Near Dorchester test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 13 roundabouts, 15 turns and 1 signalled junction across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 36.0 km practice route near Dorchester 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 Monkey's Jump Roundabout, Stadium Roundabout, Fordington Fields Roundabout and Max Gate 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, 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 named junctions, churches, shops 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 Dorchester 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 105-step drive on real, named roads (about 36.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
17 m
Turn right onto Peverell Avenue West.
Peverell Avenue West103 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bridport Road/B3150.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bridport Road/B3150.
Bridport Road106 m
Enter Monkey's Jump Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A35/Dorchester Bypass.
Monkey's Jump Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A35/Dorchester Bypass.
A352.3 km
Enter Stadium Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A35/Dorchester Bypass.
Stadium Roundabout35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A35/Dorchester Bypass.
A352.0 km
Turn right onto A352.
A352259 m
Enter Max Gate Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Alington Avenue/B3144.
Max Gate Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alington Avenue/B3144.
Alington Avenue253 m
Move left.
21 m
Enter Fordington Fields Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Fordington Fields Roundabout25 m
Exit the roundabout.
32 m
Move left onto Alington Road/B3144. Continue on B3144.
B3144322 m
Move right onto Athelstan Road.
Athelstan Road115 m
Turn left onto Kings Road.
Kings Road109 m
Move right onto Prince of Wales Road/B3144.
Prince of Wales Road702 m
Turn left onto South Walks Road/B3144.
South Walks Road16 m
Turn right onto Trinity Street.
Trinity Street346 m
Turn left onto Prince's Street.
Prince's Street118 m
Turn right onto Alington Street.
Alington Street67 m
Turn right onto High West Street/B3150. Continue on B3150.
B3150954 m
Turn right onto Kings Road/B3143. Continue on Kings Road.
Kings Road599 m
Turn right onto Icen Way.
Icen Way285 m
Move left onto South Walks Road.
South Walks Road476 m
Turn right onto Trinity Street.
Trinity Street346 m
Turn left onto Prince's Street.
Prince's Street247 m
Move left onto Albert Road/B3147.
Albert Road106 m
Turn left onto Cornwall Road/B3147.
Cornwall Road275 m
Turn left onto Great Western Road/B3144.
Great Western Road233 m
Turn left onto Weymouth Avenue/B3144. Continue on B3144.
B314439 m
Turn right onto Prince of Wales Road/B3144.
Prince of Wales Road304 m
Move left onto York Road.
York Road144 m
Turn left onto Culliford Road North.
Culliford Road North168 m
Turn right onto South Walks Road.
South Walks Road31 m
Turn left.
14 m
Make a sharp right.
52 m
Turn right onto Icen Way.
Icen Way13 m
Move left onto South Walks Road.
South Walks Road48 m
Turn left onto Culliford Road North.
Culliford Road North404 m
Turn right onto Monmouth Road.
Monmouth Road328 m
Turn left onto Rothesay Road.
Rothesay Road120 m
Turn left onto South Court Avenue.
South Court Avenue248 m
Turn right onto Manor Road.
Manor Road433 m
Turn right onto Grosvenor Crescent.
Grosvenor Crescent168 m
Turn left onto Grosvenor Road.
Grosvenor Road161 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road289 m
Turn right onto Rothesay Road.
Rothesay Road289 m
Turn right onto Mellstock Avenue.
Mellstock Avenue645 m
Turn right onto Herringston Road.
Herringston Road515 m
Turn right onto Maumbury Road.
Maumbury Road135 m
Turn right onto Grosvenor Road.
Grosvenor Road75 m
Turn left onto Grosvenor Crescent.
Grosvenor Crescent168 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road149 m
Turn right onto Rothesay Road.
Rothesay Road151 m
Turn right onto Kingsbere Crescent.
Kingsbere Crescent349 m
Turn left onto Mellstock Avenue.
Mellstock Avenue306 m
Turn left onto Rothesay Road.
