Near Gloucester test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 13 roundabouts, 10 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.1 km practice loop near Gloucester 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 Tesco Roundabout and Greenhill Drive. 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, 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 shops, churches, pubs 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 Gloucester 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 99-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on Falcon Close.
Falcon Close7 m
Turn left to stay on Falcon Close.
Falcon Close12 m
Turn right to stay on Falcon Close.
Falcon Close69 m
Turn right to stay on Falcon Close.
Falcon Close70 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Merlin Drive.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive221 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merlin Drive.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive384 m
Turn left onto Welland Road.
Welland Road206 m
Turn right to stay on Welland Road.
Welland Road36 m
Turn left to stay on Welland Road.
Welland Road149 m
Turn right onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive172 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merlin Drive.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive219 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merlin Drive.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive130 m
Turn left onto Bristol Road/B4008.
Bristol Road280 m
Turn left onto A430.
A430150 m
Take the exit on the right.
Bristol Road725 m
Turn left.
108 m
Turn left.
10 m
Turn right onto Bristol Road.
Bristol Road591 m
Continue.
48 m
Take the exit.
A430211 m
Move right onto Bristol Road/B4008.
Bristol Road1.1 km
Enter Tesco Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Severnvale Drive.
Tesco Roundabout82 m
Exit the roundabout onto Severnvale Drive.
Severnvale Drive228 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Severnvale Drive.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Severnvale Drive.
Severnvale Drive1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto School Lane.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto School Lane.
School Lane269 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wharfdale Way.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wharfdale Way.
Wharfdale Way74 m
Turn left onto Arkendale Drive.
Arkendale Drive224 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto School Lane.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto School Lane.
School Lane223 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto School Lane.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto School Lane.
School Lane263 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto School Lane.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto School Lane.
School Lane743 m
Turn left onto Saint James' Close.
Saint James' Close101 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Saint James' Close.
Saint James' Close101 m
Turn right onto School Lane.
School Lane134 m
Turn right onto Saint James'.
Saint James'456 m
Turn left onto Severnvale Drive.
Severnvale Drive714 m
Turn right onto Clearwater Drive.
Clearwater Drive210 m
Turn left onto The Causeway.
The Causeway164 m
Turn left onto Severnvale Drive.
Severnvale Drive880 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Severnvale Drive.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Severnvale Drive.
Severnvale Drive232 m
Enter Tesco Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bristol Road/B4008.
Tesco Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bristol Road/B4008.
Bristol Road1.0 km
Turn left onto A430.
A430150 m
Take the exit on the right.
Bristol Road725 m
Turn left.
108 m
Turn left.
10 m
Turn right onto Bristol Road.
Bristol Road591 m
Turn left onto A430.
A430150 m
Turn left onto A38/Cole Avenue.
A381.1 km
Turn right onto Epney Road.
Epney Road78 m
Turn right to stay on Epney Road.
Epney Road174 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Epney Road.
80 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epney Road.
Epney Road174 m
Turn left to stay on Epney Road.
Epney Road109 m
Turn left onto Byron Avenue.
Byron Avenue345 m
Turn left onto Shakespeare Avenue.
Shakespeare Avenue96 m
Turn left onto Lower Tuffley Lane.
Lower Tuffley Lane136 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Lower Tuffley Lane.
Lower Tuffley Lane136 m
Turn right onto Shakespeare Avenue.
Shakespeare Avenue96 m
Turn right onto Byron Avenue.
Byron Avenue345 m
Turn right onto Podsmead Road.
Podsmead Road32 m
Turn right onto A38/Cole Avenue.
A381.0 km
Move left onto A38/Cole Avenue. Continue on A38.
A38103 m
Keep left to take Greenhill Drive.
Greenhill Drive319 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Greenhill Drive.
121 m
Exit the roundabout onto Greenhill Drive.
Greenhill Drive416 m
Move left onto A430.
A430196 m
Take the exit on the right.
Bristol Road725 m
Turn left.
108 m
Turn left.
10 m
Turn right onto Bristol Road.
Bristol Road591 m
Continue.
48 m
Take the exit.
A430211 m
Move right onto Bristol Road/B4008.
Bristol Road250 m
Turn right onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive234 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merlin Drive.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive221 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merlin Drive.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive384 m
Turn left onto Welland Road.
Welland Road206 m
Turn right to stay on Welland Road.
Welland Road36 m
Turn left to stay on Welland Road.
Welland Road149 m
Turn right onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive172 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merlin Drive.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merlin Drive.
Merlin Drive219 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Falcon Close.
55 m
Exit the roundabout onto Falcon Close.
Falcon Close70 m
Turn left to stay on Falcon Close.
Falcon Close41 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Gloucester · Route 13 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 Tesco Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.1 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.
Burger King
Start near Burger King.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Completely Motoring
Continue to Completely Motoring.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Khoja Shi'a Muslim Community
Continue to Khoja Shi'a Muslim Community.
Budgens
Continue to Budgens.
Friar Tucks
Continue to Friar Tucks.
Haywain
Continue to Haywain.
Tesco Roundabout
Continue to Tesco Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Gloucester South Police Station
Continue to Gloucester South Police Station.
Pets Corner
Continue to Pets Corner.
Pets at Home
Continue to Pets at Home.
Johnsons Mazda
Continue to Johnsons Mazda.
Johnsons Volvo
Continue to Johnsons Volvo.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Formula One Autocentres
Continue to Formula One Autocentres.
Greenhill Drive
Continue to Greenhill Drive, taking the junction with good observation.
Atlus School Rutherford House
Continue to Atlus School Rutherford House.
Rutherford House
Finish back near Rutherford House, completing the loop.
12 roundabouts · 23 turns · 5 sets of lights
13 roundabouts · 12 turns · 5 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 8 turns · 3 sets of lights
11 roundabouts · 11 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 23.1 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Gloucester test centre, not an official DVSA route.