Near Chippenham test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 11 roundabouts, 13 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.9 km practice route near Chippenham test centre, taking roughly 45 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.
Along the way you'll meet Bumpers Farm and Cepen Park South. Knowing the approach, lane and exit at each one before you arrive is the difference between a planned manoeuvre and a last-second reaction, and last-second reactions are where avoidable faults come from.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 shops, named junctions, 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 Chippenham 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 21.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
15 m
Turn left.
38 m
Turn left onto Bumpers Way.
Bumpers Way805 m
Enter Bumpers Farm and take the 4th exit onto Bristol Road/A420.
Bumpers Farm135 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.
Bristol Road551 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bristol Road/A420.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.
Bristol Road20 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bristol Road/A420.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.
Bristol Road648 m
Turn right onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road404 m
Turn right onto Brook Street.
Brook Street565 m
Turn left onto Hungerdown Lane/B4528.
Hungerdown Lane351 m
Turn left onto Sheldon Road.
Sheldon Road442 m
Turn left onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road241 m
Turn left onto Brook Street.
Brook Street514 m
Turn left onto Saxon Street.
Saxon Street164 m
Move left onto Wessex Road.
Wessex Road295 m
Turn left onto Brook Street.
Brook Street161 m
Turn right onto Redland.
Redland82 m
Turn right to stay on Redland.
Redland117 m
Turn left onto Brook Street.
Brook Street243 m
Turn left onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road159 m
Turn right onto Canterbury Street.
Canterbury Street79 m
Turn right onto Marshall Street.
Marshall Street223 m
Turn left onto Loyalty Street.
Loyalty Street231 m
Turn left onto Audley Road.
Audley Road163 m
Turn right onto Lowden Avenue.
Lowden Avenue230 m
Turn right onto Goldney Avenue.
Goldney Avenue240 m
Turn left onto Audley Road.
Audley Road214 m
Turn left onto Sheldon Road.
Sheldon Road22 m
Turn right onto Lowden.
Lowden675 m
Turn left onto Rowden Hill/A4. Continue on A4.
A4962 m
Turn left onto Bath Road/A4.
Bath Road18 m
Enter Bridge Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bath Road.
Bridge Roundabout134 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road.
Bath Road39 m
Turn left to stay on Bath Road.
Bath Road134 m
Turn left onto The Bridge.
The Bridge253 m
Move left onto Marshfield Road.
Marshfield Road332 m
Make a sharp right onto Park Lane/A420.
Park Lane377 m
Keep right to take New Road/A420.
New Road266 m
Move right to stay on New Road/A420.
New Road19 m
Turn right onto Marshfield Road/A420.
Marshfield Road329 m
Make a sharp right onto Park Lane/A420.
Park Lane377 m
Keep left to take Park Lane/B4158.
Park Lane69 m
Move left onto Langley Road/B4069.
Langley Road574 m
Turn left onto Birch Grove.
Birch Grove164 m
Turn right onto Elmwood.
Elmwood299 m
Turn right onto Hill Rise.
Hill Rise489 m
Turn right onto Heathfield.
Heathfield320 m
Turn left onto Hill Corner Road.
Hill Corner Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Malmesbury Road/B4158.
Malmesbury Road545 m
Turn right onto Wedmore Avenue.
Wedmore Avenue120 m
Turn left onto East Yewstock Crescent.
East Yewstock Crescent279 m
Turn left onto Hardenhuish Avenue.
Hardenhuish Avenue237 m
Turn right onto Bristol Road/A420.
Bristol Road729 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bristol Road/A420.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.
Bristol Road20 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bristol Road/A420.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.
Bristol Road545 m
Enter Bumpers Farm and take the 2nd exit onto A350/West Cepen Way.
Bumpers Farm47 m
Exit the roundabout onto A350/West Cepen Way.
A3502.2 km
Enter Cepen Park South and take the 3rd exit onto A350/West Cepen Way.
Cepen Park South143 m
Exit the roundabout onto A350/West Cepen Way.
A3502.2 km
Enter Bumpers Farm and take the 4th exit onto Bumpers Way.
Bumpers Farm130 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bumpers Way.
Bumpers Way449 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chippenham · Route 16 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.8 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
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.
B&M
Start near B&M.
Bumpers Farm
Continue to Bumpers Farm, taking the junction with good observation.
Brook
Continue to Brook.
Classic Wok
Continue to Classic Wok.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Sir Audley Arms
Continue to Sir Audley Arms.
Emmanuel Church
Continue to Emmanuel Church.
Sheldon Road Methodist Church
Continue to Sheldon Road Methodist Church.
Eddie Cochran Memorial
Continue to Eddie Cochran Memorial.
Baptist Church
Continue to Baptist Church.
Salvation Army - Chippenham
Continue to Salvation Army - Chippenham.
New Inn
Continue to New Inn.
Old Road Tavern
Continue to Old Road Tavern.
Barber Studios
Continue to Barber Studios.
Lees Chinese Takeaway
Continue to Lees Chinese Takeaway.
Brethren's Meeting Room
Continue to Brethren's Meeting Room.
St Nicholas School
Continue to St Nicholas School.
Toolstation
Continue to Toolstation.
Cepen Park South
Continue to Cepen Park South, taking the junction with good observation.
Yilmaz Kebabs & Breakfast
Finish back near Yilmaz Kebabs & Breakfast, completing the loop.
15 roundabouts · 12 turns · 2 sets of lights
18 roundabouts · 6 turns · 2 sets of lights
12 roundabouts · 8 turns · 2 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 11 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 21.9 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chippenham test centre, not an official DVSA route.