Near Hastings test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout, 18 turns and 1 signalled junction across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 43.1 km practice route near Hastings 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 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 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, shops 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 86-step drive on real, named roads (about 43.1 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 left onto Southwater Road.
Southwater Road302 m
Turn left onto De Cham Road.
De Cham Road43 m
Move right onto Woodland Vale Road.
Woodland Vale Road326 m
Turn right onto London Road/A2102.
London Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Blackman Avenue.
Blackman Avenue309 m
Turn right onto Marline Road.
Marline Road842 m
Turn right onto Tile Barn Road.
Tile Barn Road274 m
Turn left onto Denham Close.
Denham Close84 m
Turn right.
25 m
Turn left.
21 m
Make a right U-turn.
21 m
Turn right.
25 m
Turn left onto Denham Close.
Denham Close83 m
Turn left onto Tile Barn Road.
Tile Barn Road302 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Gresley Road.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gresley Road.
Gresley Road167 m
Turn left onto Castleham Road.
Castleham Road181 m
Move left onto Napier Road.
Napier Road429 m
Turn right onto Queensway/A2690.
Queensway1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Queensway/A2690.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queensway/A2690.
Queensway214 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Ridge West/A2100.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Ridge West/A2100.
The Ridge West1.5 km
Enter Conquest Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Ridge/B2093.
Conquest Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Ridge/B2093.
The Ridge823 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 right onto The Ridge/B2093.
The Ridge84 m
Turn left onto Grange Road.
Grange Road511 m
Turn right onto Hillside Road.
Hillside Road36 m
Turn left onto Parkstone Road.
Parkstone Road1.0 km
Turn right onto St Helen's Road/A2101.
St Helen's Road555 m
Turn left onto A21/Sedlescombe Road North.
A21880 m
Take the exit.
A2190 m
Move left onto A21/London Road. Continue on A21.
A21571 m
Turn right onto Tower Road.
Tower Road101 m
Turn left onto Saint Peter's Road.
Saint Peter's Road332 m
Turn right onto Chapel Park Road.
Chapel Park Road459 m
Turn left onto Ellenslea Road.
Ellenslea Road86 m
Turn left onto Church Road.
Church Road360 m
Turn left onto A21/Bohemia Road.
A21498 m
Turn right onto Upper South Road.
Upper South Road71 m
Turn right onto Clarence Road.
Clarence Road58 m
Turn right onto Newgate Road.
Newgate Road72 m
Turn left onto A21/Bohemia Road. Continue on A21.
A211.5 km
Turn left onto Cornwallis Gardens.
Cornwallis Gardens65 m
Turn left to stay on Cornwallis Gardens.
Cornwallis Gardens753 m
Turn right onto Priory Avenue.
Priory Avenue418 m
Turn right onto Stanley Road.
Stanley Road157 m
Turn right onto Wykeham Road.
Wykeham Road302 m
Turn right onto Priory Avenue.
Priory Avenue383 m
Turn right onto Stanley Road.
Stanley Road157 m
Turn right onto Wykeham Road.
Wykeham Road302 m
Turn right onto Priory Avenue.
Priory Avenue490 m
Turn left onto Braybrooke Road.
Braybrooke Road453 m
Enter Park Gates Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Elphinstone Road.
Park Gates Roundabout20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elphinstone Road.
Elphinstone Road307 m
Turn left to stay on Elphinstone Road.
Elphinstone Road1.9 km
Turn left onto The Ridge/B2093.
The Ridge1.8 km
Enter Conquest Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Ridge/B2093.
Conquest Roundabout45 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Ridge/B2093.
The Ridge938 m
Turn right onto Maplehurst Road/A2100.
Maplehurst Road251 m
Move right onto Westfield Lane/A28. Continue on A28.
A282.6 km
Turn left onto Vicarage Lane.
Vicarage Lane208 m
Turn right.
22 m
Move right onto Churchfield.
Churchfield180 m
Turn right onto Church Lane/A28. Continue on A28.
A282.8 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 Road194 m
Turn right onto A259/Denmark Place. Continue on A259.
A259295 m
Turn right onto Robertson Terrace.
Robertson Terrace19 m
Turn left onto Carlisle Parade.
Carlisle Parade55 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hastings · Route 12 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 Conquest Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 7.3 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 (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.
Calvary Chapel Hastings
Continue to Calvary Chapel Hastings.
St Matthew's Church
Continue to St Matthew's Church.
Portobello Furniture
Continue to Portobello Furniture.
R Jac's
Continue to R Jac's.
St Peter & St Paul
Continue to St Peter & St Paul.
St Leonards Baptist Church
Continue to St Leonards Baptist Church.
St Leonards-on-Sea Methodist Church
Continue to St Leonards-on-Sea Methodist Church.
North Star
Continue to North Star.
Sonrise Church
Continue to Sonrise Church.
Dripping Well
Continue to Dripping Well.
Linton Crescent
Continue to Linton Crescent.
BOS Field
Continue to BOS Field.
St Helens Church
Continue to St Helens Church.
Harrow Inn
Continue to Harrow Inn.
St John the Baptist
Continue to St John the Baptist.
SLM Vauxhall
Continue to SLM Vauxhall.
Brewing Brothers
Continue to Brewing Brothers.
180 Sports Bar
Continue to 180 Sports Bar.
Wellington Square Baptist Church
Finish back near Wellington Square Baptist Church, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 28 turns · 2 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 16 turns · 1 set of lights
22 turns · 3 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 28 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 43.1 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hastings test centre, not an official DVSA route.