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Practice route
Challenging

Chippenham · Route 2

Near Chippenham test centre

13.5 km
Distance
40 min
Duration
Challenging
Difficulty
19
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Demanding

Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts, 6 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 13.5 km practice route near Chippenham test centre, taking roughly 40 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. 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, residential manoeuvres and busy a-roads. 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 named junctions, shops, 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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

2
Left turns
4
Right turns
14
Roundabouts
2
Traffic lights
27
Total steps

Skills & features

28
Roundabouts
0.1 km
Dual carriageway
30, 40 mph
Speed limits
20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Multiple roundabouts
  • Residential manoeuvres
  • Busy A-roads

Road mix

  • A-roads 6.9 km
  • Residential 3.9 km
  • Unclassified 1.2 km
  • Minor roads 0.9 km
  • B-roads 0.3 km
  • Trunk roads 0.1 km
  • service_other 0.1 km

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 51-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive south.

    15 m

  2. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    38 m

  3. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Bumpers Way.

    Bumpers Way805 m

  4. Roundabout:

    Enter Bumpers Farm and take the 4th exit onto Bristol Road/A420.

    Bumpers Farm135 m

  5. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.

    Bristol Road551 m

  6. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bristol Road/A420.

    7 m

  7. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.

    Bristol Road20 m

  8. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bristol Road/A420.

    13 m

  9. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420. Continue on A420.

    A4201.3 km

  10. Turn right:

    Turn right onto St Paul Street.

    St Paul Street204 m

  11. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Marshfield Road/A420.

    Marshfield Road266 m

  12. Turn right:

    Make a sharp right onto Park Lane/A420.

    Park Lane377 m

  13. Keep right:

    Keep right to take New Road/A420.

    New Road266 m

  14. Turn right:

    Move right onto New Road/A420. Continue on A420.

    A420305 m

  15. Roundabout:

    Enter Bridge Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Ivy Road.

    Bridge Roundabout217 m

  16. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Ivy Road.

    Ivy Road134 m

  17. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on Ivy Road.

    Ivy Road134 m

  18. Roundabout:

    Enter Bridge Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bath Road.

    Bridge Roundabout103 m

  19. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road.

    Bath Road39 m

  20. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Bath Road.

    Bath Road134 m

  21. Turn left:

    Turn left onto The Bridge.

    The Bridge253 m

  22. Turn left:

    Move left onto Marshfield Road.

    Marshfield Road332 m

  23. Turn right:

    Make a sharp right onto Park Lane/A420.

    Park Lane377 m

  24. Keep right:

    Keep right to take New Road/A420.

    New Road266 m

  25. Turn right:

    Move right to stay on New Road/A420.

    New Road19 m

  26. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Marshfield Road/A420.

    Marshfield Road365 m

  27. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Audley Road.

    Audley Road357 m

  28. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Canterbury Street.

    Canterbury Street257 m

  29. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Woodlands Road.

    Woodlands Road80 m

  30. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Downing Street.

    Downing Street228 m

  31. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Audley Road.

    Audley Road334 m

  32. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Sheldon Road.

    Sheldon Road736 m

  33. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Hungerdown Lane/B4528.

    Hungerdown Lane351 m

  34. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Brook Street.

    Brook Street564 m

  35. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Woodlands Road.

    Woodlands Road241 m

  36. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Sheldon Road.

    Sheldon Road315 m

  37. Turn left:

    Move left onto Lowden Hill.

    Lowden Hill326 m

  38. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Bath Road/A4.

    Bath Road146 m

  39. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Bath Road/A4.

    Bath Road18 m

  40. Roundabout:

    Enter Bridge Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bath Road.

    Bridge Roundabout134 m

  41. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road.

    Bath Road39 m

  42. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Bath Road.

    Bath Road134 m

  43. Turn left:

    Turn left onto The Bridge.

    The Bridge253 m

  44. Turn left:

    Move left onto Marshfield Road.

    Marshfield Road1.3 km

  45. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bristol Road/A420.

    6 m

  46. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.

    Bristol Road20 m

  47. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bristol Road/A420.

    14 m

  48. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/A420.

    Bristol Road545 m

  49. Roundabout:

    Enter Bumpers Farm and take the 1st exit onto Bumpers Way.

    Bumpers Farm9 m

  50. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bumpers Way.

    Bumpers Way449 m

  51. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Chippenham · Route 2 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Junctions & roundabouts

Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.

  • Bumpers Farm

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Baptist Church
  • Salvation Army - Chippenham
  • Sheldon Road Methodist Church

Parks & green space

Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.

  • Brook

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • New Inn
  • Old Road Tavern
  • Brunel
  • Sir Audley Arms

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • Chippenham Motor Company
  • Cinch
  • 3D Computers
  • Dolmans Furnishers

Watch out for

  • 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.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. Bumpers Farm

    Start near Bumpers Farm.

  2. Chippenham Motor Company

    Continue to Chippenham Motor Company.

  3. Cinch

    Continue to Cinch.

  4. Brook

    Continue to Brook.

  5. Reel Cinema

    Continue to Reel Cinema.

  6. New Inn

    Continue to New Inn.

  7. Old Road Tavern

    Continue to Old Road Tavern.

  8. Baptist Church

    Continue to Baptist Church.

  9. Brunel

    Continue to Brunel.

  10. Salvation Army - Chippenham

    Continue to Salvation Army - Chippenham.

  11. 3D Computers

    Continue to 3D Computers.

  12. Dolmans Furnishers

    Continue to Dolmans Furnishers.

  13. Sheldon Road Methodist Church

    Continue to Sheldon Road Methodist Church.

  14. Sir Audley Arms

    Continue to Sir Audley Arms.

  15. Tesco Express

    Continue to Tesco Express.

  16. Waste Not Want Not

    Continue to Waste Not Want Not.

  17. Buckles Fish & Chips

    Continue to Buckles Fish & Chips.

  18. One Stop

    Continue to One Stop.

  19. Yilmaz Kebabs & Breakfast

    Continue to Yilmaz Kebabs & Breakfast.

  20. Pets at Home

    Finish back near Pets at Home, completing the loop.

More routes at Chippenham test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 13.5 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chippenham test centre, not an official DVSA route.