Near Croydon test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 15 turns across 49 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.4 km practice loop near Croydon test centre, taking roughly 21 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 Lombard Roundabout. 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 roundabout approach & exit, independent driving 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 pubs, shops, schools and parks, 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 Croydon 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:
The full 49-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest.
37 m
Turn right onto Red House Road.
Red House Road114 m
Turn left onto Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road102 m
Keep right to stay on Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road142 m
Keep right to stay on Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road119 m
Keep right to stay on Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road200 m
Keep left to stay on Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road176 m
Keep left to stay on Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Commonside West/A236.
62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Commonside West/A236.
Commonside West570 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Upper Green East/A236.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Upper Green East/A236.
Upper Green East304 m
Turn left onto London Road/A217.
London Road35 m
Move right to stay on London Road/A217.
London Road21 m
Turn right onto Raleigh Gardens.
Raleigh Gardens166 m
Turn left onto Western Road/A236.
Western Road1.1 km
Turn left to stay on Western Road/A236.
Western Road21 m
Keep right to stay on Western Road/A236.
Western Road28 m
Turn right onto Christchurch Road/A236.
Christchurch Road218 m
Turn left onto A24/Merantun Way.
A24282 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A24/Merantun Way.
78 m
Exit the roundabout onto A24/Merantun Way.
A24286 m
Turn right onto Christchurch Road/A236.
Christchurch Road232 m
Move left onto Western Road/A236.
Western Road62 m
Turn right onto Western Road/A236. Continue on A236.
A2361.2 km
Keep left to stay on A236.
A236107 m
Keep left to take Upper Green East/A236.
Upper Green East236 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Commonside West/A236.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Commonside West/A236.
Commonside West565 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Croydon Road/A236.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road1.6 km
Keep left to stay on Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road187 m
Keep left to stay on A236.
A2361.2 km
Enter Lombard Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A23/Purley Way.
Lombard Roundabout73 m
Exit the roundabout onto A23/Purley Way.
A232.0 km
Turn right onto A232/Croydon Road.
A23215 m
Keep right to stay on A232/Croydon Road.
A232544 m
Turn left onto Nicholas Road.
Nicholas Road97 m
Turn left onto Oakley Avenue.
Oakley Avenue117 m
Turn left onto Willoughby Avenue.
Willoughby Avenue100 m
Turn right onto A232/Croydon Road.
A232435 m
Turn left onto A23/Purley Road. Continue on A23.
A2390 m
Keep left to take A23/Purley Way.
A23551 m
Keep left to stay on A23/Purley Way.
A231.4 km
Enter Lombard Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Lombard Roundabout21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Mitcham Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Red House Road.
Red House Road114 m
Turn left.
37 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Croydon · Dual-carriageway practice loop 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.
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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Lombard Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Windmill Inn
Start near Windmill Inn.
G1 M.O.T. Centre
Continue to G1 M.O.T. Centre.
Jus'T'Learn
Continue to Jus'T'Learn.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
RISE Education
Continue to RISE Education.
Merton Priory Chapter House Museum
Continue to Merton Priory Chapter House Museum.
Holland & Barrett
Continue to Holland & Barrett.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Mitcham Fair Green
Continue to Mitcham Fair Green.
Mr Kebab
Continue to Mr Kebab.
Ravensbury
Continue to Ravensbury.
Bidder Memorial
Continue to Bidder Memorial.
China Red
Continue to China Red.
Lombard Roundabout
Continue to Lombard Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Carphone Warehouse
Continue to Carphone Warehouse.
Mamas & Papas
Continue to Mamas & Papas.
Hare and Hounds
Continue to Hare and Hounds.
S.G. Smith Seat & Skoda main Dealership
Continue to S.G. Smith Seat & Skoda main Dealership.
Sofology
Continue to Sofology.
FTM-Fulham timber&builders merchants
Finish back near FTM-Fulham timber&builders merchants, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 24 turns
8 roundabouts · 24 turns
8 roundabouts · 16 turns
10 roundabouts · 12 turns
This route is 16.4 km and takes about 21 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Croydon test centre, not an official DVSA route.