Near Chippenham test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts, 12 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.8 km practice route near Chippenham 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.
Along the way you'll meet Bumpers Farm, Cepen Park South, Chequers Roundabout and Methuen Park. 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, pubs 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 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 70-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.8 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 1st exit onto A350/West Cepen Way.
Bumpers Farm17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A350/West Cepen Way.
A3502.2 km
Enter Cepen Park South and take the 2nd exit onto A350/West Cepen Way.
Cepen Park South59 m
Exit the roundabout onto A350/West Cepen Way.
A350265 m
Enter Chequers Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bath Road/A4.
Chequers Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road/A4.
Bath Road215 m
Enter Methuen Park and take the 2nd exit onto Bath Road.
Methuen Park62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road.
Bath Road495 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Saltersford Lane/B4528.
58 m
Exit the roundabout onto Saltersford Lane/B4528.
Saltersford Lane712 m
Turn left to stay on Saltersford Lane/B4528.
Saltersford Lane91 m
Turn left onto B4643.
B46431.0 km
Turn right onto Rowden Hill/A4. Continue on A4.
A41.2 km
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
Turn left onto Ivy Lane/A420.
Ivy Lane285 m
Enter Bridge Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bath Road/A4.
Bridge Roundabout145 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A4667 m
Turn right.
56 m
Turn left.
17 m
Turn left onto Rowden Hill/A4. Continue on A4.
A4675 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.
New Road374 m
Turn left onto Station Hill.
Station Hill380 m
Turn right onto Sadlers Mead.
Sadlers Mead679 m
Turn left onto Downham Mead.
Downham Mead249 m
Turn left onto Cocklebury Road.
Cocklebury Road72 m
Turn left onto Esmead.
Esmead355 m
Turn left onto Sadlers Mead.
Sadlers Mead348 m
Turn left onto Downham Mead.
Downham Mead249 m
Turn left onto Cocklebury Road.
Cocklebury Road72 m
Turn left onto Esmead.
Esmead355 m
Turn left onto Sadlers Mead.
Sadlers Mead348 m
Turn right onto Downham Mead.
Downham Mead70 m
Turn right onto Eastern Avenue.
Eastern Avenue103 m
Turn left onto Lady Coventry Road.
Lady Coventry Road315 m
Turn left onto Seymour Road.
Seymour Road119 m
Turn left onto Boundary Road.
Boundary Road237 m
Turn left onto Lady Coventry Road.
Lady Coventry Road206 m
Turn left onto Seymour Road.
Seymour Road119 m
Turn left onto Boundary Road.
Boundary Road237 m
Turn left onto Lady Coventry Road.
Lady Coventry Road206 m
Turn left onto Seymour Road.
Seymour Road206 m
Turn right onto Eastern Avenue.
Eastern Avenue46 m
Turn left onto Cocklebury Road.
Cocklebury Road1.1 km
Turn right onto New Road.
New Road92 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. Continue on A420.
A4201.3 km
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 1st exit onto Bumpers Way.
Bumpers Farm9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bumpers Way.
Bumpers Way449 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chippenham · Route 9 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 2.6 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, 50, 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.
Cinch
Continue to Cinch.
Cepen Park South
Continue to Cepen Park South, taking the junction with good observation.
Chequers Roundabout
Continue to Chequers Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Methuen Park
Continue to Methuen Park, taking the junction with good observation.
Topps Tiles
Continue to Topps Tiles.
Pheasant
Continue to Pheasant.
Rowden Arms
Continue to Rowden Arms.
Eddie Cochran Memorial
Continue to Eddie Cochran Memorial.
Brunel
Continue to Brunel.
Salvation Army - Chippenham
Continue to Salvation Army - Chippenham.
St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Continue to St Mary's Catholic Primary School.
Reel Cinema
Continue to Reel Cinema.
New Inn
Continue to New Inn.
Old Road Tavern
Continue to Old Road Tavern.
Baptist Church
Continue to Baptist Church.
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Continue to Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.
St Mary's
Continue to St Mary's.
Brook
Continue to Brook.
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 20.8 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chippenham test centre, not an official DVSA route.