Near Clacton-on-Sea test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 17 turns and 1 signalled junction across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.6 km practice route near Clacton-on-Sea 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 Sladburys Lane. 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, 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 churches, shops, schools 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 Clacton-on-Sea 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 74-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on A133/Carnarvon Road.
A13314 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A133/Wellesley Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A133/Wellesley Road.
A133249 m
Turn right onto Harrow Road.
Harrow Road161 m
Turn right onto Oxford Road.
Oxford Road259 m
Move left onto A133/Wellesley Road.
A13350 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A133/Carnarvon Road.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto A133/Carnarvon Road.
A133124 m
Turn right onto Hayes Road.
Hayes Road148 m
Turn left onto Alexandra Road.
Alexandra Road127 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road48 m
Turn left onto A133/Carnarvon Road.
A133122 m
Turn left onto Hayes Road.
Hayes Road428 m
Turn left onto Rosemary Road/B1032.
Rosemary Road96 m
Keep right to stay on Rosemary Road.
Rosemary Road323 m
Turn left onto A133/Carnarvon Road.
A133405 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road321 m
Turn left onto High Street/B1032.
High Street223 m
Turn left onto A133/Carnarvon Road.
A133481 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A133/Wellesley Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A133/Wellesley Road. Continue on A133.
A133485 m
Turn left onto Old Road.
Old Road526 m
Turn right onto St Osyth Road.
St Osyth Road2.0 km
Turn left onto St Johns Road.
St Johns Road299 m
Turn left.
207 m
Turn right onto St Johns Road/B1027. Continue on St Johns Road.
St Johns Road1.3 km
Enter St Johns Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/B1441.
St Johns Roundabout41 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/B1441.
London Road566 m
Turn right onto Hawthorn Road.
Hawthorn Road216 m
Turn left onto Linden Drive.
Linden Drive134 m
Turn left onto Cypress Close.
Cypress Close291 m
Turn left onto Hawthorn Road.
Hawthorn Road291 m
Turn left onto Thorpe Road/B1442.
Thorpe Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards London/Colchester/Harwich.
12 m
Exit the roundabout towards London/Colchester/Harwich.
Centenary Way716 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Great Holland/Oakwood Industrial Estate/Gorse Lane Industrial Estate/Clacton Factory Shopping Village.
84 m
Exit the roundabout towards Great Holland/Oakwood Industrial Estate/Gorse Lane Industrial Estate/Clacton Factory Shopping Village.
Centenary Way717 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Great Clacton Shopping Centre.
66 m
Exit the roundabout towards Great Clacton Shopping Centre.
Thorpe Road1.3 km
Turn right to take the ramp.
North Road28 m
Turn left onto North Road/B1369.
North Road37 m
Make a sharp left onto Thorpe Road/B1442.
Thorpe Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Gorse Lane.
Gorse Lane973 m
Turn right onto Burrs Road.
Burrs Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Valley Road/B1027.
Valley Road797 m
Turn left onto Holland Road/B1032.
Holland Road435 m
Turn left onto Sladburys Lane.
Sladburys Lane298 m
Turn left to stay on Sladburys Lane.
Sladburys Lane143 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Sladburys Lane.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sladburys Lane.
Sladburys Lane141 m
Turn right to stay on Sladburys Lane.
Sladburys Lane295 m
Turn left onto Holland Road/B1032. Continue on B1032.
B1032515 m
Turn left onto Ipswich Road.
Ipswich Road82 m
Turn left onto Colchester Road.
Colchester Road251 m
Turn left onto Windermere Road.
Windermere Road87 m
Turn right onto Frinton Road/B1032. Continue on B1032.
B1032155 m
Turn left onto Turpins Avenue.
Turpins Avenue40 m
Turn right onto Turpins Close.
Turpins Close138 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Turpins Close.
Turpins Close138 m
Turn right onto Turpins Avenue.
Turpins Avenue84 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Seafields Gardens.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Seafields Gardens.
Seafields Gardens544 m
Turn left onto Holland Road/B1032.
Holland Road583 m
Turn left onto Connaught Gardens West.
Connaught Gardens West367 m
Turn left onto Marine Parade East.
Marine Parade East39 m
Turn left onto Connaught Gardens East.
Connaught Gardens East379 m
Turn left onto Holland Road/B1032.
Holland Road584 m
Turn right onto Skelmersdale Road.
Skelmersdale Road500 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road97 m
Turn left onto A133/Carnarvon Road.
A13334 m
Turn right onto Station Road.
Station Road321 m
Turn left onto High Street/B1032.
High Street223 m
Turn left onto A133/Carnarvon Road.
A133177 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Clacton-on-Sea · 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.
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 1.9 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.
National-speed roads
Parts of this route run at the national speed limit. Keep a safe following distance and plan overtakes only where it is clearly safe and legal.
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.
Elim Pentecostal
Start near Elim Pentecostal.
Glam Nails & Beauty
Continue to Glam Nails & Beauty.
United Reform Church
Continue to United Reform Church.
Bootleggers Off Licence
Continue to Bootleggers Off Licence.
Clacton Citadel
Continue to Clacton Citadel.
Advanced Netting
Continue to Advanced Netting.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Woodrows
Continue to Woodrows.
Robin Hood
Continue to Robin Hood.
Morrisons
Continue to Morrisons.
East Links Residential
Continue to East Links Residential.
Robert Burre
Continue to Robert Burre.
Burrs Road Cemetery Chapel
Continue to Burrs Road Cemetery Chapel.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Hockleys
Continue to Hockleys.
Sladburys Lane
Continue to Sladburys Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
St Bartholomews Church Hall
Continue to St Bartholomews Church Hall.
Electric Bed & Chair Co
Continue to Electric Bed & Chair Co.
Colin's at the Lighthouse
Continue to Colin's at the Lighthouse.
Stoneridge Estate Agent
Finish back near Stoneridge Estate Agent, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 15 turns · 1 set of lights
11 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
11 roundabouts · 18 turns
9 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 25.6 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Clacton-on-Sea test centre, not an official DVSA route.