Near Bury St Edmunds test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 10 turns and 1 signalled junction across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.5 km practice loop near Bury St Edmunds 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, 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, churches, shops 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 Bury St Edmunds 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 84-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
58 m
Turn left onto St Andrews Street North.
St Andrews Street North192 m
Turn right onto Tayfen Road/A143.
Tayfen Road144 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tayfen Road/A143.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tayfen Road/A143. Continue on A143.
A143164 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A143.
124 m
Exit the roundabout onto A143.
A143169 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tayfen Road/A143.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tayfen Road/A143. Continue on A143.
A143600 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway South/A143.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway South/A143.
Parkway South308 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway South/A143.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway South/A143.
Parkway South571 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Out Westgate/A143.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Out Westgate/A143. Continue on A143.
A143557 m
Turn left onto Vinery Road.
Vinery Road596 m
Turn left onto Barons Road.
Barons Road568 m
Turn left onto Lincoln Green.
Lincoln Green67 m
Make a left U-turn at Lincoln Green to stay on Lincoln Green.
Lincoln Green93 m
Turn right onto Barons Road.
Barons Road370 m
Turn right onto Rembrandt Way.
Rembrandt Way627 m
Turn left onto Vinery Road.
Vinery Road481 m
Turn left onto Barons Road.
Barons Road984 m
Turn right onto Hardwick Lane.
Hardwick Lane870 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Hardwick Lane.
Hardwick Lane759 m
Turn right onto Home Farm Lane.
Home Farm Lane228 m
Turn right to stay on Home Farm Lane.
Home Farm Lane340 m
Turn left onto Croft Rise.
Croft Rise147 m
Turn left onto Hickling Drive.
Hickling Drive168 m
Turn right onto Mayfield Road.
Mayfield Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Cullum Road/A1302.
89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cullum Road/A1302.
Cullum Road120 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A134.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A134.
A134406 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A134.
121 m
Exit the roundabout onto A134.
A134404 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cullum Road/A1302.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cullum Road/A1302.
Cullum Road112 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Cullum Road/A1302.
91 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cullum Road/A1302.
Cullum Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway South/A143.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway South/A143.
Parkway South571 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway South/A143.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway South/A143.
Parkway South311 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Risbygate Street/A1302.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Risbygate Street/A1302. Continue on A1302.
A13021.3 km
Make a right U-turn at Western Way to stay on A1302.
A13021.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Parkway North/A143.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway North/A143. Continue on A143.
A143602 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tayfen Road/A143.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tayfen Road/A143. Continue on A143.
A143164 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Northgate Street.
89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northgate Street.
Northgate Street134 m
Turn right onto Cadney Lane.
Cadney Lane46 m
Turn left onto Cannon Street.
Cannon Street67 m
Turn right onto St Martin's Street.
St Martin's Street74 m
Turn left to stay on St Martin's Street.
St Martin's Street23 m
Turn left onto St Edmund's Place.
St Edmund's Place32 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on St Edmund's Place.
St Edmund's Place32 m
Turn right onto St Martin's Street.
St Martin's Street23 m
Turn left to stay on St Martin's Street.
St Martin's Street31 m
Turn left onto Long Brackland.
Long Brackland35 m
Turn right onto Ipswich Street.
Ipswich Street113 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Tayfen Road/A143.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tayfen Road/A143. Continue on A143.
A143164 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Compiegne Way/A143.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Compiegne Way/A143.
Compiegne Way23 m
Turn left to stay on Compiegne Way/A143.
Compiegne Way386 m
Enter St Saviours Interchange and take the 3rd exit onto A134/Compiegne Way.
St Saviours Interchange195 m
Exit the roundabout onto A134/Compiegne Way.
A1341.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A143/Compiegne Way.
86 m
Exit the roundabout onto A143/Compiegne Way.
A143579 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A143/Compiegne Way.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto A143/Compiegne Way.
A143578 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A134/Compiegne Way.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto A134/Compiegne Way.
A134985 m
Enter St Saviours Interchange and take the 3rd exit onto Compiegne Way/A143.
St Saviours Interchange221 m
Exit the roundabout onto Compiegne Way/A143.
Compiegne Way402 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A143.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto A143.
A143169 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tayfen Road/A143.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tayfen Road/A143.
Tayfen Road142 m
Turn left onto St Andrews Street North.
St Andrews Street North126 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bury St Edmunds · Route 16 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.
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.
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 4.8 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, 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.
Beerhouse
Start near Beerhouse.
Quaker Meeting House
Continue to Quaker Meeting House.
Noodle King
Continue to Noodle King.
West End Fish & Chips
Continue to West End Fish & Chips.
Coin-Op Laundrette
Continue to Coin-Op Laundrette.
Spread Eagle
Continue to Spread Eagle.
Macebearer
Continue to Macebearer.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Taco Bell
Continue to Taco Bell.
Co-op Daily
Continue to Co-op Daily.
Peter Watts Domestic Appliance Centre
Continue to Peter Watts Domestic Appliance Centre.
Kids Play Childcare
Continue to Kids Play Childcare.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Opulence Stoves
Continue to Opulence Stoves.
Old Cannon Brewery
Continue to Old Cannon Brewery.
Salvation Army Hall
Continue to Salvation Army Hall.
Urban Society
Continue to Urban Society.
Northgate Video
Finish back near Northgate Video, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 12 turns · 2 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 10 turns · 1 set of lights
18 roundabouts · 6 turns · 1 set of lights
15 roundabouts · 4 turns
This route is 23.5 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bury St Edmunds test centre, not an official DVSA route.