Near Chingford test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 18 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 22.6 km practice loop near Chingford test centre, taking roughly 35 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 multiple roundabouts, 20 mph zones, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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 stations, schools, 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 Chingford 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:
Road mix
The full 66-step drive on real, named roads (about 22.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Connaught Avenue.
Connaught Avenue21 m
Turn right onto Station Road/A1069.
Station Road682 m
Turn left onto King's Road/A110. Continue on A110.
A1102.0 km
Turn left onto Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road14 m
Turn left to stay on Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road63 m
Turn left to stay on Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road14 m
Turn right onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Normanton Park.
Normanton Park698 m
Turn right onto Friday Hill/B146.
Friday Hill526 m
Turn left onto Friday Hill West.
Friday Hill West307 m
Turn left onto Simmons Lane.
Simmons Lane31 m
Turn right onto Friday Hill/B146.
Friday Hill591 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hatch Lane/A1009.
73 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hatch Lane/A1009.
Hatch Lane259 m
Move left to stay on Hatch Lane.
Hatch Lane86 m
Turn right to stay on Hatch Lane.
Hatch Lane31 m
Turn right onto New Road/A1009. Continue on A1009.
A1009261 m
Turn left onto Hatch Lane.
Hatch Lane649 m
Turn left onto Withy Mead.
Withy Mead82 m
Turn left onto Longshaw Road.
Longshaw Road438 m
Turn left onto Friday Hill West.
Friday Hill West389 m
Turn right onto Simmons Lane.
Simmons Lane31 m
Turn left onto Friday Hill/B146.
Friday Hill282 m
Turn left onto Friday Hill West.
Friday Hill West483 m
Turn right onto Weale Road.
Weale Road384 m
Turn left onto Withy Mead.
Withy Mead282 m
Turn left onto Longshaw Road.
Longshaw Road209 m
Turn right onto Ashwood Road.
Ashwood Road184 m
Turn right onto Hatch Lane/A1009.
Hatch Lane39 m
Move left to stay on Hatch Lane.
Hatch Lane86 m
Turn right to stay on Hatch Lane.
Hatch Lane31 m
Turn left onto New Road/A1009.
New Road242 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Larkshall Road/B160.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Larkshall Road/B160.
Larkshall Road356 m
Turn right onto Larkshall Crescent.
Larkshall Crescent127 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Larkshall Crescent.
Larkshall Crescent21 m
Turn left to stay on Larkshall Crescent.
Larkshall Crescent13 m
Turn right to stay on Larkshall Crescent.
Larkshall Crescent106 m
Turn left onto Larkshall Road/B160.
Larkshall Road353 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto New Road/A1009.
86 m
Exit the roundabout onto New Road/A1009. Continue on A1009.
A1009575 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Friday Hill/B146.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Friday Hill/B146.
Friday Hill590 m
Turn right onto Winslow Grove.
Winslow Grove38 m
Turn left to stay on Winslow Grove.
Winslow Grove190 m
Turn right onto Normanton Park.
Normanton Park406 m
Turn right onto Friday Hill/B146.
Friday Hill554 m
Turn right onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road1.4 km
Turn left to stay on Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road14 m
Turn left to stay on Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road63 m
Turn left to stay on Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road14 m
Turn right onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road961 m
Turn right onto Kimberley Road.
Kimberley Road365 m
Turn right onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road396 m
Turn right onto Forest Side.
Forest Side402 m
Turn left onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road665 m
Turn left to stay on Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road14 m
Turn left to stay on Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road63 m
Turn left to stay on Whitehall Road.
Whitehall Road14 m
Turn right onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road280 m
Turn right onto Brook Road.
Brook Road763 m
Turn right onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road535 m
Turn right onto Whitehall Lane.
Whitehall Lane450 m
Turn right onto Whitehall Road/A110. Continue on A110.
A1101.8 km
Turn right onto Station Road/A1069.
Station Road435 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chingford · Route 1 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Chingford Station
Start near Chingford Station.
Station Road / Chingford Station
Continue to Station Road / Chingford Station.
Little Miracles Nursery
Continue to Little Miracles Nursery.
Dovecote
Continue to Dovecote.
Waterlilly Day Nursery
Continue to Waterlilly Day Nursery.
Laws the Bakers
Continue to Laws the Bakers.
Vape Crusader
Continue to Vape Crusader.
Longshaw Nursery
Continue to Longshaw Nursery.
Longshaw Primary Academy
Continue to Longshaw Primary Academy.
Shack No.14
Continue to Shack No.14.
St Anne's
Continue to St Anne's.
St Anne's Church & Community Centre
Continue to St Anne's Church & Community Centre.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Queen Elizabeth
Continue to Queen Elizabeth.
Glyn Hopkin Repair
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Repair.
Glyn Hopkin Sales
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Sales.
Annie’s Ironing
Continue to Annie’s Ironing.
Chingford C of E Primary School (Infants)
Continue to Chingford C of E Primary School (Infants).
Stanley Road
Continue to Stanley Road.
Station Road / The Green
Finish back near Station Road / The Green, completing the loop.
1 roundabout · 17 turns · 2 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 20 turns · 2 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 13 turns · 3 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 22.6 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chingford test centre, not an official DVSA route.