Near Buxton test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 27 turns across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.4 km practice route near Buxton test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Cavendish Avenue, 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 multiple roundabouts, 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, churches, pubs and named junctions, 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 63-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast on Green Lane.
Green Lane57 m
Turn right onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road509 m
Turn left onto Peveril Road.
Peveril Road162 m
Turn left onto Clifton Road.
Clifton Road130 m
Turn left onto Hardwick Square South.
Hardwick Square South346 m
Turn right onto Market Street.
Market Street21 m
Turn left onto A515/High Street.
A515358 m
Turn right onto West Road/B5059. Continue on B5059.
B50591.2 km
Turn left onto Cavendish Avenue.
Cavendish Avenue130 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Cavendish Avenue.
137 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cavendish Avenue.
Cavendish Avenue49 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cavendish Avenue.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cavendish Avenue.
Cavendish Avenue74 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane1.0 km
Turn left onto College Road.
College Road388 m
Turn left onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road1.2 km
Move left onto A53/Leek Road.
A53162 m
Turn left onto Holmfield.
Holmfield239 m
Turn left onto Duke Street.
Duke Street103 m
Turn left onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road73 m
Move left onto A53/Leek Road.
A531.1 km
Turn left onto Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road25 m
Turn left to stay on Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road2.4 km
Turn left onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road438 m
Turn left onto Fernway.
Fernway91 m
Turn right onto Ferneydale Avenue.
Ferneydale Avenue302 m
Turn right onto Trent Avenue.
Trent Avenue65 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Trent Avenue.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Trent Avenue.
Trent Avenue35 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Trent Avenue.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Trent Avenue.
Trent Avenue34 m
Turn right onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road188 m
Turn left onto Berwick Road.
Berwick Road700 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Harpur Hill Road.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road390 m
Turn left onto Berwick Road.
Berwick Road315 m
Turn left onto Hereford Road.
Hereford Road244 m
Turn left onto Berwick Road.
Berwick Road83 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Harpur Hill Road.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road306 m
Turn right onto A515/Ashbourne Road.
A51527 m
Move left onto Duke's Drive.
Duke's Drive1.7 km
Turn left onto A6.
A623 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dale Road/B5059.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road781 m
Turn left onto A515/London Road. Continue on A515.
A515788 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A515.
A515570 m
Turn left onto Mosley Road.
Mosley Road82 m
Turn right onto Compton Road.
Compton Road219 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane100 m
Move left onto A515/High Street.
A515101 m
Turn left onto Bath Road.
Bath Road309 m
Turn left onto West Road/B5059.
West Road315 m
Turn left onto A515/High Street.
A515223 m
Turn left onto Chapel Street.
Chapel Street50 m
Turn left onto Torr Street.
Torr Street130 m
Turn right onto Bath Road.
Bath Road247 m
Turn right onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road15 m
Turn left onto College Road.
College Road39 m
Turn right onto Temple Road.
Temple Road446 m
Turn left to stay on Temple Road.
Temple Road90 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane63 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 17 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.
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 3.4 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, 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.
Buxton Infant School
Start near Buxton Infant School.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Continue to Church of St Mary the Virgin.
High Stakes
Continue to High Stakes.
Old Sun Inn
Continue to Old Sun Inn.
Cavendish Avenue
Continue to Cavendish Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
A Block
Continue to A Block.
F Block
Continue to F Block.
Christ Church Burbage
Continue to Christ Church Burbage.
Marriott Auto Services
Continue to Marriott Auto Services.
Parks Inn
Continue to Parks Inn.
St James
Continue to St James.
Trent Avenue
Continue to Trent Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Harpur Hill Road
Continue to Harpur Hill Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Blazing Rag
Continue to Blazing Rag.
Buxton Community Church
Continue to Buxton Community Church.
Buxton Hospital & Corbar Birth Centre
Continue to Buxton Hospital & Corbar Birth Centre.
St Anne
Continue to St Anne.
Swan
Continue to Swan.
Buxton Methodist Church
Continue to Buxton Methodist Church.
E Block
Finish back near E Block, completing the loop.
23 turns
28 turns
20 turns
19 turns
This route is 19.4 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Buxton test centre, not an official DVSA route.