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Practice route
ModerateLoop

Hayes · School-zone practice loop

Near Hayes test centre

18.8 km
Distance
27 min
Duration
Moderate
Difficulty
54
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Demanding

Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 22 roundabouts and 22 turns across 58 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 18.8 km practice loop near Hayes test centre, taking roughly 27 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.

On this route you’ll practise 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 schools, 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.

22
Left turns
0
Right turns
22
Roundabouts
0
Traffic lights
58
Total steps

Skills & features

20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Independent driving
  • Sustained concentration

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 58-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.9 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 Hart109 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.

    A3121.5 km

  11. Keep right:

    Keep right to stay on A312.

    A312417 m

  12. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Petts Hill/A312.

    6 m

  13. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Petts Hill/A312.

    Petts Hill29 m

  14. Keep right:

    Keep right to stay on A312.

    A312258 m

  15. Turn left:

    Move left onto Alexandra Avenue/A4090.

    Alexandra Avenue67 m

  16. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Somervell Road.

    Somervell Road150 m

  17. Keep right:

    Keep right to stay on Somervell Road.

    Somervell Road38 m

  18. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Carlyon Avenue.

    Carlyon Avenue242 m

  19. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Arundel Drive.

    Arundel Drive395 m

  20. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    50 m

  21. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn.

    50 m

  22. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Arundel Drive.

    Arundel Drive83 m

  23. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Walton Avenue.

    25 m

  24. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Walton Avenue.

    Walton Avenue194 m

  25. Turn left:

    Move left onto Holyrood Avenue.

    Holyrood Avenue12 m

  26. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Somervell Road.

    Somervell Road96 m

  27. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Field End Road.

    Field End Road1.2 km

  28. Turn right:

    Move right onto Eastcote Lane North.

    Eastcote Lane North18 m

  29. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Eastcote Lane North.

    Eastcote Lane North21 m

  30. Turn right:

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

    A312729 m

  31. Keep left:

    Keep left to stay on A312.

    A312258 m

  32. Roundabout:

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

    Target Roundabout102 m

  33. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/Church Road.

    A3121.1 km

  34. Roundabout:

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

    White Hart65 m

  35. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.

    A3121.1 km

  36. Roundabout:

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

    64 m

  37. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.

    A312782 m

  38. Roundabout:

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

    A31235 m

  39. Take exit:

    Take the ramp towards Ealing/Southall/Hillingdon/Hayes.

    A312380 m

  40. Roundabout:

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

    Ossie Garvin Roundabout196 m

  41. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Uxbridge Road/A4020.

    Uxbridge Road1.4 km

  42. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Gledwood Drive.

    Gledwood Drive211 m

  43. Turn left:

    Move left to stay on Gledwood Drive.

    Gledwood Drive272 m

  44. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Burns Close.

    Burns Close301 m

  45. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on Burns Close.

    Burns Close158 m

  46. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Burns Close.

    Burns Close143 m

  47. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Gledwood Drive.

    Gledwood Drive472 m

  48. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Uxbridge Road/A4020.

    Uxbridge Road1.4 km

  49. Roundabout:

    Enter Ossie Garvin Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A312/The Parkway.

    Ossie Garvin Roundabout8 m

  50. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.

    A3121.2 km

  51. Roundabout:

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

    113 m

  52. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Willow Tree Lane.

    Willow Tree Lane138 m

  53. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Willow Tree Lane.

    Willow Tree Lane16 m

  54. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Willow Tree Lane.

    Willow Tree Lane52 m

  55. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Cygnet Way.

    Cygnet Way123 m

  56. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    25 m

  57. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    113 m

  58. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Hayes · School-zone 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.

Stations

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

  • Northolt
  • Wood End Lane

Schools

Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.

  • Earlsmead Primary School

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Northolt Methodist Church
  • St Bernard's Catholic church
  • Northolt Park Baptist Church

Shops & parades

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

  • B&M
  • JK Convenience Store
  • McDonald's
  • Spicy Night

Watch out for

  • Local junctions

    Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.

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. JK Convenience Store

    Continue to JK Convenience Store.

  3. Northolt Library

    Continue to Northolt Library.

  4. McDonald's

    Continue to McDonald's.

  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. Wood End Lane

    Continue to Wood End Lane.

  9. Northolt Fire Station (G31)

    Continue to Northolt Fire Station (G31).

  10. Spicy Night

    Continue to Spicy Night.

  11. Earlsmead Primary School

    Continue to Earlsmead Primary School.

  12. Northolt Park Baptist Church

    Continue to Northolt Park Baptist Church.

  13. Sainsbury's Local

    Continue to Sainsbury's Local.

  14. Paddy Power

    Continue to Paddy Power.

  15. Game

    Continue to Game.

  16. JD Sports

    Continue to JD Sports.

  17. GSF CAR PARTS

    Continue to GSF CAR PARTS.

  18. Lidl

    Continue to Lidl.

  19. Hot House Pizza

    Continue to Hot House Pizza.

  20. Burger King

    Finish back near Burger King, completing the loop.

More routes at Hayes test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 18.8 km and takes about 27 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hayes test centre, not an official DVSA route.