Near Garretts Green test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 11 turns across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 31.6 km practice route near Garretts Green test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Brays Road and Station Road. 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, 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 pubs, churches, shops and schools, 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 Garretts Green 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 75-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast.
130 m
Turn right onto Granby Avenue.
Granby Avenue742 m
Turn left onto Garretts Green Lane.
Garretts Green Lane763 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Garretts Green Lane.
68 m
Exit the roundabout onto Garretts Green Lane.
Garretts Green Lane282 m
Turn left onto Markfield Road.
Markfield Road129 m
Turn left onto Rotherfield Road.
Rotherfield Road198 m
Turn left onto Brinsley Road.
Brinsley Road106 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Sheldon Heath Road.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sheldon Heath Road.
Sheldon Heath Road414 m
Turn left onto Este Road.
Este Road145 m
Turn left onto Hengham Road.
Hengham Road413 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Sheldon Heath Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sheldon Heath Road.
Sheldon Heath Road782 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Church Road.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Road.
Church Road941 m
Turn left.
37 m
Move left onto Cranes Park Road.
Cranes Park Road897 m
Turn left onto Mapledene Road.
Mapledene Road102 m
Turn left onto Berryfield Road.
Berryfield Road411 m
Turn left onto Parkdale Road.
Parkdale Road450 m
Make a right U-turn onto Dovercourt Road.
Dovercourt Road145 m
Turn right onto Whitecroft Road.
Whitecroft Road344 m
Turn right onto Shepheard Road.
Shepheard Road188 m
Turn right onto Olorenshaw Road.
Olorenshaw Road49 m
Turn left onto Arden Oak Road.
Arden Oak Road199 m
Turn right onto Olorenshaw Road.
Olorenshaw Road536 m
Turn right onto Arden Oak Road.
Arden Oak Road316 m
Turn left onto A45/Coventry Road.
A45148 m
Take the exit.
101 m
Turn right to take the ramp.
14 m
Turn right onto A45/Coventry Road. Continue on A45.
A454.2 km
Move right.
97 m
Turn right onto Holder Road.
Holder Road6 m
Turn right onto A45/Coventry Road. Continue on A45.
A451.9 km
Turn left onto Brays Road.
Brays Road471 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brays Road.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brays Road.
Brays Road536 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brays Road.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brays Road.
Brays Road557 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Radleys.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Radleys.
The Radleys1.5 km
Turn right onto Bell Lane.
Bell Lane638 m
Enter Holly Lane and take the 1st exit onto Station Road.
Holly Lane4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road.
Station Road142 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Station Road.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road.
Station Road1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Coleshill Heath Road.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Coleshill Heath Road.
Coleshill Heath Road774 m
Turn left onto Coleshill Road.
Coleshill Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Bickenhill Road.
Bickenhill Road652 m
Turn left.
146 m
Turn right.
10 m
Turn right.
152 m
Turn right onto Bickenhill Road.
Bickenhill Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Station Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road.
Station Road144 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Holly Lane.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane641 m
Turn left onto The Radleys.
The Radleys1.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Sheldon Heath Road.
79 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sheldon Heath Road.
Sheldon Heath Road782 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Sheldon Heath Road.
72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sheldon Heath Road.
Sheldon Heath Road414 m
Turn left onto Este Road.
Este Road145 m
Turn left onto Hengham Road.
Hengham Road413 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto Garretts Green Lane.
121 m
Exit the roundabout onto Garretts Green Lane.
Garretts Green Lane282 m
Turn left onto Markfield Road.
Markfield Road129 m
Turn left onto Rotherfield Road.
Rotherfield Road198 m
Turn left onto Brinsley Road.
Brinsley Road106 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Garretts Green Lane.
91 m
Exit the roundabout onto Garretts Green Lane.
Garretts Green Lane763 m
Turn right onto Granby Avenue.
Granby Avenue415 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Garretts Green · 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.
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.
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 6.3 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, 40 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.
Garretts Green Sports Bar
Start near Garretts Green Sports Bar.
St Thomas' Church Garretts Green
Continue to St Thomas' Church Garretts Green.
Sheldon Police Station
Continue to Sheldon Police Station.
Crane
Continue to Crane.
Tonka Bakery
Continue to Tonka Bakery.
Wheatsheaf
Continue to Wheatsheaf.
Manarat Foundation
Continue to Manarat Foundation.
Three Horseshoes
Continue to Three Horseshoes.
Old Bill and Bull
Continue to Old Bill and Bull.
South Yardley Methodist Church
Continue to South Yardley Methodist Church.
EBN Academy
Continue to EBN Academy.
Bam Bam Nursery
Continue to Bam Bam Nursery.
Brays Road
Continue to Brays Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Marston Green Tavern
Continue to Marston Green Tavern.
Station Road
Continue to Station Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Garden of Remembrance
Continue to Garden of Remembrance.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Motorfair
Continue to Motorfair.
Jonathan Walker
Finish back near Jonathan Walker, completing the loop.
9 roundabouts · 15 turns · 4 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 9 turns · 6 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 11 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 31.6 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Garretts Green test centre, not an official DVSA route.