Near Erith test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 13 roundabouts, 7 turns and 1 signalled junction across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 26.0 km practice loop near Erith 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 Crabtree Manorway North, Lower Road, Northend Road, James Watt Way and Bronze Age Way. 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, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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 named junctions, churches, pubs 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 Erith 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 76-step drive on real, named roads (about 26.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
59 m
Turn right onto Crabtree Manorway North.
Crabtree Manorway North187 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Crabtree Manorway North.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Crabtree Manorway North.
Crabtree Manorway North181 m
Turn left.
99 m
Turn left.
568 m
Turn left.
318 m
Turn left onto Mulberry Way.
Mulberry Way257 m
Enter Crabtree Manorway North and take the 2nd exit onto Anderson Way.
Crabtree Manorway North27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Anderson Way.
Anderson Way211 m
Move left.
9 m
Move right onto Anderson Way.
Anderson Way26 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Picardy Manorway/B253.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Picardy Manorway/B253.
Picardy Manorway771 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lower Road/B213.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Road/B213.
Lower Road695 m
Turn left to take the Bronze Age Way ramp.
Bronze Age Way993 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bronze Age Way/A2016.
125 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bronze Age Way/A2016.
Bronze Age Way2.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bexley Road/A220.
92 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bexley Road/A220.
Bexley Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Carlton Road.
Carlton Road627 m
Turn right onto Brook Street.
Brook Street700 m
Turn right onto Erith Road/A206.
Erith Road393 m
Turn right onto Holmhurst Road.
Holmhurst Road211 m
Turn left onto Holly Hill Road.
Holly Hill Road34 m
Turn right onto Filston Road.
Filston Road518 m
Turn left onto Brook Street.
Brook Street725 m
Turn left onto Hengist Road.
Hengist Road90 m
Turn left onto Penda Road.
Penda Road407 m
Turn right onto Carlton Road.
Carlton Road203 m
Turn right onto Oakdene Avenue.
Oakdene Avenue25 m
Turn left to stay on Oakdene Avenue.
Oakdene Avenue23 m
Turn left onto Carlton Road.
Carlton Road222 m
Turn left onto Collindale Avenue.
Collindale Avenue328 m
Turn left onto Brantwood Avenue.
Brantwood Avenue129 m
Move left onto Oakdene Avenue.
Oakdene Avenue260 m
Turn left onto Carlton Road.
Carlton Road203 m
Turn left onto Collindale Avenue.
Collindale Avenue70 m
Turn left onto Highfield Avenue.
Highfield Avenue104 m
Turn left onto Cavendish Avenue.
Cavendish Avenue75 m
Turn right onto Carlton Road.
Carlton Road319 m
Turn left onto Bexley Road/A220.
Bexley Road693 m
Turn right onto Park Crescent Road.
Park Crescent Road184 m
Turn right onto Park Crescent.
Park Crescent412 m
Move left to stay on Park Crescent.
Park Crescent60 m
Move left onto Hind Crescent.
Hind Crescent291 m
Move left onto Avenue Road.
Avenue Road73 m
Turn right onto Ramsden Road.
Ramsden Road356 m
Turn left onto Colyers Lane.
Colyers Lane65 m
Turn right onto Colyers Close.
Colyers Close71 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Colyers Close.
Colyers Close71 m
Turn right onto Colyers Lane.
Colyers Lane908 m
Turn right onto Northend Road/A206.
Northend Road755 m
Enter Thames Road and take the 5th exit onto Northend Road/A206.
Thames Road209 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northend Road/A206.
Northend Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto South Road/A206.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto South Road/A206. Continue on A206.
A206808 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Queens Road/A206.
100 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queens Road/A206.
Queens Road290 m
Turn left onto James Watt Way.
James Watt Way102 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto James Watt Way.
66 m
Exit the roundabout onto James Watt Way.
James Watt Way113 m
Turn right onto Queens Road/A206.
Queens Road288 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bronze Age Way/A2016.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bronze Age Way/A2016.
Bronze Age Way2.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bronze Age Way/A2016.
125 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bronze Age Way/A2016.
Bronze Age Way1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lower Road/B213.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Road/B213.
Lower Road210 m
Turn right to take the Bronze Age Way ramp.
Bronze Age Way990 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Anderson Way.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto Anderson Way.
Anderson Way251 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Crabtree Manorway North.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Crabtree Manorway North.
Crabtree Manorway North35 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Erith · Route 4 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.
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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50 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.
Crabtree Manorway North
Start near Crabtree Manorway North.
Guru Nanak Durbar Sikh Temple
Continue to Guru Nanak Durbar Sikh Temple.
Halfway House
Continue to Halfway House.
Lower Road
Continue to Lower Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Erith
Continue to Erith.
Erith Town Hall
Continue to Erith Town Hall.
Erith Fire Station
Continue to Erith Fire Station.
Northumberland Heath Medical Centre
Continue to Northumberland Heath Medical Centre.
Afishionados
Continue to Afishionados.
Beijing
Continue to Beijing.
Shell Select
Continue to Shell Select.
Slade Green Superstore
Continue to Slade Green Superstore.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Northend Mini Market
Continue to Northend Mini Market.
Northend Road
Continue to Northend Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Yummy
Continue to Yummy.
James Watt Way
Continue to James Watt Way, taking the junction with good observation.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Bronze Age Way
Finish back near Bronze Age Way, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 19 turns
11 roundabouts · 10 turns · 2 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
13 roundabouts · 8 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 26.0 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Erith test centre, not an official DVSA route.