Near Gloucester test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 12 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.3 km practice loop near Gloucester 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 Waterwells Roundabout and Cross Keys Roundabout. 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 shops, pubs, named junctions and churches, 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 93-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.3 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
Turn left onto A430.
A4302.7 km
Enter Waterwells Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A38.
Waterwells Roundabout41 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A381.2 km
Enter Cross Keys Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A430/Bath Road.
Cross Keys Roundabout35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A430/Bath Road.
A430333 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A430/Bath Road.
A430351 m
Enter Cross Keys Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A38.
Cross Keys Roundabout68 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A38508 m
Take the B4008 exit towards Hardwicke/Quedgeley/Severn Vale Shopping Centre.
212 m
Turn right onto Bristol Road/B4008.
Bristol Road242 m
Turn left.
54 m
Move right onto Haresfield Lane.
Haresfield Lane638 m
Move left onto Harrier Way.
Harrier Way341 m
Turn right onto Goosefoot Lane.
Goosefoot Lane70 m
Turn left onto Sowthistle Drive.
Sowthistle Drive96 m
Turn left to stay on Sowthistle Drive.
Sowthistle Drive57 m
Turn left onto Harrier Way.
Harrier Way432 m
Move right onto Haresfield Lane.
Haresfield Lane674 m
Keep right at the fork.
93 m
Turn right onto A38.
A38661 m
Enter Waterwells Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A38.
Waterwells Roundabout25 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A382.3 km
Move right to stay on A38.
A382.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A4173.
93 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4173.
A41731.5 km
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Holmwood Drive.
Holmwood Drive247 m
Turn right onto Holmwood Close.
Holmwood Close49 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Holmwood Close.
Holmwood Close49 m
Turn right onto Holmwood Drive.
Holmwood Drive128 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road851 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Tuffley Lane.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tuffley Lane.
Tuffley Lane164 m
Turn left onto Holmleigh Road.
Holmleigh Road312 m
Turn left.
65 m
Turn left.
11 m
Turn left.
29 m
Turn left.
14 m
Turn right.
34 m
Turn right onto Holmleigh Road.
Holmleigh Road312 m
Turn right onto Tuffley Lane.
Tuffley Lane164 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Epney Road.
21 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 Road109 m
Turn right onto 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 Road78 m
Turn left onto A38/Cole Avenue.
A381.3 km
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 17 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.
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 Waterwells Roundabout, Cross Keys Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 11.2 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, 60 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.
Completely Motoring
Continue to Completely Motoring.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Pets at Home
Continue to Pets at Home.
Bumble Bee
Continue to Bumble Bee.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Waterwells Roundabout
Continue to Waterwells Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Cross Keys Roundabout
Continue to Cross Keys Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Johnsons Mazda
Continue to Johnsons Mazda.
Johnsons Volvo
Continue to Johnsons Volvo.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Wickes
Continue to Wickes.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Fox & Elm
Continue to Fox & Elm.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Grange Baptist
Continue to Grange Baptist.
St George's Church
Continue to St George's Church.
St George's Church Hall
Continue to St George's Church Hall.
Formula One Autocentres
Finish back near Formula One Autocentres, 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 27.3 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Gloucester test centre, not an official DVSA route.