Near Croydon test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 16 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.0 km practice loop near Croydon test centre, taking roughly 20 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, stations, shops 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 26-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.9 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 1st exit onto Carshalton Road/A237.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Carshalton Road/A237. Continue on A237.
A2371.8 km
Turn right onto Orchard Avenue.
Orchard Avenue207 m
Turn left.
91 m
Make a right U-turn.
91 m
Turn left onto Orchard Avenue.
Orchard Avenue130 m
Turn right onto New Road.
New Road273 m
Turn right onto London Road/A237. Continue on A237.
A2371.9 km
Turn left onto A232/Croydon Road.
A2321.5 km
Move right to stay on A232/Croydon Road.
A2321.1 km
Turn right onto A23/Purley Way.
A23335 m
Turn left onto Denning Avenue/B275. Continue on B275.
B275896 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bramley Hill.
15 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.
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 · School-zone 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.
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.
Bidder Memorial
Start near Bidder Memorial.
Ravensbury
Continue to Ravensbury.
Mitcham Junction
Continue to Mitcham Junction.
Diamond Kebab
Continue to Diamond Kebab.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Apostolic Church
Continue to Apostolic Church.
Hackbridge
Continue to Hackbridge.
Hackbridge Christian Spiritualist Church
Continue to Hackbridge Christian Spiritualist Church.
Elm Grove
Continue to Elm Grove.
Rose & Crown
Continue to Rose & Crown.
Link Primary School
Continue to Link Primary School.
Link Secondary School
Continue to Link Secondary School.
Waddon
Continue to Waddon.
Mace Michael Store
Continue to Mace Michael Store.
St Andrew
Continue to St Andrew.
Croydon Fire Station
Continue to Croydon Fire Station.
Reeves Corner
Continue to Reeves Corner.
Salvation Army Croydon Citadel
Continue to Salvation Army Croydon Citadel.
Marks & Spencer
Continue to Marks & Spencer.
Lombard Roundabout
Finish back near Lombard Roundabout, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 24 turns
8 roundabouts · 24 turns
12 roundabouts · 15 turns
10 roundabouts · 12 turns
This route is 15.0 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Croydon test centre, not an official DVSA route.