Near Cheltenham test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts and 24 turns across 41 navigation steps.
This is an independent 10.9 km practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, taking roughly 16 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 pubs, churches, schools 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 41-step drive on real, named roads (about 10.9 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 1st exit onto Prestbury Road/B4632.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Prestbury Road/B4632.
Prestbury Road249 m
Move left onto Winchcombe Street/A435.
Winchcombe Street193 m
Turn right onto A4019/Fairview Road. Continue on A4019.
A4019909 m
Keep right to stay on A4019.
A4019237 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Road/B4633.
Gloucester Road777 m
Turn left onto Malvern Road.
Malvern Road59 m
Keep straight to stay on Malvern Road.
Malvern Road736 m
Turn left onto Lansdown Crescent.
Lansdown Crescent235 m
Move left onto A40.
A4058 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A40/Montpellier Terrace.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40/Montpellier Terrace.
A40185 m
Keep right to stay on A40/Montpellier Terrace.
A40282 m
Turn right onto A46/Bath Road.
A4635 m
Turn left onto A40/Sandford Road.
A40465 m
Keep left to stay on A40/Sandford Road.
A40224 m
Turn left onto A40/Old Bath Road.
A4081 m
Keep left to stay on A40/Old Bath Road.
A40103 m
Keep left to stay on A40/Old Bath Road.
A40248 m
Turn right onto A40/London Road.
A40483 m
Move left to stay on A40/London Road.
A401.2 km
Turn right onto Hearne Road.
Hearne Road167 m
Turn left onto East End Road.
East End Road49 m
Turn right onto Glynrosa Road.
Glynrosa Road145 m
Turn left to stay on Glynrosa Road.
Glynrosa Road106 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Glynrosa Road.
Glynrosa Road106 m
Turn right to stay on Glynrosa Road.
Glynrosa Road108 m
Turn right to stay on Glynrosa Road.
Glynrosa Road38 m
Turn left onto East End Road.
East End Road49 m
Turn right onto Hearne Road.
Hearne Road166 m
Turn left onto A40/London Road.
A40662 m
Keep right to stay on A40/London Road.
A40582 m
Keep right to stay on A40/London Road.
A40358 m
Keep left to stay on London Road.
London Road488 m
Turn right onto Hewlett Road.
Hewlett Road400 m
Move left onto All Saints' Road.
All Saints' Road446 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Cheltenham · School-zone 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.
Rum Bar
Start near Rum Bar.
Trinity Cheltenham
Continue to Trinity Cheltenham.
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.
King's Arms
Continue to King's Arms.
Glenlee (Cheltenham Ladies' College)
Continue to Glenlee (Cheltenham Ladies' College).
Christ Church
Continue to Christ Church.
Rotunda
Continue to Rotunda.
Roylancycles
Continue to Roylancycles.
Cheltenham College Chapel
Continue to Cheltenham College Chapel.
Beaufort Arms
Continue to Beaufort Arms.
SIxways Wine Bar
Continue to SIxways Wine Bar.
Berkhampstead Day Nursery
Continue to Berkhampstead Day Nursery.
Holy Apostles
Continue to Holy Apostles.
Berkeley Gardens
Continue to Berkeley Gardens.
Abbotts Nursery
Continue to Abbotts Nursery.
All Saints
Finish back near All Saints, completing the loop.
23 roundabouts · 11 turns
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
8 roundabouts · 33 turns
4 roundabouts · 14 turns
This route is 10.9 km and takes about 16 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Cheltenham test centre, not an official DVSA route.