Near Buxton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 21 turns across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.3 km practice loop near Buxton test centre, taking roughly 30 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 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, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving 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, pubs, named junctions and shops, 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 80-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.3 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
Turn right onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road425 m
Turn right onto Crowestones.
Crowestones267 m
Turn right onto Byron Street.
Byron Street330 m
Turn right onto A515/London Road. Continue on A515.
A515342 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 take A515/London Road.
A515567 m
Turn right onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road306 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 Avenue131 m
Turn right onto Tedder Avenue.
Tedder Avenue219 m
Turn left onto Burlow Avenue.
Burlow Avenue131 m
Turn left onto Burlow Road.
Burlow Road560 m
Keep straight to stay on Burlow Road.
Burlow Road197 m
Turn left onto Heathfield Nook Road.
Heathfield Nook Road631 m
Turn left onto A515/Buxton Road.
A515688 m
Keep left to stay on A515/Buxton Road.
A5151.2 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on A515.
A515948 m
Turn left onto Staden Lane.
Staden Lane741 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. Continue on A515.
A515983 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A515/Ashbourne Road.
A51537 m
Move left onto Duke's Drive.
Duke's Drive1.6 km
Turn right to stay on Duke's Drive.
Duke's Drive21 m
Turn left onto A6.
A623 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6/Bakewell Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Bakewell Road.
A630 m
Keep left to stay on A6/Bakewell Road.
A6606 m
Turn left onto A53/Spring Gardens.
A5379 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A53/Spring Gardens.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Spring Gardens.
A5379 m
Turn right onto A6/Bakewell Road.
A6386 m
Keep left to stay on A6/Bakewell Road.
A6250 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 Road65 m
Keep left to stay on Peveril Road.
Peveril Road96 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 Road256 m
Turn left.
20 m
Turn right.
22 m
Make a right U-turn.
43 m
Turn left onto Holker Road.
Holker Road25 m
Turn right onto Spring Gardens.
Spring Gardens57 m
Turn left onto Bridge Street.
Bridge Street44 m
Turn left onto A53/Bridge Street.
A5360 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A53/Station Road.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Station Road.
A53412 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A53/St John's Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/St John's Road.
A5388 m
Keep left to stay on A53/St John's Road.
A5316 m
Turn left onto Water Street.
Water Street86 m
Turn left to stay on Water Street.
Water Street10 m
Move right onto The Square.
The Square97 m
Move right onto Hall Bank.
Hall Bank239 m
Turn left.
14 m
Turn right onto A515/High Street.
A515294 m
Turn right onto West Road/B5059. Continue on B5059.
B5059330 m
Turn left onto College Road.
College Road387 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane458 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 Road170 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 20 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.
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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 7.7 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.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Start near Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Buxton Community Church
Continue to Buxton Community Church.
Buxton Methodist Church
Continue to Buxton Methodist Church.
Blazing Rag
Continue to Blazing Rag.
Harpur Hill Road
Continue to Harpur Hill Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Parks Inn
Continue to Parks Inn.
St James
Continue to St James.
Harpurs Plaice
Continue to Harpurs Plaice.
Harpur Stores
Continue to Harpur Stores.
Pets Corner
Continue to Pets Corner.
Buxton Fire and Rescue Centre
Continue to Buxton Fire and Rescue Centre.
Active Sport Bike Shop
Continue to Active Sport Bike Shop.
Ashwood Park
Continue to Ashwood Park.
Trinity Church
Continue to Trinity Church.
Buxton
Continue to Buxton.
Old Courthouse
Continue to Old Courthouse.
MYST
Continue to MYST.
Old Clubhouse
Continue to Old Clubhouse.
A Block
Continue to A Block.
F Block
Finish back near F Block, completing the loop.
23 turns
28 turns
20 turns
19 turns
This route is 19.3 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Buxton test centre, not an official DVSA route.