Near Croydon test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 24 turns across 48 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.5 km practice loop near Croydon test centre, taking roughly 36 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.
On this route you’ll practise 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, churches, schools and stations, 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 48-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.5 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 Road1.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Commonside West/A236.
62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Commonside West/A236.
Commonside West152 m
Turn left onto Madeira Road/A239. Continue on A239.
A239652 m
Keep left at the fork.
52 m
Turn left onto London Road/A217. Continue on London Road.
London Road458 m
Move left onto London Road/A217. Continue on A217.
A2171.9 km
Enter Rosehill Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B278.
Rosehill Roundabout77 m
Exit the roundabout onto B278.
B2786 m
Move right onto B2230.
B2230839 m
Turn left onto Aultone Way.
Aultone Way224 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 7th exit onto Woodend.
115 m
Exit the roundabout onto Woodend.
Woodend366 m
Turn left onto All Saints Road.
All Saints Road1.4 km
Turn left onto A232/Carshalton Road.
A2321.1 km
Turn left onto A232/Pound Street. Continue on A232.
A2322.7 km
Move right onto A232/Croydon Road.
A2321.1 km
Turn right onto A23/Purley Way.
A23279 m
Take the exit.
43 m
Turn left onto A232/Stafford Road. Continue on A232.
A232375 m
Move right onto A232/Duppas Hill Road. Continue on A232.
A2321.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A232/Barclay Road.
107 m
Exit the roundabout onto A232/Barclay Road. Continue on A232.
A232637 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A232/Chepstow Road.
120 m
Exit the roundabout onto A232/Chepstow Road.
A232537 m
Move right onto A232/Addiscombe Road.
A232137 m
Turn left onto Elgin Road.
Elgin Road407 m
Turn left onto Lower Addiscombe Road/A222.
Lower Addiscombe Road493 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lower Addiscombe Road/A222.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Addiscombe Road/A222.
Lower Addiscombe Road169 m
Turn right onto Davidson Road.
Davidson Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Towpath Way.
Towpath Way63 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Towpath Way.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Towpath Way.
Towpath Way63 m
Turn right onto Davidson Road.
Davidson Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Lower Addiscombe Road/A222. Continue on A222.
A222643 m
Turn left onto Newgate/A212.
A212652 m
Move left onto St James's Road/A213.
St James's Road242 m
Turn left onto London Road/A213.
London Road8 m
Turn right onto Sumner Road/A213.
Sumner Road453 m
Turn right onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Mitcham Road746 m
Enter Lombard Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Lombard Roundabout45 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 · Roundabout 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.
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.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Ravensbury
Start near Ravensbury.
Catholic Church of St. Peter & Paul Mitcham
Continue to Catholic Church of St. Peter & Paul Mitcham.
St Theresa of the Child Jesus
Continue to St Theresa of the Child Jesus.
Sutton Spiritualist Church
Continue to Sutton Spiritualist Church.
Bright Horizons Day Nursery & Preschool
Continue to Bright Horizons Day Nursery & Preschool.
St Mary’s Catholic Junior School
Continue to St Mary’s Catholic Junior School.
All Saints Church
Continue to All Saints Church.
Link Primary School
Continue to Link Primary School.
Link Secondary School
Continue to Link Secondary School.
Waddon
Continue to Waddon.
Krishna Avanti Primary School
Continue to Krishna Avanti Primary School.
Memory Box
Continue to Memory Box.
Croydon Friends Meeting House
Continue to Croydon Friends Meeting House.
Alma Tavern
Continue to Alma Tavern.
Church of the Nazarene
Continue to Church of the Nazarene.
Windmill
Continue to Windmill.
Siri Guru Singh Sabha
Continue to Siri Guru Singh Sabha.
West Croydon Baptist Church
Continue to West Croydon Baptist Church.
Baitus Subhan Mosque
Continue to Baitus Subhan Mosque.
Christ Church West Croydon
Finish back near Christ Church West Croydon, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 24 turns
12 roundabouts · 15 turns
8 roundabouts · 16 turns
10 roundabouts · 12 turns
This route is 24.5 km and takes about 36 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Croydon test centre, not an official DVSA route.