Near Chadderton test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 23 turns across 40 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.1 km practice loop near Chadderton test centre, taking roughly 22 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 West Street. 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 independent driving 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 pubs, churches, shops 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 Chadderton 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:
The full 40-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
41 m
Turn left.
52 m
Turn left onto Broadgate.
Broadgate958 m
Move left onto Grimshaw Lane/B6189.
Grimshaw Lane253 m
Turn left onto Greengate/B6393.
Greengate302 m
Turn right onto Mainway East.
Mainway East391 m
Turn left onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road566 m
Turn right onto Mainway East.
Mainway East391 m
Turn left onto Greengate/B6393.
Greengate476 m
Keep left to take Joshua Lane.
Joshua Lane113 m
Turn right to stay on Joshua Lane.
Joshua Lane105 m
Move right onto Mills Hill Road.
Mills Hill Road807 m
Turn right onto Middleton Road/A669.
Middleton Road3.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto King Street.
93 m
Exit the roundabout onto King Street.
King Street43 m
Turn right onto Manchester Street/A627.
Manchester Street79 m
Keep left to stay on Manchester Street/A627.
Manchester Street
Keep left to stay on Manchester Street/A627.
Manchester Street169 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Manchester Street/A627.
232 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manchester Street/A627.
Manchester Street269 m
Move left onto King Street.
King Street29 m
Enter St Domingo Street and take the 1st exit onto St Domingo Street/A669.
St Domingo Street28 m
Exit the roundabout onto St Domingo Street/A669. Continue on A669.
A6692.5 km
Turn right.
26 m
Turn left.
13 m
Turn right onto Middleton Road/A669.
Middleton Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Baytree Lane.
Baytree Lane393 m
Turn right onto Fern Close.
Fern Close40 m
Turn right to stay on Fern Close.
Fern Close43 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fern Close.
Fern Close43 m
Turn left to stay on Fern Close.
Fern Close40 m
Turn right onto Baytree Lane.
Baytree Lane244 m
Turn right onto Mills Hill Road.
Mills Hill Road221 m
Move left onto Joshua Lane.
Joshua Lane105 m
Turn left to stay on Joshua Lane.
Joshua Lane288 m
Turn left onto Grimshaw Lane/B6189.
Grimshaw Lane252 m
Move right onto Broadgate.
Broadgate957 m
Turn right.
52 m
Turn right.
41 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chadderton · Residential + A-road practice loop 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.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Radclyfe Arms
Start near Radclyfe Arms.
Minders Arms
Continue to Minders Arms.
Mills Hill Baptist Church
Continue to Mills Hill Baptist Church.
Muse
Continue to Muse.
Chadderton Convenience Store
Continue to Chadderton Convenience Store.
Hunt Lane Chippy
Continue to Hunt Lane Chippy.
Baytree Flowers & Coffeehouse
Continue to Baytree Flowers & Coffeehouse.
Sun Mill Inn
Continue to Sun Mill Inn.
Springfield Service Station
Continue to Springfield Service Station.
Firwood Church
Continue to Firwood Church.
Westwood
Continue to Westwood.
Campus Central
Continue to Campus Central.
West Street
Continue to West Street, taking the junction with good observation.
Auto Centre
Continue to Auto Centre.
Bargain Bazaar
Continue to Bargain Bazaar.
Card Factory
Continue to Card Factory.
Hunt Lane Tavern
Continue to Hunt Lane Tavern.
Tom's Motors
Continue to Tom's Motors.
Solace
Continue to Solace.
Mills Hill
Finish back near Mills Hill, completing the loop.
14 roundabouts · 24 turns
20 roundabouts · 9 turns
4 roundabouts · 25 turns
9 roundabouts · 8 turns
This route is 15.1 km and takes about 22 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chadderton test centre, not an official DVSA route.