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Practice route
ModerateLoop

Hayes · Dual-carriageway practice loop

Near Hayes test centre

24.3 km
Distance
26 min
Duration
Moderate
Difficulty
51
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Demanding

Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 30 roundabouts and 10 turns across 47 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 24.3 km practice loop near Hayes test centre, taking roughly 26 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 Stilwell Roundabout, Colham Roundabout and Stockley Park 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, 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, churches, stations and parks, 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 Hayes 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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

9
Left turns
1
Right turns
30
Roundabouts
0
Traffic lights
47
Total steps

Skills & features

3
Roundabouts
20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Roundabout approach & exit
  • Independent driving
  • Sustained concentration

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 47-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive southeast.

    90 m

  2. Keep right:

    Keep right at the fork.

    235 m

  3. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Cygnet Way.

    Cygnet Way146 m

  4. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Willow Tree Lane.

    Willow Tree Lane57 m

  5. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A312/The Parkway.

    115 m

  6. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.

    A3121.1 km

  7. Roundabout:

    Enter White Hart and take the 3rd exit onto A312/Church Road.

    White Hart110 m

  8. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/Church Road.

    A3121.1 km

  9. Roundabout:

    Enter Target Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A312.

    Target Roundabout105 m

  10. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312.

    A3121.0 km

  11. Turn right:

    Make a sharp right onto Eastcote Lane North.

    Eastcote Lane North14 m

  12. Turn right:

    Move right onto Mandeville Road/A312. Continue on A312.

    A312988 m

  13. Roundabout:

    Enter Target Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A312/Church Road.

    Target Roundabout102 m

  14. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/Church Road.

    A3121.1 km

  15. Roundabout:

    Enter White Hart and take the 2nd exit onto A312/The Parkway.

    White Hart65 m

  16. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.

    A3121.1 km

  17. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A312/The Parkway.

    64 m

  18. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.

    A312782 m

  19. Roundabout:

    Take the Ossie Garvin Roundabout exit towards Ealing/Southall/Hillingdon/Hayes.

    A312416 m

  20. Roundabout:

    Enter Ossie Garvin Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Uxbridge Road/A4020.

    Ossie Garvin Roundabout196 m

  21. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Uxbridge Road/A4020.

    Uxbridge Road2.8 km

  22. Turn left:

    Turn left onto West Drayton Road/B465.

    West Drayton Road846 m

  23. Turn left:

    Move left to stay on West Drayton Road/B465.

    West Drayton Road731 m

  24. Roundabout:

    Enter Stilwell Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stockley Road/A408.

    Stilwell Roundabout81 m

  25. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Stockley Road/A408.

    Stockley Road296 m

  26. Roundabout:

    Enter Colham Roundabout and take the 8th exit onto Stockley Road/A408.

    Colham Roundabout212 m

  27. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Stockley Road/A408.

    Stockley Road293 m

  28. Roundabout:

    Enter Stilwell Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stockley Road/A408.

    Stilwell Roundabout49 m

  29. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Stockley Road/A408.

    Stockley Road1.7 km

  30. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Stockley Road/A408.

    31 m

  31. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Stockley Road/A408.

    Stockley Road440 m

  32. Roundabout:

    Enter Cherry Lane Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto M4.

    Cherry Lane Roundabout123 m

  33. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto M4.

    M454 m

  34. Take exit:

    Take the M4 exit towards Central London/Hammersmith/Hayes/Heathrow.

    M42.6 km

  35. Take exit:

    Take exit 3 onto A312 towards Harrow/Hounslow/Heathrow.

    M4439 m

  36. Roundabout:

    Enter Cranford Parkway Interchange and take the 1st exit onto A312/The Parkway.

    Cranford Parkway Interchange8 m

  37. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.

    A312568 m

  38. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A312/The Parkway.

    69 m

  39. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.

    A3123.3 km

  40. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Willow Tree Lane.

    113 m

  41. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Willow Tree Lane.

    Willow Tree Lane138 m

  42. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Willow Tree Lane.

    Willow Tree Lane16 m

  43. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Willow Tree Lane.

    Willow Tree Lane52 m

  44. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Cygnet Way.

    Cygnet Way123 m

  45. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    25 m

  46. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    113 m

  47. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Hayes · Dual-carriageway practice loop loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Junctions & roundabouts

Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.

  • Stilwell Roundabout
  • Colham Roundabout
  • Stockley Park Roundabout

Stations

Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.

  • Northolt
  • Northolt Station
  • Hayes End

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Northolt Methodist Church
  • St Bernard's Catholic church

Parks & green space

Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.

  • Park Road Green

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • B&M
  • Hyderabadi Biryani
  • Northolt Food Centre
  • Sainsbury's Local

Watch out for

  • Multiple roundabouts

    Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Stilwell Roundabout, Colham Roundabout, Stockley Park Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. B&M

    Start near B&M.

  2. Hyderabadi Biryani

    Continue to Hyderabadi Biryani.

  3. Northolt Food Centre

    Continue to Northolt Food Centre.

  4. Northolt Library

    Continue to Northolt Library.

  5. Northolt Methodist Church

    Continue to Northolt Methodist Church.

  6. St Bernard's Catholic church

    Continue to St Bernard's Catholic church.

  7. Northolt

    Continue to Northolt.

  8. Northolt Station

    Continue to Northolt Station.

  9. Sainsbury's Local

    Continue to Sainsbury's Local.

  10. Paddy Power

    Continue to Paddy Power.

  11. Star Barbers

    Continue to Star Barbers.

  12. GSF CAR PARTS

    Continue to GSF CAR PARTS.

  13. Uxbridge County Court

    Continue to Uxbridge County Court.

  14. Park Road Green

    Continue to Park Road Green.

  15. Hayes End

    Continue to Hayes End.

  16. Iceland

    Continue to Iceland.

  17. Stilwell Roundabout

    Continue to Stilwell Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  18. Colham Roundabout

    Continue to Colham Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  19. Stockley Park Roundabout

    Continue to Stockley Park Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  20. Burger King

    Finish back near Burger King, completing the loop.

More routes at Hayes test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 24.3 km and takes about 26 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hayes test centre, not an official DVSA route.