Near Hendon test centre
Mostly steady roads with few demanding junctions, a gentle loop to build confidence.
This is an independent 12.1 km practice loop near Hendon test centre, taking roughly - 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 Brent Street. 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, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 pubs, schools, named junctions and churches, 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 Hendon 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 17-step drive on real, named roads (about 12.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Aerodrome Road.
Aerodrome Road1.6 km
Turn right onto The Burroughs/A504. Continue on A504.
A5041.0 km
Turn left onto Vivian Avenue.
Vivian Avenue1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brent Street/A502.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brent Street/A502.
Brent Street1.4 km
Turn right onto A1/Great North Way.
A1588 m
Turn left onto Hendon Lane/A504. Continue on Hendon Lane.
Hendon Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto Gravel Hill/A504.
Gravel Hill169 m
Turn right onto Regent's Park Road/A598.
Regent's Park Road482 m
Turn right onto Fitzalan Road.
Fitzalan Road512 m
Turn left onto Hendon Lane/A504.
Hendon Lane537 m
Turn right onto A1/Great North Way.
A11.7 km
Turn left onto Westside.
Westside239 m
Move left onto A41/Watford Way.
A41625 m
Take the Aerodrome Road exit on the right.
A4130 m
Turn right onto Aerodrome Road.
Aerodrome Road873 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hendon · Route 43 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near 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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 3.0 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, 50 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.
Bodhran
Start near Bodhran.
Brampton College
Continue to Brampton College.
Brent Street
Continue to Brent Street, taking the junction with good observation.
Christ Church Hendon
Continue to Christ Church Hendon.
Claddagh Ring
Continue to Claddagh Ring.
Costcutter
Continue to Costcutter.
East End Road
Continue to East End Road.
Greyhound
Continue to Greyhound.
Hendon Central
Continue to Hendon Central.
Hendon Methodist Church
Continue to Hendon Methodist Church.
Hendon St Mary
Continue to Hendon St Mary.
Holocaust Memorial Garden
Continue to Holocaust Memorial Garden.
Kensit Evangelical Church
Continue to Kensit Evangelical Church.
Lubavitch Chabad House of Hendon
Continue to Lubavitch Chabad House of Hendon.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Mountfield Road
Continue to Mountfield Road.
Paddy Power
Continue to Paddy Power.
Porat Yousef
Continue to Porat Yousef.
Ray's Newsagent
Continue to Ray's Newsagent.
St. Philips
Finish back near St. Philips, completing the loop.
This route is 12.1 km and takes about - to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hendon test centre, not an official DVSA route.