Near Hastings test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 turns across 7 navigation steps.
This is an independent 7.3 km practice route near Hastings test centre, taking roughly 20 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, residential manoeuvres and busy a-roads. 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, shops, churches 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 20-step drive on real, named roads (about 7.3 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 Road101 m
Turn right onto Stainsby Street.
Stainsby Street73 m
Turn right onto Station Approach.
Station Approach148 m
Turn right onto London Road/A2102.
London Road537 m
Turn left onto Brittany Road.
Brittany Road358 m
Turn left onto Dane Road.
Dane Road89 m
Turn left onto Cumberland Gardens.
Cumberland Gardens167 m
Turn right onto Charles Road.
Charles Road246 m
Turn right onto Dane Road.
Dane Road409 m
Turn right onto Markwick Terrace.
Markwick Terrace114 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hastings · 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.
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.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
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 1.6 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.
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.
Eldridges Animal Feeds
Continue to Eldridges Animal Feeds.
Alexandra Gospel Hall
Continue to Alexandra Gospel Hall.
Calvary Chapel Hastings
Continue to Calvary Chapel Hastings.
Clarence
Continue to Clarence.
McColl's
Continue to McColl's.
Portobello Furniture
Continue to Portobello Furniture.
St Luke's United Reformed Church
Continue to St Luke's United Reformed Church.
St Matthew's Church
Continue to St Matthew's Church.
Vale Hardware
Continue to Vale Hardware.
Welcome
Continue to Welcome.
High Spirits
Continue to High Spirits.
HKS
Continue to HKS.
Little Mill Bakery
Continue to Little Mill Bakery.
MV Hardware
Continue to MV Hardware.
St Leonards Warrior Square
Continue to St Leonards Warrior Square.
Teddy Tinkers
Continue to Teddy Tinkers.
Tower
Continue to Tower.
Tower Launderette
Continue to Tower Launderette.
Markwick Gardens
Finish back near Markwick Gardens, 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 · 18 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 7.3 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hastings test centre, not an official DVSA route.