Near Buxton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 18 turns and 1 signalled junction across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 33.3 km practice route near Buxton test centre, taking roughly 25 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 churches, shops, 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 88-step drive on real, named roads (about 33.3 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 Road781 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A6/Bakewell Road.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Bakewell Road.
A6637 m
Turn right onto A6/Fairfield Road.
A6500 m
Turn right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road211 m
Turn right onto Bench Road.
Bench Road358 m
Turn right onto Lathkil Grove.
Lathkil Grove144 m
Turn right onto Victoria Park Road.
Victoria Park Road116 m
Turn right onto Milnbank Avenue.
Milnbank Avenue261 m
Turn right onto Glebe Road.
Glebe Road131 m
Turn left onto Bench Road.
Bench Road145 m
Turn left onto Queens Road.
Queens Road210 m
Turn left onto A6/Fairfield Road.
A6500 m
Move right onto A53/Spring Gardens.
A5379 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A53/Bridge Street.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Bridge Street.
A53100 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.
A53116 m
Move right onto Manchester Road/A5004.
Manchester Road90 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road132 m
Turn right to stay on Park Road.
Park Road614 m
Turn right to stay on Park Road.
Park Road164 m
Turn left onto A53/St John's Road.
A53594 m
Turn right to stay on 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.
A6500 m
Turn right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road48 m
Turn right onto Windsor Road.
Windsor Road546 m
Turn right onto Granby Road.
Granby Road680 m
Turn left onto Chatsworth Road.
Chatsworth Road83 m
Turn left onto Elizabeth Avenue.
Elizabeth Avenue215 m
Turn left onto Victoria Park Road.
Victoria Park Road85 m
Turn right onto Bench Road.
Bench Road498 m
Turn left onto Queens Road.
Queens Road163 m
Turn left onto Windsor Road.
Windsor Road87 m
Turn left onto Windsor Park Road.
Windsor Park Road54 m
Turn left to stay on Windsor Park Road.
Windsor Park Road112 m
Turn right onto Queens Road.
Queens Road90 m
Move left onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road93 m
Turn left onto Dakin Avenue.
Dakin Avenue194 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
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. Continue on A6.
A6913 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A6/Buxton Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Buxton Road.
A61.6 km
Turn right onto Batham Gate Road.
Batham Gate Road2.1 km
Turn left onto Dale Road.
Dale Road2.1 km
Turn right onto A6/Hallsteads.
A6581 m
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
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 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 1st exit onto A53/Bridge Street.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Bridge Street.
A53100 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 1st exit onto A515/The Quadrant.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto A515/The Quadrant. Continue on A515.
A515824 m
Move right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane916 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buxton · Route 9 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.
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 17.5 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.
Buxton Community Church
Start near Buxton Community Church.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Continue to Church of St Mary the Virgin.
Active Sport Bike Shop
Continue to Active Sport Bike Shop.
Beer and Bean
Continue to Beer and Bean.
Buxton
Continue to Buxton.
Parish Church of St John the Baptist
Continue to Parish Church of St John the Baptist.
Ramsay's Bar
Continue to Ramsay's Bar.
Buxton Railworks
Continue to Buxton Railworks.
Fairfield Plaice
Continue to Fairfield Plaice.
Nineteenth Hole
Continue to Nineteenth Hole.
Buxton Road
Continue to Buxton Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Bulls Head
Continue to Bulls Head.
Queens
Continue to Queens.
Dove Holes C of E Primary School
Continue to Dove Holes C of E Primary School.
St Paul
Continue to St Paul.
Trinity Church
Continue to Trinity Church.
Saint Anne's Catholic Church
Continue to Saint Anne's Catholic Church.
St Anne
Continue to St Anne.
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 33.3 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Buxton test centre, not an official DVSA route.