Near Buxton test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 28 turns across 37 navigation steps.
This is an independent 26.4 km practice route near Buxton test centre, taking roughly 45 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, 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 churches, schools, 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 84-step drive on real, named roads (about 26.3 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
Make a sharp right onto A515/London Road.
A515355 m
Turn left onto Heath Grove.
Heath Grove298 m
Turn right onto Sherwood Road.
Sherwood Road156 m
Turn right onto Aldwark Road.
Aldwark Road193 m
Turn right onto Sherwood Road.
Sherwood Road637 m
Turn left onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road45 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 Street68 m
Turn left onto South Avenue.
South Avenue219 m
Turn left onto Hardwick Square South.
Hardwick Square South186 m
Turn right onto Market Street.
Market Street21 m
Turn left onto A515/High Street.
A515258 m
Turn right onto Bath Road.
Bath Road309 m
Turn right onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Duke Street.
Duke Street103 m
Move left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane1.1 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.
A531.2 km
Make a sharp left onto Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road35 m
Turn left to stay on Grin Low Road.
Grin Low Road25 m
Turn right onto A53/Leek Road. Continue on A53.
A532.6 km
Turn left onto A5004.
A5004775 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road284 m
Turn right to stay on Park Road.
Park Road615 m
Turn right to stay on Park Road.
Park Road132 m
Turn left onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road673 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road284 m
Turn left to stay on Park Road.
Park Road328 m
Turn left to stay on Park Road.
Park Road132 m
Turn right onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road91 m
Move left onto A53/St John's Road.
A53115 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A53/Station Road.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Station Road.
A53412 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A53/Bridge Street.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Bridge Street.
A5353 m
Turn left to stay on Bridge Street.
Bridge Street21 m
Turn left to stay on Bridge Street.
Bridge Street14 m
Turn left to stay on Bridge Street.
Bridge Street24 m
Turn right.
9 m
Make a right U-turn.
9 m
Turn left onto Bridge Street.
Bridge Street24 m
Turn right to stay on Bridge Street.
Bridge Street14 m
Turn right to stay on Bridge Street.
Bridge Street21 m
Turn left onto A53/Bridge Street.
A5346 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A53/Spring Gardens.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Spring Gardens.
A5379 m
Turn right onto A6/Bakewell Road.
A6637 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dale Road/B5059.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road272 m
Turn right onto Peveril Road.
Peveril Road162 m
Turn left onto Clifton Road.
Clifton Road130 m
Turn right onto Hardwick Square South.
Hardwick Square South19 m
Turn left onto Holker Road.
Holker Road257 m
Turn left.
36 m
Make a right U-turn.
36 m
Turn left onto Holker Road.
Holker Road25 m
Turn right onto Spring Gardens.
Spring Gardens86 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A53/Spring Gardens.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Spring Gardens.
A5379 m
Turn right onto A6/Bakewell Road.
A6637 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dale Road/B5059.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road781 m
Turn left onto A515/London Road. Continue on A515.
A515815 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.
A5151.8 km
Turn left onto Staden Lane.
Staden Lane310 m
Turn left.
37 m
Turn right.
8 m
Turn left.
27 m
Make a sharp left.
59 m
Turn right onto Staden Lane.
Staden Lane310 m
Turn right onto A515/Buxton Road. Continue on A515.
A5151.5 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 2 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.
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 10.8 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 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 Community Church
Start near Buxton Community Church.
Buxton Infant School
Continue to Buxton Infant School.
declare
Continue to declare.
St Anne
Continue to St Anne.
Burbage Village Stores
Continue to Burbage Village Stores.
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.
Ramsay's Bar
Continue to Ramsay's Bar.
Parish Church of St John the Baptist
Continue to Parish Church of St John the Baptist.
Buxton Tap House
Continue to Buxton Tap House.
Buxton
Continue to Buxton.
Railway
Continue to Railway.
Trinity Church
Continue to Trinity Church.
Lighthouse Charity Shop
Continue to Lighthouse Charity Shop.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Continue to Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Buxton Hospital & Corbar Birth Centre
Continue to Buxton Hospital & Corbar Birth Centre.
Pets Corner
Continue to Pets Corner.
Buxton Fire and Rescue Centre
Finish back near Buxton Fire and Rescue Centre, completing the loop.
23 turns
28 turns
20 turns
19 turns
This route is 26.4 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Buxton test centre, not an official DVSA route.