Near Hastings test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 22 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 53.2 km practice route near Hastings test centre, taking roughly 35 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 Conquest 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 roundabout approach & exit, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 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 named junctions, churches, stations and pubs, 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 Hastings 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 97-step drive on real, named roads (about 53.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
95 m
Turn right onto The Ridge/B2093.
The Ridge143 m
Enter Conquest Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Ridge/B2093.
Conquest Roundabout45 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Ridge/B2093.
The Ridge877 m
Turn left onto Harrow Lane.
Harrow Lane1.4 km
Turn left onto A21/Sedlescombe Road North.
A211.1 km
Take the exit.
A2190 m
Move left onto A21/London Road.
A21298 m
Turn right onto A21/London Road. Continue on London Road.
London Road940 m
Turn left onto Hatherley Road.
Hatherley Road129 m
Turn right onto Southwater Road.
Southwater Road58 m
Turn left onto Ellenslea Road.
Ellenslea Road175 m
Turn left onto Church Road.
Church Road227 m
Turn right onto De Cham Road.
De Cham Road74 m
Turn left to stay on De Cham Road.
De Cham Road49 m
Turn right onto De Cham Avenue.
De Cham Avenue40 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on De Cham Avenue.
De Cham Avenue40 m
Turn left onto De Cham Road.
De Cham Road49 m
Turn right to stay on De Cham Road.
De Cham Road74 m
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road133 m
Turn left onto A21/Bohemia Road. Continue on A21.
A211.1 km
Turn right onto A21/Sedlescombe Road North.
A21928 m
Turn right onto St Helen's Road/A2101.
St Helen's Road555 m
Turn left onto Parkstone Road.
Parkstone Road1.0 km
Turn right onto Hillside Road.
Hillside Road36 m
Turn left onto Grange Road.
Grange Road511 m
Turn right onto The Ridge/B2093.
The Ridge84 m
Turn left onto Park Wood Road.
Park Wood Road410 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Park Wood Road.
Park Wood Road410 m
Turn left onto The Ridge/B2093.
The Ridge1.0 km
Turn right onto Elphinstone Road.
Elphinstone Road1.9 km
Turn right to stay on Elphinstone Road.
Elphinstone Road310 m
Enter Park Gates Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bethune Way.
Park Gates Roundabout19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bethune Way.
Bethune Way1.1 km
Turn left onto A21/Cambridge Road. Continue on A21.
A21222 m
Move left onto Cornwallis Terrace.
Cornwallis Terrace23 m
Turn left to stay on Cornwallis Terrace.
Cornwallis Terrace65 m
Turn left onto Cornwallis Gardens.
Cornwallis Gardens187 m
Turn left onto A21/Cambridge Road.
A21545 m
Turn left onto South Terrace.
South Terrace146 m
Turn right onto Braybrooke Road.
Braybrooke Road453 m
Enter Park Gates Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto St Helen's Road/A2101.
Park Gates Roundabout4 m
Exit the roundabout onto St Helen's Road/A2101.
St Helen's Road2.6 km
Turn right onto A21/Sedlescombe Road North. Continue on A21.
A212.1 km
Turn right onto Westfield Lane/A28. Continue on A28.
A283.0 km
Turn right onto Moor Lane.
Moor Lane263 m
Turn left onto Moor Road.
Moor Road12 m
Turn left to stay on Moor Road.
Moor Road351 m
Turn left onto Main Road/A28. Continue on A28.
A283.3 km
Turn left onto A21/Ebden's Hill. Continue on A21.
A212.1 km
Turn left onto St Helen's Road/A2101.
St Helen's Road2.6 km
Enter Park Gates Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Queens Road/A2101.
Park Gates Roundabout20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queens Road/A2101.
Queens Road767 m
Turn left onto Albert Road/A2101.
Albert Road112 m
Turn left onto Castle Hill Road.
Castle Hill Road317 m
Move right onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road276 m
Move left onto Priory Road.
Priory Road110 m
Turn left onto Plynlimmon Road.
