Near Eastbourne test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 13 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 22.4 km practice route near Eastbourne test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Birch Roundabout, Lottbridge Roundabout, Upper Avenue Roundabout, Cross Levels Way and Broadwater Roundabout and 1 more named junctions. 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, 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 pubs, churches, schools and named junctions, 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 Eastbourne 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 91-step drive on real, named roads (about 22.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east on Wartling Road.
Wartling Road128 m
Turn right to stay on Wartling Road.
Wartling Road81 m
Enter Sovereign Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lottbridge Drove.
Sovereign Roundabout19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lottbridge Drove.
Lottbridge Drove502 m
Enter Seaside Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Seaside/A259.
Seaside Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Seaside/A259.
Seaside422 m
Turn left onto Rye Street.
Rye Street178 m
Turn left onto Wartling Road.
Wartling Road124 m
Turn left onto Winchelsea Road.
Winchelsea Road249 m
Turn right onto Seaside/A259.
Seaside346 m
Enter Seaside Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lottbridge Drove/A2290.
Seaside Roundabout4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lottbridge Drove/A2290.
Lottbridge Drove199 m
Enter Birch Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Lottbridge Drove/A2290.
Birch Roundabout24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lottbridge Drove/A2290.
Lottbridge Drove1.3 km
Enter Lottbridge Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Lottbridge Drove/A2290.
Lottbridge Roundabout160 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lottbridge Drove/A2290.
Lottbridge Drove1.3 km
Enter Birch Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Lottbridge Drove/A2290.
Birch Roundabout22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lottbridge Drove/A2290.
Lottbridge Drove198 m
Enter Seaside Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Seaside/A259.
Seaside Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Seaside/A259.
Seaside311 m
Turn left onto Winston Crescent.
Winston Crescent39 m
Turn right to stay on Winston Crescent.
Winston Crescent38 m
Turn right onto Seaside/A259.
Seaside362 m
Enter Seaside Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Seaside/A259.
Seaside Roundabout36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Seaside/A259.
Seaside847 m
Turn right onto Roselands Avenue.
Roselands Avenue121 m
Turn left onto Roselands Close.
Roselands Close52 m
Turn left.
72 m
Make a right U-turn.
72 m
Turn right onto Roselands Close.
Roselands Close52 m
Turn left onto Roselands Avenue.
Roselands Avenue583 m
Turn left onto Astaire Avenue.
Astaire Avenue106 m
Turn left onto Astaire Close.
Astaire Close63 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Astaire Close.
Astaire Close63 m
Turn left onto Astaire Avenue.
Astaire Avenue38 m
Turn left onto Hunloke Avenue.
Hunloke Avenue254 m
Turn left onto St. Philip's Avenue.
St. Philip's Avenue151 m
Turn left onto Harding Avenue.
Harding Avenue305 m
Turn left onto Astaire Avenue.
Astaire Avenue106 m
Turn left onto Astaire Close.
Astaire Close63 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Astaire Close.
Astaire Close63 m
Turn left onto Astaire Avenue.
Astaire Avenue131 m
Turn left onto Brookmead Close.
Brookmead Close91 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Brookmead Close.
Brookmead Close91 m
Turn right onto Astaire Avenue.
Astaire Avenue131 m
Turn right onto Astaire Close.
Astaire Close63 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Astaire Close.
Astaire Close63 m
Turn left onto Astaire Avenue.
Astaire Avenue38 m
Turn left onto Hunloke Avenue.
Hunloke Avenue146 m
Turn right onto Moy Avenue.
Moy Avenue285 m
Turn left onto Ringwood Road.
Ringwood Road111 m
Turn left onto St. Philip's Avenue.
St. Philip's Avenue269 m
Turn left onto Hunloke Avenue.
Hunloke Avenue108 m
Turn left onto Moy Avenue.
Moy Avenue285 m
Turn right onto Ringwood Road.
Ringwood Road200 m
Turn left onto Courtlands Road.
Courtlands Road321 m
Turn right onto Moy Avenue.
Moy Avenue102 m
Turn left onto Waterworks Road.
Waterworks Road162 m
Turn left onto Whitley Road/A2021.
Whitley Road509 m
Turn right onto Avondale Road.
Avondale Road387 m
Turn left onto Firle Road.
Firle Road163 m
Turn left onto Hoad Road.
Hoad Road88 m
Turn left onto Springfield Road.
Springfield Road43 m
Turn left onto Oxford Road.
Oxford Road91 m
Turn left onto Firle Road.
Firle Road42 m
Turn right onto Willowfield Road.
Willowfield Road362 m
Turn right onto Langney Road.
Langney Road239 m
Turn right onto Cavendish Place.
Cavendish Place521 m
Enter Upper Avenue Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Avenue/A2040.
Upper Avenue Roundabout53 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Avenue/A2040.
The Avenue77 m
Turn left onto Upper Avenue/A2040.
Upper Avenue111 m
Turn left onto Bedfordwell Road/A2021. Continue on A2021.
A20211.6 km
Enter Rodmill Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Cross Levels Way/A2280.
Rodmill Roundabout70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cross Levels Way/A2280.
Cross Levels Way166 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cross Levels Way/A2280.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cross Levels Way/A2280.
Cross Levels Way1.1 km
Enter Broadwater Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Cross Levels Way/A2280.
Broadwater Roundabout215 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cross Levels Way/A2280.
Cross Levels Way775 m
Enter Lottbridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A22/Highfield Link.
Lottbridge Roundabout54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A22/Highfield Link.
A22564 m
Enter Shinewater Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Willingdon Drove/B2191.
Shinewater Roundabout105 m
Exit the roundabout onto Willingdon Drove/B2191.
Willingdon Drove1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B2104.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto B2104.
B210441 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Langney Rise/B2104.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Langney Rise/B2104.
Langney Rise1.4 km
Enter Langney Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Princes Road.
Langney Roundabout55 m
Exit the roundabout onto Princes Road.
Princes Road510 m
Turn left.
18 m
Turn right onto Princes Road.
Princes Road20 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Eastbourne · Route 9 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
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 Birch Roundabout, Lottbridge Roundabout, Upper Avenue Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 0.9 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.
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.
Arlington Arms
Start near Arlington Arms.
St Andrew
Continue to St Andrew.
St Andrew's Church of England Infants School
Continue to St Andrew's Church of England Infants School.
Birch Roundabout
Continue to Birch Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Lottbridge Roundabout
Continue to Lottbridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Caffyns Volvo
Continue to Caffyns Volvo.
Wildfire Vapes Eastbourne
Continue to Wildfire Vapes Eastbourne.
Scarlets Beauty Rooms
Continue to Scarlets Beauty Rooms.
Suncoast Church
Continue to Suncoast Church.
St Agnes Catholic Church
Continue to St Agnes Catholic Church.
Bourne Primary School
Continue to Bourne Primary School.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Eastbourne Mosque
Continue to Eastbourne Mosque.
Upper Avenue Roundabout
Continue to Upper Avenue Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Cross Levels Way
Continue to Cross Levels Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Broadwater Roundabout
Continue to Broadwater Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Shinewater Roundabout
Continue to Shinewater Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Martello Inn
Continue to Martello Inn.
Catholic Church Christ the King
Finish back near Catholic Church Christ the King, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 9 turns · 2 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 13 turns · 2 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 16 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 18 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 22.4 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Eastbourne test centre, not an official DVSA route.