Near Buxton test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 28 turns across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.5 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. 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, 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 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 83-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.7 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 Road79 m
Keep right to stay on Peveril Road.
Peveril Road82 m
Turn left onto Clifton Road.
Clifton Road130 m
Turn left onto Hardwick Square South.
Hardwick Square South144 m
Turn left onto Darwin Avenue.
Darwin Avenue203 m
Turn right onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road72 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road142 m
Turn right onto South Avenue.
South Avenue98 m
Turn left onto Hardwick Square South.
Hardwick Square South186 m
Turn left onto Market Street.
Market Street47 m
Keep left to stay on Market Street.
Market Street207 m
Turn right onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road185 m
Turn right 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 Lane614 m
Turn left onto Robertson Road.
Robertson Road238 m
Turn right onto Spencer Road.
Spencer Road214 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane266 m
Turn right onto Robertson Road.
Robertson Road238 m
Turn right onto Spencer Road.
Spencer Road312 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 left onto A515/London Road.
A51519 m
Keep right to stay on A515.
A515435 m
Turn left onto Chapel Street.
Chapel Street37 m
Keep left to stay on Chapel Street.
Chapel Street12 m
Turn left onto Torr Street.
Torr Street130 m
Turn left onto Bath Road.
Bath Road62 m
Turn right onto A515/High Street. Continue on A515.
A515320 m
Keep left to stay on A515.
A5151.9 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
Turn left onto Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road288 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.
A53284 m
Move right onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road45 m
Keep right to stay on Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road1.1 km
Turn right onto College Road.
College Road39 m
Turn right onto Temple Road.
Temple Road256 m
Keep left to stay on Temple Road.
Temple Road189 m
Move right onto Milldale Avenue.
Milldale Avenue142 m
Keep right to stay on Milldale Avenue.
Milldale Avenue304 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cavendish Avenue.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cavendish Avenue.
Cavendish Avenue49 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Cavendish Avenue.
92 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cavendish Avenue.
Cavendish Avenue49 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Milldale Avenue.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Milldale Avenue.
Milldale Avenue447 m
Move left onto Temple Road.
Temple Road445 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 left onto A515/High Street.
A515122 m
Turn left onto Chapel Street.
Chapel Street37 m
Keep left to stay on Chapel Street.
Chapel Street12 m
Turn left onto Torr Street.
Torr Street130 m
Turn right onto Bath Road.
Bath Road247 m
Turn left onto West Road/B5059.
West Road315 m
Make a sharp right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane100 m
Turn right onto Spencer Road.
Spencer Road294 m
Turn left onto College Road.
College Road282 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane457 m
Keep left to stay on Green Lane.
Green Lane6 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 19 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 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 (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.
Buxton Infant School
Start near Buxton Infant School.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Continue to Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Buxton Market
Continue to Buxton Market.
Buxton Methodist Church
Continue to Buxton Methodist Church.
Vault
Continue to Vault.
E Block
Continue to E Block.
F Block
Continue to F Block.
Buxton Community Church
Continue to Buxton Community Church.
St Anne
Continue to St Anne.
Swan
Continue to Swan.
Blazing Rag
Continue to Blazing Rag.
Pets Corner
Continue to Pets Corner.
Harpur Stores
Continue to Harpur Stores.
Parks Inn
Continue to Parks Inn.
St James
Continue to St James.
Christ Church Burbage
Continue to Christ Church Burbage.
Cavendish Avenue
Continue to Cavendish Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Buxton Health Centre
Continue to Buxton Health Centre.
London Road
Continue to London Road.
A Block
Finish back near A Block, completing the loop.
23 turns
28 turns
20 turns
19 turns
This route is 20.5 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.