Near Buxton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 24 turns across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 26.9 km practice route near Buxton 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 Trent Avenue and Harpur Hill Road. 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 roundabout approach & exit, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 schools, pubs, shops and churches, 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 Buxton 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 91-step drive on real, named roads (about 28.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest on Green Lane.
Green Lane852 m
Keep left to stay on Green Lane.
Green Lane69 m
Turn right onto Temple Road.
Temple Road90 m
Turn right to stay on Temple Road.
Temple Road446 m
Turn right onto College Road.
College Road67 m
Turn left onto Spencer Road.
Spencer Road294 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane266 m
Turn right onto Robertson Road.
Robertson Road550 m
Keep left to take Compton Road.
Compton Road121 m
Turn right onto Mosley Road.
Mosley Road336 m
Turn left to stay on Mosley Road.
Mosley Road223 m
Turn right onto A515/London Road.
A51522 m
Keep left to stay on A515.
A515857 m
Keep left to stay on A515.
A515664 m
Turn left onto Staden Lane.
Staden Lane742 m
Turn left.
175 m
Move left.
324 m
Turn left.
193 m
Turn left onto Staden Lane.
Staden Lane432 m
Turn left.
175 m
Make a right U-turn.
175 m
Turn right onto Staden Lane.
Staden Lane742 m
Turn right onto A515/Buxton Road.
A515903 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A515.
A5151.3 km
Keep right to take A515/Buxton Road.
A515688 m
Turn right onto Heathfield Nook Road.
Heathfield Nook Road58 m
Keep straight to stay on Heathfield Nook Road.
Heathfield Nook Road570 m
Turn right onto Burlow Road.
Burlow Road789 m
Turn right onto Burlow Avenue.
Burlow Avenue131 m
Turn right onto Tedder Avenue.
Tedder Avenue120 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Tedder Avenue.
Tedder Avenue120 m
Turn left onto Burlow Avenue.
Burlow Avenue131 m
Turn right onto Burlow Road.
Burlow Road131 m
Move right onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road186 m
Keep left to stay on Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road713 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Harpur Hill Road.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road295 m
Turn left onto A515/Ashbourne Road. Continue on A515.
A515537 m
Keep right to take A515/London Road.
A515109 m
Keep right to stay on A515/London Road.
A515144 m
Turn left onto West Road/B5059.
West Road329 m
Turn left onto College Road.
College Road388 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane452 m
Make a sharp right onto A515/London Road.
A515219 m
Keep left to stay on A515.
A515568 m
Turn right onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road305 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Harpur Hill Road.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road901 m
Move left onto Burlow Road.
Burlow Road25 m
Keep left to stay on Burlow Road.
Burlow Road106 m
Turn left onto Burlow Avenue.
Burlow Avenue56 m
Turn right onto Kirkstone Road.
Kirkstone Road81 m
Keep right to stay on Kirkstone Road.
Kirkstone Road62 m
Turn right onto College Way.
College Way52 m
Turn right onto Burlow Road.
Burlow Road149 m
Turn right onto Burlow Avenue.
Burlow Avenue131 m
Turn right onto Tedder Avenue.
Tedder Avenue120 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Tedder Avenue.
Tedder Avenue119 m
Turn left onto Burlow Avenue.
Burlow Avenue131 m
Turn right onto Burlow Road.
Burlow Road131 m
Turn left onto Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road158 m
Keep left to stay on Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road112 m
Keep left to stay on Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road2.1 km
Turn right to stay on Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road25 m
Turn right onto A53/Leek Road.
A5349 m
Keep left to stay on A53/Leek Road.
A53798 m
Keep left to stay on A53/Leek Road.
A53122 m
Turn right onto Holmfield.
Holmfield104 m
Keep right to stay on Holmfield.
Holmfield134 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane82 m
Keep left to stay on Green Lane.
Green Lane1.0 km
Turn left onto College Road.
College Road349 m
Turn left onto Temple Road.
Temple Road256 m
Keep left to stay on Temple Road.
Temple Road189 m
Move right onto Milldale Avenue.
Milldale Avenue30 m
Turn right onto Errwood Avenue.
Errwood Avenue291 m
Turn right onto Ecclesbourne Drive.
Ecclesbourne Drive131 m
Turn left onto Temple Road.
Temple Road109 m
Turn left onto College Road.
College Road39 m
Turn right onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road15 m
Turn left onto Bath Road.
Bath Road309 m
Turn right onto A515/High Street.
A515320 m
Keep left to stay on A515.
A515568 m
Make a right U-turn onto A515/Ashbourne Road.
A51566 m
Keep right to stay on A515.
A515427 m
Keep right to take A515/London Road.
A51577 m
Turn left onto Mosley Road.
Mosley Road82 m
Turn right onto Compton Road.
Compton Road219 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane809 m
Keep left to stay on Green Lane.
Green Lane6 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 13 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.
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.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 8.4 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, 40, 50, 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.
A Block
Start near A Block.
E Block
Continue to E Block.
F Block
Continue to F Block.
Blazing Rag
Continue to Blazing Rag.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Buxton Hospital & Corbar Birth Centre
Continue to Buxton Hospital & Corbar Birth Centre.
Pets Corner
Continue to Pets Corner.
Buxton Fire and Rescue Centre
Continue to Buxton Fire and Rescue Centre.
Harpurs Plaice
Continue to Harpurs Plaice.
St James
Continue to St James.
Trent Avenue
Continue to Trent Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Buxton Community Church
Continue to Buxton Community Church.
London Road
Continue to London Road.
Harpur Hill Road
Continue to Harpur Hill Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Parks Inn
Continue to Parks Inn.
Marriott Auto Services
Continue to Marriott Auto Services.
Poole's Cavern
Continue to Poole's Cavern.
Buxton Health Centre
Continue to Buxton Health Centre.
St Anne
Continue to St Anne.
Swan
Finish back near Swan, completing the loop.
23 turns
28 turns
20 turns
19 turns
This route is 26.9 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Buxton test centre, not an official DVSA route.