Near Croydon test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 12 turns across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 12.9 km practice loop near Croydon test centre, taking roughly 17 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 and independent driving. 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 18 catalogued landmarks, including shops, named junctions, schools 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 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 30-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.0 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 right onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Mitcham Road1.1 km
Enter Lombard Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Lombard Roundabout50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mitcham Road/A236. Continue on A236.
A2362.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A212.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto A212.
A212268 m
Move right onto Bramley Hill.
Bramley Hill614 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bramley Hill.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bramley Hill.
Bramley Hill613 m
Move left onto Southbridge Road/A236.
Southbridge Road202 m
Turn left onto Lower Coombe Street/A212.
Lower Coombe Street62 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Old Town/A236.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Town/A236. Continue on A236.
A2362.3 km
Enter Lombard Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Lombard Roundabout45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mitcham Road/A236. Continue on A236.
A2362.0 km
Turn right onto Windmill Road/B272.
Windmill Road509 m
Turn left onto Commonside East/B272.
Commonside East77 m
Turn right onto Manor Road/B272.
Manor Road417 m
Turn left onto Manor Place.
Manor Place42 m
Turn left.
10 m
Make a right U-turn.
10 m
Turn right onto Manor Place.
Manor Place42 m
Turn right onto Manor Road/B272.
Manor Road418 m
Turn left onto Commonside East/B272.
Commonside East77 m
Turn right onto Windmill Road/B272.
Windmill Road509 m
Turn left onto Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road865 m
Turn right onto Red House Road.
Red House Road114 m
Turn left.
37 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Croydon · Residential + A-road 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
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 18 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
little Beijing
Start near little Beijing.
Lombard Roundabout
Continue to Lombard Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Marks & Spencer
Continue to Marks & Spencer.
Al-Khair School Preparatory School
Continue to Al-Khair School Preparatory School.
House of Reeves
Continue to House of Reeves.
New Life Christian Centre
Continue to New Life Christian Centre.
Reeves Corner
Continue to Reeves Corner.
Shanrise Store
Continue to Shanrise Store.
Vine Branch Church
Continue to Vine Branch Church.
Bridge General Stores
Continue to Bridge General Stores.
Morley's
Continue to Morley's.
St Andrew
Continue to St Andrew.
Croydon Fire Station
Continue to Croydon Fire Station.
Jus Vibes
Continue to Jus Vibes.
Salvation Army Croydon Citadel
Continue to Salvation Army Croydon Citadel.
China Red
Continue to China Red.
Kutchenhaus
Finish back near Kutchenhaus, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 24 turns
8 roundabouts · 24 turns
12 roundabouts · 15 turns
8 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 12.9 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Croydon test centre, not an official DVSA route.