Near Buxton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 25 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 32.5 km practice route near Buxton test centre, taking roughly 35 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 Buxton 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, 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 78-step drive on real, named roads (about 32.5 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 Road349 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane527 m
Turn right onto Temple Road.
Temple Road90 m
Turn right to stay on Temple Road.
Temple Road336 m
Turn left onto Ecclesbourne Drive.
Ecclesbourne Drive473 m
Turn right onto Milldale Avenue.
Milldale Avenue107 m
Turn right onto Hargate Road.
Hargate Road211 m
Turn right onto Dovedale Crescent.
Dovedale Crescent164 m
Turn left onto Ecclesbourne Drive.
Ecclesbourne Drive323 m
Turn right onto Temple Road.
Temple Road336 m
Move right onto Milldale Avenue.
Milldale Avenue30 m
Turn right onto Errwood Avenue.
Errwood Avenue291 m
Turn right onto Ecclesbourne Drive.
Ecclesbourne Drive131 m
Turn left onto Temple Road.
Temple Road109 m
Turn left onto College Road.
College Road39 m
Turn right onto Macclesfield Road/B5059.
Macclesfield Road15 m
Turn left onto Bath Road.
Bath Road247 m
Turn left onto Torr Street.
Torr Street22 m
Turn left onto St James Street.
St James Street72 m
Turn right onto Saint. James Terrace.
Saint. James Terrace140 m
Turn left onto Fountain Street.
Fountain Street25 m
Turn right onto Hartington Road.
Hartington Road267 m
Turn left onto The Square.
The Square98 m
Move left onto Water Street.
Water Street10 m
Turn right to stay on Water Street.
Water Street86 m
Turn left onto A53/St John's Road.
A5311 m
Move right onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road763 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 left onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road110 m
Turn right onto Marlborough Road.
Marlborough Road340 m
Turn right onto Corbar Road.
Corbar Road459 m
Turn right onto Lightwood Road.
Lightwood Road289 m
Turn right onto Lansdowne Road.
Lansdowne Road331 m
Turn left onto Lascelles Road.
Lascelles Road206 m
Turn right onto Palace Road.
Palace Road123 m
Turn right onto A53/Station Road.
A5368 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.
A53116 m
Move right onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road362 m
Turn right onto Devonshire Road.
Devonshire Road406 m
Turn left onto A53/St John's Road.
A5314 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A53/Station Road.
81 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.
A62.5 km
Turn left.
342 m
Turn left onto Batham Gate Road.
Batham Gate Road851 m
Turn right onto Longridge Lane.
Longridge Lane1.3 km
Turn right onto Waterswallows Road.
Waterswallows Road2.7 km
Turn left onto A6/Fairfield Road.
A6735 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.
A6913 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 Road389 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 7 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 13.5 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.
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.
Buxton Community Church
Continue to Buxton Community Church.
F Block
Continue to F Block.
Buxton Methodist Church
Continue to Buxton Methodist Church.
Old Clubhouse
Continue to Old Clubhouse.
Old Courthouse
Continue to Old Courthouse.
Red Willow
Continue to Red Willow.
San Pedro
Continue to San Pedro.
Buxton
Continue to Buxton.
Buxton Tap House
Continue to Buxton Tap House.
University of Derby, Buxton
Continue to University of Derby, Buxton.
Bulls Head
Continue to Bulls Head.
Railway
Continue to Railway.
Buxton Road
Continue to Buxton Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Hazelcroft Garage
Continue to Hazelcroft Garage.
Wheatsheaf
Continue to Wheatsheaf.
Dove Holes C of E Primary School
Continue to Dove Holes C of E Primary School.
St Paul
Continue to St Paul.
Nineteenth Hole
Continue to Nineteenth Hole.
Ashwood Park
Finish back near Ashwood Park, completing the loop.
23 turns
28 turns
20 turns
19 turns
This route is 32.5 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Buxton test centre, not an official DVSA route.