Near Erith test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 13 roundabouts, 9 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 73.9 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, Northend Road, Thames 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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, shops, 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 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 134-step drive on real, named roads (about 74.5 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 4th exit onto Anderson Way.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Anderson Way.
Anderson Way211 m
Move left.
9 m
Move left onto Anderson Way.
Anderson Way68 m
Move left onto Bronze Age Way/A2016.
Bronze Age Way2.3 km
Exit the roundabout onto Queens Road/A206. Continue on A206.
A206818 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Northend Road/A206.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northend Road/A206.
Northend Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Thames Road/A206.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road277 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Thames Road/A206.
78 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road462 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Thames Road/A206.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road462 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Thames Road/A206.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road544 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
Bob Dunn Way1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
Bob Dunn Way759 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
Bob Dunn Way887 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A206.
298 m
Exit the roundabout onto A206.
A206191 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A206.
187 m
Exit the roundabout onto A206.
A206155 m
Take the exit.
A2824.9 km
Take exit 30 onto A13 towards London/Tilbury/Thurrock Lakeside/Services.
769 m
Enter Mardyke Junction and take the 2nd exit.
Mardyke Junction13 m
Exit the roundabout onto A13.
A137.8 km
Take the Marsh Way exit.
A13350 m
Enter Marsh Way Junction and take the 5th exit.
Marsh Way Junction246 m
Exit the roundabout.
263 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Consul Avenue.
74 m
Exit the roundabout onto Consul Avenue.
Consul Avenue99 m
Turn left.
584 m
Make a right U-turn.
452 m
Turn left.
132 m
Turn right onto Consul Avenue.
Consul Avenue97 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit.
14 m
Exit the roundabout.
268 m
Enter Marsh Way Junction and take the 1st exit.
Marsh Way Junction6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A13.
A137.8 km
Take the Mardyke exit onto A282.
132 m
Take the A282 ramp.
161 m
Keep right to take A282.
66 m
Take the A282 ramp on the right.
72 m
Enter Mardyke Junction and take the 3rd exit.
Mardyke Junction440 m
Exit the roundabout.
411 m
Keep right to take A282/E 15.
A2824.9 km
Take exit 1A onto A206 towards Swanscombe/Erith/Bluewater.
A28256 m
Take exit 1A on the right onto A206 towards Swanscombe/Erith/Bluewater.
A282381 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A206.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto A206.
A206206 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
Bob Dunn Way878 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
Bob Dunn Way739 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bob Dunn Way/A206.
Bob Dunn Way1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Thames Road/A206.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road35 m
Keep left to stay on Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road517 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Thames Road/A206.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road472 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Thames Road/A206.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road469 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Thames Road/A206.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thames Road/A206.
Thames Road288 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Northend Road/A206.
131 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northend Road/A206.
Northend Road1.2 km
Exit the roundabout onto South Road/A206. Continue on A206.
A206808 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 3rd exit onto Anderson Way.
86 m
Exit the roundabout onto Anderson Way.
Anderson Way251 m
Enter Crabtree Manorway North and take the 5th exit onto Anderson Way.
Crabtree Manorway North51 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 Road694 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 Road245 m
Keep right to stay on Bexley Road/A220.
Bexley Road460 m
Turn left onto Lesney Park.
Lesney Park189 m
Turn left onto Park Crescent.
Park Crescent523 m
Turn right onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road161 m
Turn left onto Avenue Road.
Avenue Road176 m
Turn left onto Park Crescent.
Park Crescent617 m
Turn right onto Christchurch Avenue.
Christchurch Avenue291 m
Turn right onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road279 m
Turn right onto Avenue Road.
Avenue Road465 m
Turn right onto Lesney Park.
Lesney Park532 m
Turn right onto Bexley Road/A220.
Bexley Road342 m
Turn right onto Park Crescent Road.
Park Crescent Road184 m
Turn right onto Park Crescent.
Park Crescent928 m
Turn left onto Cavendish Avenue.
Cavendish Avenue298 m
Turn left onto Brantwood Avenue.
Brantwood Avenue63 m
Move left onto Oakdene Avenue.
Oakdene Avenue260 m
Turn left onto Carlton Road.
Carlton Road73 m
Turn left onto Cavendish Avenue.
Cavendish Avenue298 m
Turn left onto Brantwood Avenue.
Brantwood Avenue63 m
Move left onto Oakdene Avenue.
Oakdene Avenue260 m
Turn left onto Carlton Road.
Carlton Road381 m
Turn left onto Brook Street.
Brook Street2.3 km
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 Way989 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Anderson Way.
86 m
Exit the roundabout onto Anderson Way.
Anderson Way113 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Erith · Route 5 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.
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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 26.6 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, 40, 50, 70 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.
Northend Road
Continue to Northend Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Artis Accident Care
Continue to Artis Accident Care.
Thames Road
Continue to Thames Road, taking the junction with good observation.
SusCon
Continue to SusCon.
Essex Point
Continue to Essex Point.
Joyce Green Lane Terminus
Continue to Joyce Green Lane Terminus.
Medway Road
Continue to Medway Road.
Yummy
Continue to Yummy.
Erith
Continue to Erith.
Guru Nanak Durbar Sikh Temple
Continue to Guru Nanak Durbar Sikh Temple.
Halfway House
Continue to Halfway House.
Christ Church
Continue to Christ Church.
Duke
Continue to Duke.
Northumberland Heath Childrens Centre
Continue to Northumberland Heath Childrens Centre.
Allure Skin and Laser Clinic
Continue to Allure Skin and Laser Clinic.
Pure Hair Design
Continue to Pure Hair Design.
James Watt Way
Continue to James Watt Way, taking the junction with good observation.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
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 73.9 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.