Near Chippenham test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 11 roundabouts, 11 turns and 1 signalled junction across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.7 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, Chequers Roundabout, Methuen Park 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, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, 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 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.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
Road mix
The full 69-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
23 m
Turn right.
39 m
Turn left onto Bumpers Way.
Bumpers Way765 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 Road136 m
Keep left to stay on Bristol Road/A420.
Bristol Road511 m
Turn right onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road504 m
Turn left onto Loyalty Street.
Loyalty Street83 m
Turn left onto Marshall Street.
Marshall Street223 m
Turn right onto Canterbury Street.
Canterbury Street103 m
Turn right onto Dover Street.
Dover Street169 m
Turn left onto Loyalty Street.
Loyalty Street114 m
Turn left onto Audley Road.
Audley Road117 m
Keep right to stay on Audley Road.
Audley Road5 m
Turn left onto Canterbury Street.
Canterbury Street257 m
Turn right onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road80 m
Turn right onto Downing Street.
Downing Street228 m
Turn right onto Audley Road.
Audley Road87 m
Turn right onto Canterbury Street.
Canterbury Street257 m
Turn right onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road245 m
Turn left onto Bristol Road/A420.
Bristol Road650 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hardenhuish Lane/B4528.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hardenhuish Lane/B4528.
Hardenhuish Lane60 m
Keep right to stay on Hardenhuish Lane/B4528.
Hardenhuish Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto Malmesbury Road/B4158.
Malmesbury Road908 m
Turn right onto Wedmore Avenue.
Wedmore Avenue120 m
Turn left onto East Yewstock Crescent.
East Yewstock Crescent555 m
Move right to stay on East Yewstock Crescent.
East Yewstock Crescent118 m
Turn left onto Wedmore Avenue.
Wedmore Avenue120 m
Turn left onto Malmesbury Road/B4158.
Malmesbury Road545 m
Turn right onto Hill Corner Road.
Hill Corner Road100 m
Turn right onto Oaklands.
Oaklands270 m
Turn right onto Deansway.
Deansway361 m
Turn left onto Malmesbury Road/B4158.
Malmesbury Road484 m
Turn right onto New Road/B4069. Continue on New Road.
New Road407 m
Keep right to stay on New Road.
New Road139 m
Turn right onto Bath Road.
Bath Road152 m
Enter Bridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bath Road/A4.
Bridge Roundabout46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A4200 m
Keep right to take Rowden Hill/A4.
Rowden Hill100 m
Keep left to stay on Rowden Hill/A4.
Rowden Hill890 m
Turn left onto Rowden Lane.
Rowden Lane96 m
Turn left to stay on Rowden Lane.
Rowden Lane7 m
Move right to stay on Rowden Lane.
Rowden Lane913 m
Turn left.
70 m
Make a right U-turn.
70 m
Turn right onto Rowden Lane.
Rowden Lane921 m
Move left onto Coppice Close.
Coppice Close206 m
Turn right onto B4643.
B4643116 m
Turn left onto Bath Road/A4.
Bath Road362 m
Keep right to stay on Bath Road/A4.
Bath Road126 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bath Road/A4.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road/A4.
Bath Road504 m
Enter Methuen Park and take the 2nd exit onto Bath Road/A4.
Methuen Park50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road/A4.
Bath Road120 m
Keep left to stay on Bath Road/A4.
Bath Road96 m
Enter Chequers Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A350/West Cepen Way.
Chequers Roundabout93 m
Exit the roundabout onto A350/West Cepen Way.
A350270 m
Enter Cepen Park South and take the 1st exit onto A350/West Cepen Way.
Cepen Park South47 m
Exit the roundabout onto A350/West Cepen Way.
A350132 m
Keep left to stay on A350/West Cepen Way.
A3501.7 km
Keep right to stay on A350/West Cepen Way.
A350369 m
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 5 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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Chequers Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.9 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (30, 40, 60 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.
Bumpers Farm
Start near Bumpers Farm.
Chippenham Motor Company
Continue to Chippenham Motor Company.
Brook
Continue to Brook.
Sir Audley Arms
Continue to Sir Audley Arms.
St Nicholas
Continue to St Nicholas.
St Nicholas School
Continue to St Nicholas School.
Old Road Tavern
Continue to Old Road Tavern.
St Paul's
Continue to St Paul's.
Baptist Church
Continue to Baptist Church.
Salvation Army - Chippenham
Continue to Salvation Army - Chippenham.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Rowden Arms
Continue to Rowden Arms.
Currys
Continue to Currys.
Pheasant
Continue to Pheasant.
Topps Tiles
Continue to Topps Tiles.
Chequers Roundabout
Continue to Chequers Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Methuen Park
Continue to Methuen Park, taking the junction with good observation.
Cepen Park South
Continue to Cepen Park South, taking the junction with good observation.
Toolstation
Continue to Toolstation.
Pets at Home
Finish back near Pets at Home, 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 18.7 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.