Near Bury test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 24 turns across 42 navigation steps.
This is an independent 9.9 km practice loop near Bury test centre, taking roughly 15 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 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 19 catalogued landmarks, including shops, churches 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 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:
The full 42-step drive on real, named roads (about 10.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south on Bridge Street.
Bridge Street253 m
Turn left onto Bell Lane/B6222.
Bell Lane259 m
Turn right onto Parsonage Street/B6219. Continue on B6219.
B62191.0 km
Turn left onto Wilson Street.
Wilson Street223 m
Turn right onto Alfred Street.
Alfred Street111 m
Keep right to stay on Alfred Street.
Alfred Street17 m
Turn right onto Killon Street.
Killon Street197 m
Turn left onto Topham Street.
Topham Street103 m
Turn left onto Grundy Lane.
Grundy Lane157 m
Turn right onto Killon Street.
Killon Street86 m
Turn left onto Alfred Street.
Alfred Street129 m
Turn left onto Wilson Street.
Wilson Street723 m
Turn left onto A58/Rochdale Road. Continue on A58.
A58326 m
Turn right onto A58/Derby Way.
A581.4 km
Turn left onto Birley Street.
Birley Street167 m
Turn left onto Hornby Street.
Hornby Street36 m
Turn right onto Avondale Avenue.
Avondale Avenue126 m
Turn left.
61 m
Make a right U-turn.
61 m
Turn right onto Avondale Avenue.
Avondale Avenue126 m
Turn left onto Hornby Street.
Hornby Street36 m
Turn right onto Birley Street.
Birley Street122 m
Turn right onto Back Walmersley Road West.
Back Walmersley Road West57 m
Turn left onto Monmouth Avenue.
Monmouth Avenue42 m
Turn right onto Walmersley Road/A56.
Walmersley Road900 m
Turn left onto Bell Lane/B6222.
Bell Lane548 m
Turn right onto Parsonage Street/B6219.
Parsonage Street22 m
Turn left onto Back Bell Lane.
Back Bell Lane297 m
Turn left.
30 m
Turn right onto Bell Lane/B6222. Continue on B6222.
B6222461 m
Turn right onto Topping Fold Road.
Topping Fold Road328 m
Turn right onto Thompson Drive.
Thompson Drive79 m
Move left to stay on Thompson Drive.
Thompson Drive138 m
Turn left onto Duxbury Drive.
Duxbury Drive58 m
Turn left onto Hewart Drive.
Hewart Drive137 m
Turn left onto Topping Fold Road.
Topping Fold Road43 m
Turn left onto Thompson Drive.
Thompson Drive172 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Thompson Drive.
Thompson Drive178 m
Turn left onto Topping Fold Road.
Topping Fold Road328 m
Turn left onto Rochdale Old Road/B6222. Continue on B6222.
B62221.0 km
Turn right onto Bridge Street.
Bridge Street253 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bury · Residential practice loop 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 19 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Jewson
Start near Jewson.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Leisure Lakes Bikes Bury
Continue to Leisure Lakes Bikes Bury.
Matalan
Continue to Matalan.
Moorgate Primary Care Centre
Continue to Moorgate Primary Care Centre.
Range
Continue to Range.
Geldards Dry Cleaners
Continue to Geldards Dry Cleaners.
Hairworks
Continue to Hairworks.
Kutting Korner
Continue to Kutting Korner.
Marks & Spencer
Continue to Marks & Spencer.
Home Run
Continue to Home Run.
Freedom Church
Continue to Freedom Church.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Aaron Grocers
Continue to Aaron Grocers.
Your Choice Convenience Store
Continue to Your Choice Convenience Store.
Empire of Ink
Continue to Empire of Ink.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
Old Crow
Continue to Old Crow.
Spotted Cow
Finish back near Spotted Cow, completing the loop.
7 turns
4 roundabouts · 19 turns
4 roundabouts · 18 turns
8 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 9.9 km and takes about 15 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bury test centre, not an official DVSA route.