Rothesay Road436 m
Turn right onto South Court Avenue.
South Court Avenue335 m
Turn left onto Culliford Road.
Culliford Road528 m
Turn left onto South Walks Road.
South Walks Road428 m
Turn right onto Trinity Street.
Trinity Street346 m
Turn left onto Prince's Street.
Prince's Street118 m
Turn right onto Alington Street.
Alington Street67 m
Turn right onto High West Street/B3150. Continue on B3150.
B3150954 m
Turn right onto Kings Road/B3143.
Kings Road450 m
Turn left onto Alington Road/B3143. Continue on Alington Road.
Alington Road485 m
Move left.
29 m
Enter Fordington Fields Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Fordington Fields Roundabout18 m
Exit the roundabout.
23 m
Move left onto Alington Avenue/B3144.
Alington Avenue250 m
Enter Max Gate Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A352.
Max Gate Roundabout15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A352.
A352302 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto West Stafford Bypass.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Stafford Bypass.
West Stafford Bypass3.1 km
Turn right onto Highgate Lane.
Highgate Lane1.8 km
Turn right to stay on Highgate Lane.
Highgate Lane145 m
Turn left onto Knighton Lane.
Knighton Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto Main Street/A352. Continue on A352.
A3524.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A352.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A352.
A352301 m
Enter Max Gate Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Came View Road.
Max Gate Roundabout40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Came View Road.
Came View Road191 m
Turn left to stay on Came View Road.
Came View Road65 m
Turn left to stay on Came View Road.
Came View Road608 m
Turn right to stay on Came View Road.
Came View Road671 m
Turn right to stay on Came View Road.
Came View Road63 m
Turn left to stay on Came View Road.
Came View Road65 m
Turn right to stay on Came View Road.
Came View Road190 m
Enter Max Gate Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Alington Avenue/B3144.
Max Gate Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alington Avenue/B3144.
Alington Avenue253 m
Move left.
21 m
Enter Fordington Fields Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Fordington Fields Roundabout25 m
Exit the roundabout.
32 m
Move left onto Alington Road/B3144. Continue on B3144.
B31441.2 km
Turn left onto South Walks Road/B3144.
South Walks Road16 m
Turn right onto Trinity Street.
Trinity Street346 m
Turn left onto Prince's Street.
Prince's Street118 m
Turn right onto Alington Street.
Alington Street67 m
Turn left onto High West Street/B3150.
High West Street125 m
Enter Top O'Town Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Albert Road/B3147.
Top O'Town Roundabout13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Albert Road/B3147.
Albert Road70 m
Turn left onto Prince's Street.
Prince's Street135 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Dorchester · Route 3 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.
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.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Monkey's Jump Roundabout, Stadium Roundabout, Fordington Fields Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 4.3 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 60 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
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.
Monkey's Jump Roundabout
Start near Monkey's Jump Roundabout.
Stadium Roundabout
Continue to Stadium Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Fordington Fields Roundabout
Continue to Fordington Fields Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
All Saints Church
Continue to All Saints Church.
Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Continue to Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
Fordington German Prisoners of War Memorial
Continue to Fordington German Prisoners of War Memorial.
Arias Barber
Continue to Arias Barber.
Hays Travel
Continue to Hays Travel.
Junction
Continue to Junction.
Profile Hair & Beauty Studio
Continue to Profile Hair & Beauty Studio.
Ruby House
Continue to Ruby House.
Baker's Arms
Continue to Baker's Arms.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Max Gate Roundabout
Continue to Max Gate Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
New Inn
Continue to New Inn.
St Peter
Continue to St Peter.
St Martin
Continue to St Martin.
Westerly Dorchester
Continue to Westerly Dorchester.
Baptist Church Garden
Continue to Baptist Church Garden.
Dorchester Baptist Church
Finish back near Dorchester Baptist Church, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 12 turns · 4 sets of lights
11 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
8 roundabouts · 14 turns · 3 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 20 turns
This route is 36.0 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Dorchester test centre, not an official DVSA route.