Plynlimmon Road315 m
Turn left to stay on Plynlimmon Road.
Plynlimmon Road48 m
Turn left onto Vicarage Road.
Vicarage Road416 m
Turn left onto Calvert Road.
Calvert Road118 m
Turn left onto Mount Pleasant Road.
Mount Pleasant Road505 m
Move left onto Elphinstone Road.
Elphinstone Road310 m
Enter Park Gates Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bethune Way.
Park Gates Roundabout19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bethune Way.
Bethune Way1.1 km
Turn right onto A21/Cambridge Road. Continue on A21.
A211.5 km
Turn left onto Tower Road.
Tower Road176 m
Turn left onto London Road/A2102.
London Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Norman Road/A2102.
Norman Road136 m
Turn right onto Warrior Square/A2102.
Warrior Square68 m
Turn left onto A259/Grand Parade. Continue on A259.
A2591.5 km
Enter Fountain Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A259/Breeds Place.
Fountain Roundabout37 m
Exit the roundabout onto A259/Breeds Place. Continue on A259.
A2591.6 km
Turn right onto Ashburnham Road.
Ashburnham Road789 m
Turn right onto Berlin Road.
Berlin Road186 m
Turn right onto Edmund Road.
Edmund Road293 m
Turn right onto Edgar Road.
Edgar Road119 m
Turn right onto Ashburnham Road.
Ashburnham Road164 m
Turn left onto Mount Road.
Mount Road112 m
Turn left onto A259/Old London Road.
A259619 m
Turn left onto Ashburnham Road.
Ashburnham Road61 m
Move right onto Dudley Road.
Dudley Road288 m
Move left onto Harold Road.
Harold Road197 m
Make a sharp left onto Godwin Road.
Godwin Road328 m
Turn right onto Ashburnham Road.
Ashburnham Road412 m
Turn left onto Mount Road.
Mount Road112 m
Turn left onto A259/Old London Road. Continue on A259.
A2592.2 km
Enter Fountain Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A259/Denmark Place.
Fountain Roundabout13 m
Exit the roundabout onto A259/Denmark Place. Continue on A259.
A2591.6 km
Turn right onto London Road/A2102.
London Road968 m
Turn left onto Brittany Road.
Brittany Road119 m
Turn left onto Charles Road.
Charles Road87 m
Turn left onto Anglesea Terrace.
Anglesea Terrace116 m
Turn right onto London Road/A2102.
London Road105 m
Turn left onto Alexandra Road.
Alexandra Road52 m
Turn right to stay on Alexandra Road.
Alexandra Road108 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hastings · Route 11 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Conquest Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 15.6 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, 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.
Conquest Roundabout
Start near Conquest Roundabout.
St Matthew's Church
Continue to St Matthew's Church.
St Leonards Warrior Square
Continue to St Leonards Warrior Square.
Welcome
Continue to Welcome.
St Peter & St Paul
Continue to St Peter & St Paul.
St Helens Church
Continue to St Helens Church.
BOS Field
Continue to BOS Field.
Cambridge Hall
Continue to Cambridge Hall.
Peace Garden
Continue to Peace Garden.
St John the Baptist
Continue to St John the Baptist.
Brewing Brothers
Continue to Brewing Brothers.
St Marys Church Hall
Continue to St Marys Church Hall.
St Mark's United Reformed Church
Continue to St Mark's United Reformed Church.
Dripping Well
Continue to Dripping Well.
St Leonards Church
Continue to St Leonards Church.
Christian Spiritualist Church
Continue to Christian Spiritualist Church.
St. Mary Star of the Sea
Continue to St. Mary Star of the Sea.
Halton Baptist Church
Continue to Halton Baptist Church.
Marine Parade Station
Continue to Marine Parade Station.
Collected Fictions
Finish back near Collected Fictions, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 28 turns · 2 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 16 turns · 1 set of lights
1 roundabout · 18 turns · 1 set of lights
1 roundabout · 28 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 53.2 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hastings test centre, not an official DVSA route.