Near Chingford test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 10 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 14 navigation steps.
This is an independent 11.7 km practice loop near Chingford 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and 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, stations, shops and churches, 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 30-step drive on real, named roads (about 11.8 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 left onto Station Road/A1069. Continue on A1069.
A10691.9 km
Turn right onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road1.7 km
Turn right onto Whitehall Lane.
Whitehall Lane450 m
Turn right onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road536 m
Turn right onto Forest Side.
Forest Side20 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Forest Side.
Forest Side20 m
Turn left onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road446 m
Turn right onto Newlands Road.
Newlands Road453 m
Turn left onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Friday Hill/B146.
Friday Hill310 m
Turn right onto Simmons Lane.
Simmons Lane466 m
Turn left onto Larkshall Road/B160.
Larkshall Road567 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto New Road/A1009.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto New Road/A1009.
New Road326 m
Make a sharp right onto 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 2nd exit onto Larkshall Road/B160.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto Larkshall Road/B160.
Larkshall Road1.1 km
Turn left onto King's Road/A110.
King's Road327 m
Turn right onto Station Road/A1069.
Station Road435 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chingford · Route 8 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
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.
Bar One Twenty
Start near Bar One Twenty.
Chingford Bus Station
Continue to Chingford Bus Station.
Chingford Station
Continue to Chingford Station.
Front Room
Continue to Front Room.
Glyn Hopkin Repair
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Repair.
Glyn Hopkin Sales
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Sales.
Warren Wood
Continue to Warren Wood.
Silverthorne Medical Centre
Continue to Silverthorne Medical Centre.
JenningsBet
Continue to JenningsBet.
St Anne's
Continue to St Anne's.
St Anne's Church & Community Centre
Continue to St Anne's Church & Community Centre.
Vujon
Continue to Vujon.
Larkshall
Continue to Larkshall.
Chingford C of E Primary School (Infants)
Continue to Chingford C of E Primary School (Infants).
Kings Road Baptist Church, Chingford
Continue to Kings Road Baptist Church, Chingford.
Our Lady of Grace and St Teresa
Continue to Our Lady of Grace and St Teresa.
North Chingford Methodist Church
Continue to North Chingford Methodist Church.
Stanley Road
Continue to Stanley Road.
Station Road / The Green
Continue to Station Road / The Green.
St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Finish back near St Mary's Catholic Primary School, 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 11.7 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chingford test centre, not an official DVSA route.