Near Gloucester test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 7 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 28.0 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 Telford Way and Naas Lane 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, 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, pubs, churches 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 81-step drive on real, named roads (about 28.0 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 Road2.7 km
Move left onto Bristol Road/B4072.
Bristol Road117 m
Turn right onto Trier Way/A430.
Trier Way1.4 km
Turn right onto Metz Way/A4302.
Metz Way115 m
Move right to stay on Metz Way/A4302.
Metz Way1.3 km
Turn left onto A38/Eastern Avenue.
A38363 m
Turn right onto York Road.
York Road225 m
Turn left onto Durham Road.
Durham Road196 m
Turn right onto Wells Road.
Wells Road87 m
Turn right onto Chester Road.
Chester Road241 m
Turn right onto York Road.
York Road289 m
Turn left onto A38/Eastern Avenue.
A381.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A38/Eastern Avenue.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38/Eastern Avenue.
A38353 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A38/Finlay Road.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38/Finlay Road. Continue on A38.
A381.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A38.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A382.0 km
Move left onto A38/Cole Avenue. Continue on A38.
A382.4 km
Enter Waterwells Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Waterwells Drive.
Waterwells Roundabout7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Waterwells Drive.
Waterwells Drive166 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Telford Way.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Telford Way.
Telford Way363 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Naas Lane.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Naas Lane.
Naas Lane209 m
Enter Naas Lane Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto Fieldcourt Drive.
Naas Lane Roundabout156 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fieldcourt Drive.
Fieldcourt Drive969 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Severnvale Drive.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Severnvale Drive.
Severnvale Drive1.2 km
Turn right onto Saint James'.
Saint James'463 m
Turn left onto School Lane.
School Lane134 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 Lane737 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Severnvale Drive.
62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Severnvale Drive.
Severnvale Drive1.3 km
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
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 3 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Naas Lane Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 7.8 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 (30, 40, 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.
Greggs
Start near Greggs.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Avenue
Continue to Avenue.
Linden Tree
Continue to Linden Tree.
Saint Stephen
Continue to Saint Stephen.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Salvation Army - Gloucester
Continue to Salvation Army - Gloucester.
Burger Boi
Continue to Burger Boi.
Saint Aldate
Continue to Saint Aldate.
Trinity Baptist Church
Continue to Trinity Baptist Church.
Johnsons Volvo
Continue to Johnsons Volvo.
Bumble Bee
Continue to Bumble Bee.
Telford Way
Continue to Telford Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Fieldcourt Drive Open Space
Continue to Fieldcourt Drive Open Space.
Naas Lane Roundabout
Continue to Naas Lane Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Gloucester South Police Station
Continue to Gloucester South Police Station.
Pets Corner
Continue to Pets Corner.
Friar Tucks
Continue to Friar Tucks.
Khoja Shi'a Muslim Community
Continue to Khoja Shi'a Muslim Community.
Pets at Home
Finish back near Pets at Home, 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 28.0 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.