Near Buxton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 27 turns across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.7 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, 20 mph zones, 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 stations, 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 73-step drive on real, named roads (about 33.5 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 Lane922 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 Lane880 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 Lane880 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 Road349 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane452 m
Move left onto A515/High Street.
A515101 m
Turn left onto Bath Road.
Bath Road275 m
Turn right onto Burlington Road.
Burlington Road495 m
Turn left onto A53/St John's Road.
A531.0 km
Turn left.
29 m
Turn right onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road91 m
Make a sharp right onto A53/St John's Road.
A531.5 km
Turn left onto A5004.
A5004373 m
Turn right onto Devonshire Road.
Devonshire Road11 m
Turn left onto Corbar Road.
Corbar Road605 m
Turn right onto Lightwood Road.
Lightwood Road296 m
Turn left onto Brown Edge Road.
Brown Edge Road443 m
Turn right onto Brown Edge Close.
Brown Edge Close52 m
Turn left to stay on Brown Edge Close.
Brown Edge Close16 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Brown Edge Close.
Brown Edge Close16 m
Turn right to stay on Brown Edge Close.
Brown Edge Close52 m
Turn left onto Brown Edge Road.
Brown Edge Road442 m
Turn right onto Lightwood Road.
Lightwood Road296 m
Turn left onto Corbar Road.
Corbar Road605 m
Turn right onto Devonshire Road.
Devonshire Road11 m
Turn left onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road361 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.
A53100 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A53/Spring Gardens.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Spring Gardens.
A5379 m
Move left onto A6/Fairfield Road. Continue on A6.
A6913 m
Enter Buxton Road and take the 1st exit onto A6/Buxton Road.
Buxton Road32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Buxton Road. Continue on A6.
A64.4 km
Turn right onto The Meadows.
The Meadows18 m
Turn left onto Hallsteads.
Hallsteads124 m
Turn left onto Beelow Close.
Beelow Close16 m
Turn left onto A6/Hallsteads. Continue on A6.
A64.5 km
Enter Buxton Road and take the 1st exit onto A6/Buxton Road.
Buxton Road30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Buxton Road. Continue on A6.
A6913 m
Move right 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
Move left onto A6/Fairfield Road.
A6735 m
Turn right onto Waterswallows Road.
Waterswallows Road1.8 km
Turn left onto Waterswallows Lane.
Waterswallows Lane916 m
Turn left onto Batham Gate Road.
Batham Gate Road228 m
Turn left onto A6/Buxton Road.
A61.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A6/Buxton Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Buxton Road. Continue on A6.
A6179 m
Turn left onto Waterswallows Road.
Waterswallows Road78 m
Turn right onto Cross Street.
Cross Street185 m
Turn right onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road158 m
Move right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road210 m
Turn left onto A6/Fairfield Road.
A6500 m
Turn left 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.
A515232 m
Turn right onto Mosley Road.
Mosley Road216 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 21 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.
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 18.4 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 (20, 30, 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.
E Block
Start near E Block.
F Block
Continue to F Block.
St Anne
Continue to St Anne.
Swan
Continue to Swan.
Ramsay's Bar
Continue to Ramsay's Bar.
Christ Church Burbage
Continue to Christ Church Burbage.
Buxton Swimming and Fitness Centre
Continue to Buxton Swimming and Fitness Centre.
Old Clubhouse
Continue to Old Clubhouse.
Parish Church of St John the Baptist
Continue to Parish Church of St John the Baptist.
Buxton
Continue to Buxton.
San Pedro
Continue to San Pedro.
Wye Bridge House
Continue to Wye Bridge House.
Hazelcroft Garage
Continue to Hazelcroft Garage.
Dove Holes C of E Primary School
Continue to Dove Holes C of E Primary School.
St Paul
Continue to St Paul.
Queens
Continue to Queens.
Nineteenth Hole
Continue to Nineteenth Hole.
Ashwood Park
Continue to Ashwood Park.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Continue to Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Buxton Community Church
Finish back near Buxton Community Church, completing the loop.
23 turns
28 turns
20 turns
19 turns
This route is 34.7 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.