Near Buxton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 28 turns across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 50.5 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 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 dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 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 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 60-step drive on real, named roads (about 49.3 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 Lane1.5 km
Turn left onto Holmfield.
Holmfield239 m
Turn right onto A53/Leek Road. Continue on A53.
A531.0 km
Turn left onto Carlisle Road.
Carlisle Road543 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road54 m
Turn right onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road764 m
Turn right onto A53/St John's Road.
A53673 m
Turn right onto Carlisle Road.
Carlisle Road194 m
Turn left onto Watford Road.
Watford Road358 m
Turn right.
10 m
Turn right.
9 m
Turn right.
10 m
Turn left onto Watford Road.
Watford Road350 m
Turn left onto Carlisle Road.
Carlisle Road349 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road54 m
Turn right onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road722 m
Move right to stay on A5004.
A500453 m
Turn right onto A53/St John's Road.
A531.4 km
Turn left.
29 m
Turn left onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Bath Road.
Bath Road309 m
Turn left onto A515/High Street.
A515258 m
Turn right onto Market Street.
Market Street276 m
Turn left onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road189 m
Turn left onto Darwin Avenue.
Darwin Avenue203 m
Turn left onto Hardwick Square South.
Hardwick Square South202 m
Turn left onto Market Street.
Market Street68 m
Turn left onto South Avenue.
South Avenue122 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road142 m
Turn left onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road122 m
Turn right onto Crowestones.
Crowestones267 m
Turn right onto Byron Street.
Byron Street57 m
Turn left onto Kents Bank Road.
Kents Bank Road164 m
Turn right onto Heath Grove.
Heath Grove158 m
Turn right onto A515/London Road.
A515236 m
Turn right onto Byron Street.
Byron Street216 m
Turn left onto Bennett Street.
Bennett Street226 m
Turn left onto Dale Road/B5059.
Dale Road284 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 left onto Bath Road.
Bath Road62 m
Turn right onto A515/High Street. Continue on A515.
A5154.5 km
Turn right.
2.2 km
Move right onto Buxton Road/B5053. Continue on B5053.
B505310.0 km
Turn right onto Leek Road.
Leek Road186 m
Turn left onto Quarter Lane.
Quarter Lane197 m
Turn left onto Onecote Road/B5053.
B505312.4 km
Turn left onto Brierlow Lane.
Brierlow Lane2.7 km
Move right onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road901 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Harpur Hill Road.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harpur Hill Road.
Harpur Hill Road295 m
Turn left onto A515/Ashbourne Road. Continue on A515.
A515560 m
Turn left onto Mosley Road.
Mosley Road216 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 5 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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 6.2 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, 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.
A Block
Start near A Block.
E Block
Continue to E Block.
Poole's Cavern
Continue to Poole's Cavern.
Christ Church Burbage
Continue to Christ Church Burbage.
Old Clubhouse
Continue to Old Clubhouse.
Parish Church of St John the Baptist
Continue to Parish Church of St John the Baptist.
Burbage Village Stores
Continue to Burbage Village Stores.
Buxton Infant School
Continue to Buxton Infant School.
St Anne
Continue to St Anne.
Blazing Rag
Continue to Blazing Rag.
Buxton Food Spot
Continue to Buxton Food Spot.
Buxton Community Church
Continue to Buxton Community Church.
Buxton Methodist Church
Continue to Buxton Methodist Church.
Pets Corner
Continue to Pets Corner.
General Store
Continue to General Store.
Leslie Johnson Activities Centre
Continue to Leslie Johnson Activities Centre.
Longnor Community Fire Station
Continue to Longnor Community Fire Station.
Parks Inn
Continue to Parks Inn.
St James
Continue to St James.
Harpur Hill Road
Finish back near Harpur Hill Road, completing the loop.
23 turns
20 turns
19 turns
27 turns
This route is 50.5 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.