Near Cheltenham test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 15 turns across 53 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.9 km practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, taking roughly 20 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 Pittville Circus Roundabout Open Space. 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 parks, shops, churches and schools, 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 53-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on All Saints' Road.
All Saints' Road27 m
Turn left onto Pittville Circus Road.
Pittville Circus Road102 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Pittville Circus.
122 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pittville Circus.
Pittville Circus35 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Prestbury Road/B4632.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Prestbury Road/B4632.
Prestbury Road519 m
Turn right onto Cromwell Road.
Cromwell Road488 m
Turn left onto Mendip Road.
Mendip Road68 m
Turn right.
37 m
Turn left onto Cotswold Road.
Cotswold Road15 m
Turn left onto Mendip Road.
Mendip Road94 m
Turn right onto Cromwell Road.
Cromwell Road488 m
Turn left onto Prestbury Road/B4632.
Prestbury Road519 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Wellington Road.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road235 m
Turn right onto Evesham Road/A435.
Evesham Road317 m
Keep right to stay on Evesham Road/A435.
Evesham Road230 m
Keep right to stay on A435.
A435617 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Swindon Lane.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Swindon Lane.
Swindon Lane972 m
Keep left to stay on Swindon Lane.
Swindon Lane128 m
Keep right to stay on Swindon Lane.
Swindon Lane526 m
Turn left onto Wymans Lane.
Wymans Lane442 m
Move right onto Kingsditch Lane.
Kingsditch Lane488 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A4019/Tewkesbury Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4019/Tewkesbury Road.
A40191.6 km
Keep right to take A4019/Poole Way.
A401927 m
Move right onto A4019/Poole Way. Continue on A4019.
A4019513 m
Keep right to stay on A4019.
A4019145 m
Turn left onto Portland Street/A435.
Portland Street264 m
Turn right onto Clarence Road/A435. Continue on Clarence Road.
Clarence Road120 m
Move left onto Prestbury Road/B4632.
Prestbury Road190 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Prestbury Road/B4632.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Prestbury Road/B4632.
Prestbury Road843 m
Keep left to stay on B4632.
B46321.4 km
Keep left to take Noverton Lane.
Noverton Lane145 m
Turn right onto Finchcroft Lane.
Finchcroft Lane114 m
Turn right onto South View Way.
South View Way54 m
Keep straight to stay on South View Way.
South View Way99 m
Turn right onto Court Road.
Court Road72 m
Keep left to stay on Court Road.
Court Road22 m
Turn left to stay on Court Road.
Court Road74 m
Turn left to stay on Court Road.
Court Road95 m
Turn left onto South View Way.
South View Way154 m
Turn left onto Finchcroft Lane.
Finchcroft Lane115 m
Turn left onto Noverton Lane.
Noverton Lane1.6 km
Keep straight to stay on Prestbury Road/B4632.
Prestbury Road784 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pittville Circus.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pittville Circus.
Pittville Circus36 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pittville Circus Road.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pittville Circus Road.
Pittville Circus Road103 m
Turn right onto All Saints' Road.
All Saints' Road27 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Cheltenham · 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 Pittville Circus Roundabout Open Space. 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.
Pittville Circus Roundabout Open Space
Start near Pittville Circus Roundabout Open Space.
Selim Smith & Co
Continue to Selim Smith & Co.
St Nicholas' Church
Continue to St Nicholas' Church.
Topps Tiles
Continue to Topps Tiles.
Hammonds Furniture
Continue to Hammonds Furniture.
Lexus Cheltenham
Continue to Lexus Cheltenham.
Ableworld
Continue to Ableworld.
St Peter's Church
Continue to St Peter's Church.
Cheltenham Tyre Services
Continue to Cheltenham Tyre Services.
Masjidul Falah
Continue to Masjidul Falah.
Principal's House (PH)
Continue to Principal's House (PH).
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Continue to Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Centre for Active Learning (CeAL)
Continue to Centre for Active Learning (CeAL).
Friends Meeting House
Continue to Friends Meeting House.
Trinity
Continue to Trinity.
Airs & Graces
Continue to Airs & Graces.
Rum Bar
Continue to Rum Bar.
Busy Bees
Continue to Busy Bees.
Wilson Health Centre
Continue to Wilson Health Centre.
Prestbury United Reformed Church
Finish back near Prestbury United Reformed Church, completing the loop.
23 roundabouts · 11 turns
8 roundabouts · 33 turns
6 roundabouts · 24 turns
4 roundabouts · 14 turns
This route is 14.9 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, not an official DVSA route.