Near Canterbury test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 13 turns and 1 signalled junction across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 55.6 km practice route near Canterbury 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 Longport, Gate Roundabout and New Dover 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, 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 churches, stations, schools and pubs, 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 Canterbury 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 71-step drive on real, named roads (about 55.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
19 m
Turn left onto New Dover Road/A2050.
New Dover Road816 m
Turn left to stay on New Dover Road.
New Dover Road21 m
Turn left to stay on New Dover Road.
New Dover Road127 m
Turn right onto New Dover Road/A2050. Continue on A2050.
A20501.1 km
Enter St George's Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A28/Upper Bridge Street.
St George's Roundabout8 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Upper Bridge Street.
A28213 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A28/Rhodaus Town.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Rhodaus Town. Continue on A28.
A28477 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A28/Wincheap.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Wincheap.
A28259 m
Turn right onto Wincheap Court.
Wincheap Court20 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Wincheap Court.
Wincheap Court20 m
Turn right onto A28/Wincheap. Continue on A28.
A281.4 km
Turn left onto Stranger's Lane.
Stranger's Lane142 m
Turn left onto Stranger's Close.
Stranger's Close89 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Stranger's Close.
Stranger's Close89 m
Turn left onto Stranger's Lane.
Stranger's Lane328 m
Move left onto Cockering Road.
Cockering Road270 m
Turn left onto Godwin Road.
Godwin Road171 m
Turn right onto Alfred Road.
Alfred Road77 m
Turn right onto St. Nicholas Road.
St. Nicholas Road145 m
Turn right onto Cockering Road.
Cockering Road76 m
Turn right onto Godwin Road.
Godwin Road65 m
Turn left onto Athelstan Road.
Athelstan Road186 m
Turn right to stay on Athelstan Road.
Athelstan Road3 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Athelstan Road.
Athelstan Road3 m
Turn left to stay on Athelstan Road.
Athelstan Road186 m
Turn left onto Godwin Road.
Godwin Road105 m
Turn right onto Alfred Road.
Alfred Road77 m
Turn right onto St. Nicholas Road.
St. Nicholas Road145 m
Turn right onto Cockering Road.
Cockering Road76 m
Turn right onto Godwin Road.
Godwin Road171 m
Turn right onto Alfred Road.
Alfred Road77 m
Turn left onto St. Nicholas Road.
St. Nicholas Road118 m
Turn left onto A28/Thanington Road. Continue on A28.
A28458 m
Turn right onto Tonford Lane.
Tonford Lane135 m
Turn right onto Grays Way.
Grays Way298 m
Turn left onto A28/Thanington Road.
A28445 m
Turn left to take the A2 ramp.
A25.6 km
Take the Dunkirk exit.
527 m
Move right.
299 m
Turn right onto London Road.
London Road612 m
Move right onto A2.
A210.4 km
Take the exit towards bridge/bekesbourne/patrixbourne.
298 m
Turn left onto Bifrons Hill.
Bifrons Hill978 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road736 m
Turn left onto Bekesbourne Hill.
Bekesbourne Hill2.9 km
Move left onto Littlebourne Road/A257. Continue on A257.
A2571.7 km
Enter Longport and take the 1st exit onto Lower Chantry Lane/A257.
Longport6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Chantry Lane/A257.
Lower Chantry Lane229 m
Turn right onto St. George's Place/A2050.
St. George's Place230 m
Enter St George's Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A28/Upper Bridge Street.
St George's Roundabout8 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Upper Bridge Street.
A28213 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A28/Rhodaus Town.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Rhodaus Town. Continue on A28.
A28477 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A28/Wincheap.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Wincheap. Continue on A28.
A281.2 km
Move right onto A2.
A220 m
Turn right to take the A2 ramp.
A25.6 km
Take the Dunkirk exit.
527 m
Move right.
299 m
Turn right onto London Road.
London Road612 m
Move right onto A2.
A210.4 km
Take the exit towards bridge/bekesbourne/patrixbourne.
298 m
Turn right onto Bekesbourne Road.
Bekesbourne Road468 m
Turn right onto Dover Road.
Dover Road1.6 km
Move left onto Dover Road/A2050.
Dover Road32 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto New Dover Road/A2050.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto New Dover Road/A2050.
New Dover Road878 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Canterbury · 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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Gate Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 37.0 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, 60, 70 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.
Canterbury Baptist Church
Start near Canterbury Baptist Church.
Canterbury Bus Station
Continue to Canterbury Bus Station.
Canterbury Christ Church University
Continue to Canterbury Christ Church University.
Stafford House School of English
Continue to Stafford House School of English.
St. Nicholas
Continue to St. Nicholas.
University of the Creative Arts
Continue to University of the Creative Arts.
Worthgate School
Continue to Worthgate School.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses.
Barton Court Grammar School
Continue to Barton Court Grammar School.
Canterbury CIty Centre Coach Station
Continue to Canterbury CIty Centre Coach Station.
Language UK
Continue to Language UK.
Longport
Continue to Longport, taking the junction with good observation.
New Far East
Continue to New Far East.
Old Sessions House (OS)
Continue to Old Sessions House (OS).
St Martins Hill
Continue to St Martins Hill.
Gate Roundabout
Continue to Gate Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
New Dover Road
Continue to New Dover Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Old Gate Inn
Finish back near Old Gate Inn, completing the loop.
9 roundabouts · 9 turns · 2 sets of lights
11 roundabouts · 9 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 55.6 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Canterbury test centre, not an official DVSA route.