Near Cheltenham test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 33 turns across 53 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.4 km practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, taking roughly 21 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 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, shops, parks 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 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 14.4 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 Road993 m
Turn left onto A40/Sandford Road.
A40521 m
Turn right onto A40/Old Bath Road. Continue on Old Bath Road.
Old Bath Road412 m
Turn right onto Verney Close.
Verney Close35 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Verney Close.
Verney Close35 m
Turn left onto Old Bath Road.
Old Bath Road1.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Priors Road/B4075.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Priors Road/B4075.
Priors Road362 m
Turn right onto Redmarley Road.
Redmarley Road154 m
Turn right onto Clearwell Gardens.
Clearwell Gardens101 m
Turn left to stay on Clearwell Gardens.
Clearwell Gardens175 m
Turn left to stay on Clearwell Gardens.
Clearwell Gardens47 m
Turn right onto Yorkley Road.
Yorkley Road275 m
Turn left onto Burford Road.
Burford Road184 m
Move right onto Fairford Road.
Fairford Road175 m
Turn left onto Fossebridge Place.
Fossebridge Place96 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fossebridge Place.
Fossebridge Place96 m
Turn right onto Fairford Road.
Fairford Road175 m
Move left onto Burford Road.
Burford Road184 m
Turn left onto Yorkley Road.
Yorkley Road12 m
Turn right onto Brockweir Road.
Brockweir Road215 m
Turn right onto Clearwell Gardens.
Clearwell Gardens39 m
Turn left to stay on Clearwell Gardens.
Clearwell Gardens175 m
Turn right to stay on Clearwell Gardens.
Clearwell Gardens101 m
Turn left onto Redmarley Road.
Redmarley Road154 m
Turn left onto Priors Road/B4075.
Priors Road362 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hewlett Road.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hewlett Road.
Hewlett Road841 m
Turn right onto Fairview Road.
Fairview Road259 m
Move right onto A4019/Fairview Road. Continue on A4019.
A40191.2 km
Keep right to stay on A4019.
A4019237 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Road/B4633.
Gloucester Road493 m
Turn right onto Arle Road.
Arle Road682 m
Turn right onto College Drive.
College Drive42 m
Turn right to stay on College Drive.
College Drive65 m
Turn left to stay on College Drive.
College Drive1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on College Drive.
College Drive1 m
Turn right to stay on College Drive.
College Drive65 m
Turn left to stay on College Drive.
College Drive42 m
Turn left onto Arle Road.
Arle Road682 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Road/B4633.
Gloucester Road493 m
Turn right onto A4019/High Street. Continue on A4019.
A4019338 m
Move right onto A4019/Poole Way. Continue on A4019.
A4019659 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 4th exit onto Pittville Circus.
50 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 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.
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.
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.
All Saints
Start near All Saints.
Hewlett Hair
Continue to Hewlett Hair.
Berkeley Gardens
Continue to Berkeley Gardens.
St Luke's Church
Continue to St Luke's Church.
Dragonfly Chinese
Continue to Dragonfly Chinese.
Hewlett Arms
Continue to Hewlett Arms.
Simpsons Fish and Chips
Continue to Simpsons Fish and Chips.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Berkhampstead School
Continue to Berkhampstead School.
Favourite Beers
Continue to Favourite Beers.
Fairview Fish Bar
Continue to Fairview Fish Bar.
Friends Meeting House
Continue to Friends Meeting House.
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Continue to Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Principal's House (PH)
Continue to Principal's House (PH).
Masjidul Falah
Continue to Masjidul Falah.
Gloucester Road Primary School
Continue to Gloucester Road Primary School.
Centre for Active Learning (CeAL)
Continue to Centre for Active Learning (CeAL).
Trinity
Continue to Trinity.
Airs & Graces
Continue to Airs & Graces.
Rum Bar
Finish back near Rum Bar, completing the loop.
23 roundabouts · 11 turns
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
6 roundabouts · 24 turns
4 roundabouts · 14 turns
This route is 14.4 km and takes about 21 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, not an official DVSA route.