Near Bury St Edmunds test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 15 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.8 km practice loop near Bury St Edmunds test centre, taking roughly 35 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 Westley 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, 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, shops and pubs, 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 75-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.8 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 right onto St Andrews Street North.
St Andrews Street North205 m
Turn right onto Risbygate Street.
Risbygate Street287 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Risbygate Street/A1302.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Risbygate Street/A1302. Continue on A1302.
A1302617 m
Turn left onto Westley Road.
Westley Road190 m
Turn left onto West Road.
West Road62 m
Turn left onto York Road.
York Road412 m
Turn right onto Albert Street.
Albert Street100 m
Move right onto Albert Crescent.
Albert Crescent87 m
Turn right onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road380 m
Turn left onto West Road.
West Road5 m
Turn right onto Westbury Avenue.
Westbury Avenue172 m
Turn left onto Highbury Road.
Highbury Road231 m
Turn left onto Priors Avenue.
Priors Avenue174 m
Turn left onto West Road.
West Road243 m
Turn left onto Westbury Avenue.
Westbury Avenue172 m
Turn left onto Highbury Road.
Highbury Road133 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road447 m
Turn right onto Cadogan Road.
Cadogan Road531 m
Turn right onto Highbury Road.
Highbury Road231 m
Turn left onto Priors Avenue.
Priors Avenue174 m
Turn right onto West Road.
West Road231 m
Turn left onto Hospital Road.
Hospital Road442 m
Turn left to stay on Hospital Road.
Hospital Road133 m
Turn left onto Mill Road (South).
Mill Road (South)233 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Mill Road (South).
Mill Road (South)232 m
Turn right onto Hospital Road.
Hospital Road133 m
Turn left onto Petticoat Lane.
Petticoat Lane158 m
Turn left onto Out Westgate/A143.
Out Westgate508 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Out Westgate/A143.
51 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 left onto Wilks Road.
Wilks Road254 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cullum Road/A1302.
47 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.
A13022.5 km
Enter Westley Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A14.
Westley Interchange355 m
Exit the roundabout onto A14/E 24.
A142.8 km
Take exit 43.
A14318 m
Enter St Saviours Interchange and take the 1st exit onto A134/Compiegne Way.
St Saviours Interchange18 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. Continue on A143.
A143470 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bury St Edmunds · Route 18 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.
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 7.3 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 (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.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Bury St Edmunds Bus and Coach Station
Start near Bury St Edmunds Bus and Coach Station.
Quaker Meeting House
Continue to Quaker Meeting House.
All Over Beauty
Continue to All Over Beauty.
West Road Church
Continue to West Road Church.
All Saints Church
Continue to All Saints Church.
Dove
Continue to Dove.
Meredith Grainger Funeral Services
Continue to Meredith Grainger Funeral Services.
West End Fish & Chips
Continue to West End Fish & Chips.
Spread Eagle
Continue to Spread Eagle.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Taco Bell
Continue to Taco Bell.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Kids Play Childcare
Continue to Kids Play Childcare.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Westley Interchange
Continue to Westley Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
So to Bed
Continue to So to Bed.
Beerhouse
Continue to Beerhouse.
Juke's Bar
Finish back near Juke's Bar, 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 25.8 km and takes about 35 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.