Near Cheltenham test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 23 roundabouts and 11 turns across 38 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.7 km practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, taking roughly 19 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 schools, churches, 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 38-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.7 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 right onto A40/Sandford Road.
A40168 m
Turn left onto Bath Road/A46.
Bath Road669 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Shurdington Road/A46.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shurdington Road/A46.
Shurdington Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Shurdington Road/A46.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shurdington Road/A46.
Shurdington Road661 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Up Hatherley Way.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Up Hatherley Way.
Up Hatherley Way470 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Up Hatherley Way.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Up Hatherley Way.
Up Hatherley Way1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Up Hatherley Way.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Up Hatherley Way.
Up Hatherley Way1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Up Hatherley Way.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Up Hatherley Way.
Up Hatherley Way471 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Shurdington Road/A46.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shurdington Road/A46.
Shurdington Road665 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Shurdington Road/A46.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shurdington Road/A46.
Shurdington Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bath Road/A46.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road/A46.
Bath Road703 m
Turn left onto A40/Montpellier Terrace.
A40467 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A40/Montpellier Terrace.
71 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40/Montpellier Terrace.
A40468 m
Turn right onto A46/Bath Road.
A4635 m
Turn left onto A40/Sandford Road.
A40689 m
Turn left onto A40/Old Bath Road.
A401.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Priors Road/B4075.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Priors Road/B4075.
Priors Road416 m
Turn left onto Whaddon Road.
Whaddon Road94 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Whaddon Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whaddon Road.
Whaddon Road279 m
Turn left onto Whaddon Avenue.
Whaddon Avenue325 m
Turn right onto Hewlett Road.
Hewlett Road199 m
Turn right onto Pittville Circus Road.
Pittville Circus Road482 m
Turn left onto All Saints' Road.
All Saints' Road27 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Cheltenham · Roundabout 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.
Abbotts Nursery
Start near Abbotts Nursery.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Berkeley Gardens
Continue to Berkeley Gardens.
St Luke's Church
Continue to St Luke's Church.
Cheltenham College Chapel
Continue to Cheltenham College Chapel.
Thirlestaine House
Continue to Thirlestaine House.
Exmouth Arms
Continue to Exmouth Arms.
Norwood Arms
Continue to Norwood Arms.
Brizen Farm Playing Field
Continue to Brizen Farm Playing Field.
Mayhill Beauty
Continue to Mayhill Beauty.
Brown Jug
Continue to Brown Jug.
Burger Star
Continue to Burger Star.
360 Health and Fitness Therapy
Continue to 360 Health and Fitness Therapy.
Rotunda
Continue to Rotunda.
Financial Management
Continue to Financial Management.
Dragonfly Chinese
Continue to Dragonfly Chinese.
Hewlett Arms
Continue to Hewlett Arms.
Simpsons Fish and Chips
Continue to Simpsons Fish and Chips.
Berkhampstead Day Nursery
Continue to Berkhampstead Day Nursery.
Berkhampstead School
Finish back near Berkhampstead School, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
8 roundabouts · 33 turns
6 roundabouts · 24 turns
4 roundabouts · 14 turns
This route is 15.7 km and takes about 19 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, not an official DVSA route.