Near Chadderton test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 25 turns across 29 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 Greengate Roundabout. 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 roundabout approach & exit, 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, shops, named junctions 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 29-step drive on real, named roads (about 12.2 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 right onto Lees Street.
Lees Street288 m
Turn right onto Joshua Lane.
Joshua Lane105 m
Move right onto Mills Hill Road.
Mills Hill Road308 m
Turn right onto Laurel Avenue.
Laurel Avenue287 m
Turn right onto Firwood Park.
Firwood Park199 m
Turn right onto Redwood.
Redwood504 m
Turn left onto Ferndown Avenue.
Ferndown Avenue86 m
Turn left to stay on Ferndown Avenue.
Ferndown Avenue7 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Ferndown Avenue.
Ferndown Avenue7 m
Turn right to stay on Ferndown Avenue.
Ferndown Avenue86 m
Turn right onto Redwood.
Redwood504 m
Turn left onto Firwood Park.
Firwood Park199 m
Turn left onto Laurel Avenue.
Laurel Avenue287 m
Turn left onto Mills Hill Road.
Mills Hill Road308 m
Move left onto Joshua Lane.
Joshua Lane105 m
Turn left to stay on Joshua Lane.
Joshua Lane2.1 km
Enter Greengate Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hollinwood Avenue.
Greengate Roundabout42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hollinwood Avenue.
Hollinwood Avenue1.1 km
Make a right U-turn at Scholes Drive onto Hollinwood Avenue/A6104.
Hollinwood Avenue1.1 km
Enter Greengate Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Greengate/B6393.
Greengate Roundabout103 m
Exit the roundabout onto Greengate/B6393.
Greengate1.8 km
Turn left onto Grimshaw Lane/B6189.
Grimshaw Lane847 m
Turn right onto Sandy Lane.
Sandy Lane337 m
Turn left onto Kenyon Lane.
Kenyon Lane270 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chadderton · Residential 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.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Greengate Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
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.
Chi Yip group plc
Continue to Chi Yip group plc.
Greengate Roundabout
Continue to Greengate Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Blackwood
Continue to Blackwood.
Glitter & Beauty
Continue to Glitter & Beauty.
Go Local
Continue to Go Local.
Phillips
Continue to Phillips.
Se.rene
Continue to Se.rene.
Village Cobbler
Continue to Village Cobbler.
Aquaria
Continue to Aquaria.
Moston
Continue to Moston.
Prime Pizza
Continue to Prime Pizza.
Raj Cuisine
Continue to Raj Cuisine.
Sewing Space
Continue to Sewing Space.
Butterfield Bicycles
Continue to Butterfield Bicycles.
Gardeners Arms Hotel
Continue to Gardeners Arms Hotel.
Pentagon
Continue to Pentagon.
Kenyon
Continue to Kenyon.
Morrisons Daily
Finish back near Morrisons Daily, completing the loop.
14 roundabouts · 24 turns
20 roundabouts · 9 turns
4 roundabouts · 23 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.