels Heath Road3.7 km
Move left onto Warley Road/B186. Continue on B186.
B1861.8 km
Move left onto Warley Hill.
Warley Hill15 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Warley Hill.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Warley Hill.
Warley Hill643 m
Turn right onto Avenue Road.
Avenue Road150 m
Turn left onto Warley Mount.
Warley Mount64 m
Turn left onto Great Eastern Road.
Great Eastern Road147 m
Turn right onto Warley Hill/B186.
Warley Hill23 m
Turn left onto Crescent Road.
Crescent Road1.1 km
Turn left onto London Road/A1023. Continue on A1023.
A10231.7 km
Enter Brook Street Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A12.
Brook Street Roundabout152 m
Exit the roundabout onto A12/Colchester Road.
A122.4 km
Turn left onto Gubbins Lane.
Gubbins Lane563 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road12 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Station Road.
Station Road26 m
Turn right onto Gubbins Lane.
Gubbins Lane596 m
Turn right onto A12/Colchester Road. Continue on A12.
A129.2 km
Take exit 12.
A12443 m
Enter Marylands Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A12/Brentwood Bypass.
Marylands Interchange218 m
Exit the roundabout onto A12/E 30/Brentwood Bypass.
A126.8 km
Take exit 11.
A12312 m
Enter Brook Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brook Street/A1023.
Brook Street Roundabout14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brook Street/A1023. Continue on A1023.
A10231.3 km
Turn left onto Brook Road.
Brook Road26 m
Turn left to stay on Brook Road.
Brook Road349 m
Turn left onto Spital Lane.
Spital Lane2.1 km
Turn left onto Warley Hill/B186. Continue on Warley Hill.
Warley Hill673 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Warley Hill.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Warley Hill.
Warley Hill42 m
Turn right onto Albert Street.
Albert Street133 m
Turn left onto Queen Street.
Queen Street159 m
Turn left onto Woodman Road.
Woodman Road166 m
Turn left onto Warley Hill/B186. Continue on Warley Hill.
Warley Hill125 m
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 9 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
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 33.3 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, 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.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Bull
Start near Bull.
Nags Head
Continue to Nags Head.
Warley Hill
Continue to Warley Hill, taking the junction with good observation.
Marylands Interchange
Continue to Marylands Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Bon Bons
Continue to Bon Bons.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Rock n Roe
Continue to Rock n Roe.
Harold Wood
Continue to Harold Wood.
Harold Wood Station
Continue to Harold Wood Station.
Saint Peter
Continue to Saint Peter.
Holy Cross and All Saints
Continue to Holy Cross and All Saints.
Thatcher's Arms
Continue to Thatcher's Arms.
Brentwood Mosque
Continue to Brentwood Mosque.
Little Florist
Continue to Little Florist.
Sam's Sweet N Shakes
Continue to Sam's Sweet N Shakes.
Harold Wood Audi
Continue to Harold Wood Audi.
Harold Wood Methodist Church
Continue to Harold Wood Methodist Church.
Grange Aston Martin
Continue to Grange Aston Martin.
Charlies
Continue to Charlies.
Little Waitrose
Finish back near Little Waitrose, 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 59.2 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Brentwood test centre, not an official DVSA route.