Near Cheltenham test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 14 turns across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 7.8 km practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, taking roughly 9 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.
On this route you’ll practise independent driving. 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 shops, 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 Cheltenham 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 21-step drive on real, named roads (about 7.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south on All Saints' Road.
All Saints' Road446 m
Move right onto Hewlett Road.
Hewlett Road400 m
Turn right onto A46/London Road. Continue on A46.
A46507 m
Turn right onto Oriel Road/A46. Continue on A46.
A46344 m
Turn left onto Promenade/A4015. Continue on A4015.
A4015468 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A40.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40.
A40496 m
Move left.
21 m
Turn right.
80 m
Move left onto A40/Lansdown Road.
A40980 m
Turn right onto Gloucester Road.
Gloucester Road26 m
Turn left onto Church Road.
Church Road92 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Church Road.
Church Road111 m
Turn left onto A40/Gloucester Road.
A401.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A40/Montpellier Terrace.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40/Montpellier Terrace.
A40468 m
Turn right onto A46/Bath Road.
A4635 m
Turn left onto A40/Sandford Road.
A40168 m
Turn left onto College Road/A46.
College Road992 m
Move left onto All Saints' Road.
All Saints' Road446 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Cheltenham · Dual-carriageway 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.
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.
Abbotts Nursery
Start near Abbotts Nursery.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Sandford Park Ale House
Continue to Sandford Park Ale House.
Miller
Continue to Miller.
Planet Caravan
Continue to Planet Caravan.
Salvation Army Community Church
Continue to Salvation Army Community Church.
Gin & Juice
Continue to Gin & Juice.
St Andrew's
Continue to St Andrew's.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Gloucestershire Constabulary
Continue to Gloucestershire Constabulary.
Grace Church Cheltenham
Continue to Grace Church Cheltenham.
Turner Hall
Continue to Turner Hall.
Shell Select
Continue to Shell Select.
Lansdown
Continue to Lansdown.
Rotunda
Continue to Rotunda.
Roylancycles
Continue to Roylancycles.
Cheltenham College Chapel
Continue to Cheltenham College Chapel.
St Luke's Church
Continue to St Luke's Church.
Berkeley Garage
Continue to Berkeley Garage.
Fairview Fish Bar
Finish back near Fairview Fish Bar, completing the loop.
23 roundabouts · 11 turns
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
8 roundabouts · 33 turns
6 roundabouts · 24 turns
This route is 7.8 km and takes about 9 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, not an official DVSA route.